Fascinating monthly meeting of the Seattle Metro Chamber of Commerce this week where we had presentations on several major construction projects that are both underway and being planned for the city and the region in the next 5 years or so. Most of these initiatives are sorely needed as Seattle and Puget Sound continue to struggle with infrastructure that is too small or outdated to handle the rapid population growth we are currently experiencing. Here’s a list of the updates we received this week on projects underway or in the pipeline:
- SeaTac Expansion. Our airport is the ninth busiest in the United States but woefully undersized compared to
the current volume of traffic (more than 45 million passengers per year) and projections for the future (66 million in the next two decades). Construction is already underway to expand the North Satellite facility and to construct a new international arrivals facility on the south portion of the airport. Baggage handling and the central terminal are also being upgraded. For more on Sea Tac Airport expansion, check out tomorrowatsea-tac.com.
- SR 99 Tunnel and Alaskan Way Viaduct. The long awaited state route 99 tunnel under Seattle is almost completed and that means that demolition of the Alaskan Way Viaduct will occur sometime early in 2019. To prepare for the relocation of the waterfront Alaskan Way arterial, the Viaduct is scheduled to be closed this fall for three weeks which will certainly result in some traffic challenges as cars and trucks look for alternate routes through the city.
- Waterfront Seattle Construction. Once the Viaduct is taken down, work can begin in earnest on the Waterfront where a massive park project is being
planned that will reconnect the city to its historic waterfront. The rebuilt Seawall was part of this effort but many other improvements are in the works from new bike and pedestrian trails, expansion of the Seattle Aquarium, creation of a floating dock at Piers 62 and 63 and much more. Check out friendsofwaterfrontseattle.org for more information.
- Convention Center. Just this week the Seattle City Council voted to move forward on a massive expansion of the Washington State Convention Center – a 1.4 million square foot expansion that will double the size of the current Convention Center. The project will be constructed at Ninth Avenue and Pine Street and will
result in the closure of Convention Station driving buses out of the downtown tunnel above ground. This will put more pressure on light rail as the best way to get to and through downtown Seattle and the UW is working with Metro and other transit partners to bring more buses from the Eastside to Husky Stadium where riders can use the light rail to get downtown instead of having the buses continue into the city.
Seems like a lot to go through doesn’t it? And I haven’t even touched on Sound Transit 2 projects currently underway north of campus and east of the lake through I-90, and south to Federal Way. To be sure, it’s going to be even harder getting around the city and the region in the next several years but there will be a payoff by 2023 and 2024 that should improve both mobility and livability in our fast growing metropolis.
