{"id":10666,"date":"2019-02-01T10:00:18","date_gmt":"2019-02-01T16:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/iowahighwayends.net\/blog\/?p=10666"},"modified":"2019-01-26T12:16:04","modified_gmt":"2019-01-26T18:16:04","slug":"seattle-tunnel-project-an-infrastructure-achievement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/iowahighwayends.net\/blog\/2019\/02\/seattle-tunnel-project-an-infrastructure-achievement\/","title":{"rendered":"Seattle tunnel project an infrastructure achievement"},"content":{"rendered":"

When a major highway project happens in a big city anymore (and by “big” I mean “pro-team caliber”), the news is notable precisely because it doesn’t happen that often. Last year, for example, we had the long-long-long-term completion of Interstate 95 in New Jersey<\/a>. Sadly, it didn’t get nearly the attention I thought it should have.<\/p>\n

This weekend, on the other side of the country, Seattle is having a grand opening for the State Route 99 tunnel <\/a>under the heart of the city. The Alaskan Way Viaduct was built in 1953 as part of US 99* but age and earthquake damage necessitated a replacement. It took four years for “Big Bertha”<\/a>, the tunnel-digging machine, to do its work.<\/p>\n

But progress comes at a price. The tunnel will start out free and then tolls will be imposed. This is like the new I-65 bridge over the Ohio River at Louisville, which opened for free (and needed to be while construction was going on), but then tolls began two days before New Year’s Day 2017. Unfortunately, this tactic is cumbersome and confusing to drivers who do not live in the area, because there are no toll booths and drivers without compatible toll transponders<\/a> have to pay up to double the price. (Oh, and the transponders may not work in cold weather.)<\/p>\n

The federal gas tax hasn’t been raised in more than a quarter-century.<\/p>\n

*There was a semi-famous-in-roadgeek-circles “Southbound US 99” sign remaining at the viaduct until the end, seen at the 1:18 mark in the news story below.<\/p>\n