2-02-19
After
years of digging a tunnel
under Seattle the opening day festivities arrived. Kim and I attended
the walk through the new tunnel and a last visit to the viaduct before
it is torn down. We met at my house then headed over to Queen Anne
Hill. Though there was not much elevation gain on this trip we started
and ended atop the hill. That lest a short steep climb back uphill at
the end of the day. We dropped down to the Seattle Center at first. Our
tickets were for 1:00 pm so we had a little time to kill. I had not
been to the Center in a number of years. Kim provided a tour of the
little noticed things that I would not have noticed. Just like on the
trail. We headed over to the tunnel a half hour early to find a long
line of people . There were no signs or directions so we just followed
everyone else. By 12:45 we were entering the new tunnel. The route is
two miles to the south portal near the stadiums. Earlier in the day a
big running race took place. Tomorrow bicycles will fill the tunnel and
the viaduct. Now it was time for just us walkers.
The first thing I noticed is that this is the brightest tunnel I have ever been in. Most are dark inside. This one was as light as day even in the middle. It was also a lot warmer than I expected. Along the route were information signs. They also said what street was above us. The proved interesting and educational. The stream of people seemed be unending. Just more people as far ahead or behind as we could see. At 45 mph the 2 miles will only take about three minutes in a car. We took closer to an hour on foot. Lots of happy folks and everyone had a camera or phone/camera. We reached the south end of the tunnel at about 1:40 pm. We ran into Gwen who was working at the event. Kim also ran into two other friends along the route. Small odds with so many folks.
There were a lot of shuttle buses waiting to take us back to the north end. We walked on the upper level of the tunnel and the buses drove back and forth on the lower level. A whole lot of folks were moved very quickly. By 2:13 pm we were walking along closed off Aurora Avenue towards the entrance to the Battery Street Tunnel. This tunnel will be filled with parts of the demolished viaduct and closed off completely. One last chance this day to go through it. The Battery Street Tunnel is much darker than the new tunnel. It has lots of graffiti. near the end of the tunnel a group of drummers were pounding away. The reverberations were as bad as being on an airport runway. My body vibrated. Once outside of the tunnel the vibrations went away.
We climbed up onto the viaduct. There were a number of displays along the way. The crowd was really impressive. Almost side to side humanity. Many thousands of folks were up there. It was a bit windy and much colder than the morning had been. The viaduct provided such great views of downtown Seattle on one side and Elliott Bay on the other. Views I have enjoyed for many decades. Views that I will miss. On the other hand, the opportunity to build a much more citizen friendly waterfront is exciting. The lack of noise is one big factor. All those cars made quite a racket. A ukulele group included Sara, one of Kim's friends. Yes, its just a small town. I took lots of photos. There would not be another chance.
The viaduct was closed off to walkers just south of the Seneca Street off ramp. This day it was another route up onto the viaduct. A few photos of the empty southern part of the viaduct and we headed back. Back into a cold north wind. I definitely needed another layer. I did not have my daypack. One big difference from a hiking trip. As we were coming out a steady steam of people were still coming in. We would not be close to the last folks up on the viaduct. I can hike all day long on a dirt trail. I am not so good at walking slowly in crowds on cement. My legs were hurting long before we were done. At a slow walking speed it was very clear that the road deck was full of small pot holes. We even saw some rebar sticking through. Over almost 65 years the road took a beating.
I was glad to finally drop back to the tunnel. We were out of the wind. We came out of the tunnel and walked down the middle of Aurora Avenue. That was a unique perspective. We headed through the Seattle Center and took a more direct route back to the car. It included a number of steep stairways connecting streets on Queen Anne Hill. At each road we crossed we stopped to admire the view of Seattle. The higher we went the better the view became. It was cloudy most all day but not wet. The clouds made for some interesting photos. By now I was down to just my cell phone so not zoomed shots. We made it back to the car at about 5:15 pm. A week ago it would have been dark but not now.
This was a day of history for us. The fantastic views of the city, Elliott Bay, and the Olympic Mountains well be gone but a much safer tunnel will now be the future. I am glad to have seen the tunnel before it opens and to walk on the viaduct before it is torn down. My and many thousands of others. This report with photos will still be up long after most folks forget where their photos of this day have gone. A little bit of history that will be around as long as I am.
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larger pictures.
Trips - 2019
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The first thing I noticed is that this is the brightest tunnel I have ever been in. Most are dark inside. This one was as light as day even in the middle. It was also a lot warmer than I expected. Along the route were information signs. They also said what street was above us. The proved interesting and educational. The stream of people seemed be unending. Just more people as far ahead or behind as we could see. At 45 mph the 2 miles will only take about three minutes in a car. We took closer to an hour on foot. Lots of happy folks and everyone had a camera or phone/camera. We reached the south end of the tunnel at about 1:40 pm. We ran into Gwen who was working at the event. Kim also ran into two other friends along the route. Small odds with so many folks.
