Seneca Off-Ramp Removal: Expect Detours In Downtown Seattle

SEATTLE, WA — The demolition of the Alaskan Way Viaduct is moving about as fast as demolition crews can chew through the elderly highway's concrete-and-steel skeleton. A long portion of the viaduct south of Seneca Street is gone, and on Wednesday crews will turn their attention to the Seneca Street off-ramp.

The ramp stretches east to west between 1st Avenue and the waterfront, so there will be detours for pedestrian, bikers, and cars for about 20 days in that area, according to WSDOT.

Here's how WSDOT describes what crews will be doing:

Crews will remove the ramp working west to east toward First Avenue. Hoe rams will hammer out the road deck before crews cut the ramp’s girders and beams. Cranes will lift the cut pieces one by one onto the ground. Machinery will munch the girders and the ramp’s columns into rubble. Kiewit used a similar approach when removing the Columbia Street on-ramp in February and March.

Here's what to expect during the month or so that crews are demolishing the off-ramp, according to WSDOT.

• May 22: Crews begin site prep and slotting the deck near Alaskan Way.
• May 23: Crosswalk across Seneca Street at Western Avenue closes at 7 a.m.
• May 28: Whole intersection of Seneca Street and Western Avenue closes at 4 a.m., for up to 20 days total.
• June 1: University Street reopens onto Alaskan Way.
• Mid-June: Ramp fully removed, and site restoration begins.