Goodbye-A-Duct: A Photo History Of The Alaskan Way Viaduct

SEATTLE, WA -When engineers were designing the Alaskan Way Viaduct in the 1950s, Seattle's chief engineer, Ray Finke, made a comment that nicely sums up the elevated roadway.

"It's not beautiful," he said, according to a WSDOT history of the viaduct.

No, definitely not beautiful, and not even structurally sound. But during its 60 years in service, the viaduct became an icon, a sight as familiar to locals as the Space Needle or winter rain. When it closes Friday at 10 p.m., it will be the end of an era, and the beginning of three weeks of major traffic stress as the region learns to live without the viaduct for the first time in 60 years.

Now that the viaduct's time is up — to be replaced with a tunnel that will assuredly host thousands of traffic jams in the future (but without good views) — let's take a look back at its life.

Here's what Seattle looked like in 1936 before the viaduct was even planned. Notice the number of piers along Elliott Bay. In the center of the photo, you can just make out the Seattle Tower, an art-deco skyscraper that opened in 1929 along 3rd Avenue. PEMCO Webster & Stevens Collection, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle; All Rights Reserved

Here's the viaduct under construction in 1951. This photo is looking southeast down Alaskan Way. Worth noting, the personal automobile had only existed in Seattle for about 50 years at this point. MOHAI, Seattle Historical Society Collection

Here's the viaduct in 1953, the year the first section opened between Battery and Dearborn streets. This view looks west, and you can see the Battery Street Tunnel in the center of the photo. Seattle Post-Intelligencer Photograph Collection, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle; All Rights Reserved

Seen here in 1959, the section of the viaduct stretching from the stadiums to Spokane Street was torn down beginning in 2010. Seattle Post-Intelligencer Photograph Collection, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle; All Rights Reserved

Here's the Seneca Street off-ramp under construction in 1961. Although the first section of the viaduct opened in 1953, the viaduct we know today wasn't fully done until the early 1960s. Planners wanted offramps at University and Spring streets, but the Seneca ramp was the only one completed serving the downtown core.

In this 1967 photo, the station wagon driver might be headed to the Seattle Coliseum (AKA, KeyArena) to watch the brand new Seattle SuperSonics basketball team. The team arrived in Seattle that year. MOHAI, Seattle Historical Society Collection

In 1975, Seattle was downright sleepy. This photo looks north with the Smith Tower at right, the Henry M. Jackson federal building at left, and Safeco Plaza (then called the Seafirst Center) second from the left. Photo via Seattle Municipal Archives

In this 1982 photo, crowds gather to ride the new George Benson Waterfront Streetcar Line. The 1.6-mile line ran from Jackson Street near Union Station to where the Olympic Sculpture Park is today. The line was taken out of service in 2005. Photo via Seattle Municipal Archives

Seattle's homelessness crisis is nothing new. In 1984, plenty of people made their home under the viaduct. MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Photograph Collection

The viaduct in May 2001, about two months after the magnitude 6.8 Nisqually earthquake rocked Seattle. The quake badly damaged the viaduct and the Elliott Bay seawall. Even though construction would not begin for another nine years, the 2001 quake sealed the viaduct's fate, putting plans for a tunnel into motion. Photo via Seattle Municipal Archives

Just another traffic jam on the viaduct. This one was in May 2003. Photo via Seattle Municipal Archives

WSDOT engineers inspect the north end of the viaduct on Oct. 24, 2009. After the Nisqually quake, WSDOT periodically closed the viaduct to make sure it was still structurally sound. Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images

Remember this? WSDOT's iconic viaduct collapse video scared everyone, making the case that the thing had to come down. The video shows what a magnitude 7 quake would do to the viaduct and the seawall - and it's horrifying. You can watch the full video here.

Former Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, left, speaks alongside Secretary of Transportation Paula Hammond looks on June 29, 2010, prior to the official groundbreaking for the replacement of the southern mile of the Alaskan Way Viaduct elevated roadway in Seattle. McGinn opposed the tunnel option, preferring to tear down the viaduct for a multi-modal Alaskan Way. AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

WSDOT shut down the viaduct in October 2011 for nine days to begin tearing down the south end. Some people had fun with the empty roadway. Photo courtesy SDOT

In November 2011, WSDOT contractors demolish the southern end of the viaduct near King Street. Photos courtesy WSDOT

On April 4, 2016, a crab truck overturned on top of the viaduct. The northbound lanes were closed for four hours as crews worked to clear dozens of boxes of frozen crab. The crash - mirroring the 2015 salmon incident - had repercussions throughout the region. Image via SDOT

Pike Place Market opened in 1907, decades before the viaduct. In June 2017, the market opened a new section overlooking the viaduct and Elliott Bay. Visitors can buy charms to hang on a fence above the highway. Patch file photo/Neal McNamara

The viaduct's gray and white exterior stands out against the hazy downtown sky in August 2018. The new Colman Dock ferry terminal will spring up here in the coming years. Patch file photo/Neal McNamara

Here's what you'll see from now on when you take SR 99 through downtown Seattle. Photo via WSDOT

Have a viaduct memory you'd like to see? Email neal.mcnamara@Patch.com.

Main photo via Seattle Municipal Archives, Patch file photo