There were a lot of shuttle buses waiting to take us back to the north end. We walked on the upper level of the tunnel and the buses drove back and forth on the lower level. A whole lot of folks were moved very quickly. By 2:13 pm we were walking along closed off Aurora Avenue towards the entrance to the Battery Street Tunnel. This tunnel will be filled with parts of the demolished viaduct and closed off completely. One last chance this day to go through it. The Battery Street Tunnel is much darker than the new tunnel. It has lots of graffiti. near the end of the tunnel a group of drummers were pounding away. The reverberations were as bad as being on an airport runway. My body vibrated. Once outside of the tunnel the vibrations went away.
We climbed up onto the viaduct. There were a number of displays along the way. The crowd was really impressive. Almost side to side humanity. Many thousands of folks were up there. It was a bit windy and much colder than the morning had been. The viaduct provided such great views of downtown Seattle on one side and Elliott Bay on the other. Views I have enjoyed for many decades. Views that I will miss. On the other hand, the opportunity to build a much more citizen friendly waterfront is exciting. The lack of noise is one big factor. All those cars made quite a racket. A ukulele group included Sara, one of Kim's friends. Yes, its just a small town. I took lots of photos. There would not be another chance.
The viaduct was closed off to walkers just south of the Seneca Street off ramp. This day it was another route up onto the viaduct. A few photos of the empty southern part of the viaduct and we headed back. Back into a cold north wind. I definitely needed another layer. I did not have my daypack. One big difference from a hiking trip. As we were coming out a steady steam of people were still coming in. We would not be close to the last folks up on the viaduct. I can hike all day long on a dirt trail. I am not so good at walking slowly in crowds on cement. My legs were hurting long before we were done. At a slow walking speed it was very clear that the road deck was full of small pot holes. We even saw some rebar sticking through. Over almost 65 years the road took a beating.
I was glad to finally drop back to the tunnel. We were out of the wind. We came out of the tunnel and walked down the middle of Aurora Avenue. That was a unique perspective. We headed through the Seattle Center and took a more direct route back to the car. It included a number of steep stairways connecting streets on Queen Anne Hill. At each road we crossed we stopped to admire the view of Seattle. The higher we went the better the view became. It was cloudy most all day but not wet. The clouds made for some interesting photos. By now I was down to just my cell phone so not zoomed shots. We made it back to the car at about 5:15 pm. A week ago it would have been dark but not now.
This was a day of history for us. The fantastic views of the city, Elliott Bay, and the Olympic Mountains well be gone but a much safer tunnel will now be the future. I am glad to have seen the tunnel before it opens and to walk on the viaduct before it is torn down. My and many thousands of others. This report with photos will still be up long after most folks forget where their photos of this day have gone. A little bit of history that will be around as long as I am.
 International Fountain |
 Line To Tunnel |
 Viaduct Sign |
 Getting Close |
 Kim At North Portal |
 Emergency Exit Signs |
 Into The Tunnel |
 Looking Back |
 Fist Information Sign |
 Turnaround? |
 Last Chance? |
 Kim In Tunnel |
 Under 3rd & Bell St. |
 Under Denny Regrade |
 Thinner Crowd Here |
 Deepest Point |
 Traffic Signs |
 Stadium Signs |
 Under Pike Pl. Market |
 Exit Door |
 We are at Madison St. |
 Like A Benchmark |
 Ferry Info |
 Early Waterfront Info |
 Launch Pit Info |
 Exiting The Tunnel |
 Looking At South Portal |
 Look Back To Seattle |
 Near Battery St Tunnel |
 Darker Tunnel |
 64 Year Old Tunnel |
 Near End Of Tunnel |
 Drummers Drumming |
 Looking Back To Tunnel |
 Container Port |
 Flapping Wings |
 Ukulele Group |
 Big Crowd |
 3D Fish |
 Great Downtown Views |
 Aquarium |
 Another New Building |
 Neat Views |
 Many Steps |
 Seneca Off Ramp |
 Another Sign |
 New Ferry Terminal |
 Kim At End Of Line |
 Downtown Again |
 Big Wheel |
 Heading Back |
 Overhead Signs |
 Back To Tunnel |
 Walking Aurora Avenue |
 On To Seattle Center |
 MoPOP |
 Space Needle |
 View Of Seattle |
Walking Through The New Tunnel Under Seattle |
Nearing The End Of The New Tunnel |
Waling Out Of The Battery Street Tunnel Onto The Viaduct |
Trips - 2019
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