But the new tunnel won’t open until about three weeks after the viaduct closes as workers realign the highway into it. City, King County and state officials have been doing outreach and working to ensure things run as smoothly as possible, like authorities did ahead of Los Angeles’ “Carmageddon” freeway shutdown in 2011. Once the tunnel opens, removing the viaduct will take months, which will be followed by the creation of the new downtown waterfront area. Lawsuits involving Seattle Tunnel Partners, its insurance companies and the state transportation agency over delays and cost overruns are expected to play out for years. More buses in general will be deployed, and a public water taxi service from West Seattle to downtown will run more often.

Source: National Post January 09, 2019 17:27 UTC