Milepost 31 Kicks Off Its Spring Speaker Series

• April 03, 2012
• No Comment
• Alaskan Way Viaduct

From a news release issued by WSDOT: 

Since opening in December 2011, more than 1,500 people have learned about the future State Route 99 tunnel at Milepost 31, the Washington State Department of Transportation’s new project information center in Pioneer Square. In April the agency will introduce a new Milepost 31 monthly speaker series to give visitors more insight into this massive project.

The first talk, to be held during Pioneer Square’s First Thursday Art Walk, brings leaders of the SR 99 Tunnel Project to the center to discuss its extreme engineering and the changes coming to SODO, the downtown waterfront and neighborhoods near Seattle Center. Guest speakers include Linea Laird, WSDOT administrator for the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program, and Chris Dixon, project manager for WSDOT’s tunnel contractor – Seattle Tunnel Partners.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn exciting details about the SR 99 tunnel. And, after our event, be sure to leave yourself enough time to explore the rest of the First Thursday Art Walk.

Milepost 31 spring speaker series kick-off
6 to 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 5
211 First Ave. S., Seattle
Admission is free.

Milepost 31 remains open until 8 p.m. on First Thursdays.

Save the date for the next installments in our speaker series:

May 3: Tunneling in Seattle – A History of Innovation
Did you know there are more than 100 tunnels beneath Seattle? Join us or a virtual tour exploring tunnels built during the past century and learn how tunneling technology has advanced.

June 7: Meet the Tunnel Boring Machine
What’s as long as a ferry, five stories tall and weighs 5,500 tons? The SR 99 tunnel boring machine! We’ll show you how this custom-designed machine will grind through the ground as it builds the SR 99 tunnel beneath downtown.

Milepost 31 Grand Opening December 1 – You’re Invited!

• November 29, 2011
• No Comment
• Alaskan Way Viaduct

WSDOT is opening a new public information center on December 1, 2011 in Pioneer Square. Join WSDOT, the Pioneer Square community and others at the grand opening of Milepost 31. If you’re not able to attend the grand opening, be sure to stop by Milepost 31 during its regular hours (after Dec 1, Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11 am to 5 pm).

Here’s a message from WSDOT about Milepost 31:

Milepost 31 – People, projects and Pioneer Square





We would invite you inside for a ride, but even the world’s largest
diameter tunnel boring machine can only fit so many people. And so WSDOT offers the next best thing, Milepost 31, a public
information center that will highlight the Alaskan Way Viaduct
replacement, tunneling technology and the history of Seattle’s Pioneer
Square neighborhood. This is a first for WSDOT, an opportunity to
explore interactive exhibits about one of our projects and dig into
Seattle’s first neighborhood.

What does viaduct replacement have to do with Pioneer Square? Replacing
a highway that runs through one of the state’s most treasured historic
neighborhoods comes with challenges. Pioneer Square will see years of
construction impacts like noise, dust and traffic detours. Fortunately,
after we put the highway traffic into the SR 99 tunnel and tear down the
remaining section of the viaduct, the neighborhood will be reconnected
with the Seattle waterfront. (more…)

Final Environmental Impact Statement for Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Project Released

• July 11, 2011
• No Comment
• Alaskan Way Viaduct

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and City of Seattle released the Final Environmental Impact Statement and Section 4(f) for the SR 99 Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Project last Thursday, July 7. Here’s WSDOT’s press release.

This hefty document is available for online viewing where you can download pdfs for free. Here’s info on how to request a hard copy (it’ll cost you $50-125) or obtain a free CD.

A project as large in scale and scope as this one involves many effects to the environment and Seattle’s neighborhoods. Effects on historic and cultural resources are many. MAin2 will follow up with a future blog post that goes further into this issue of effects on our cultural resources.