Seattle Demolished a Highway in 2019 - Then Used Its Concrete to Fill an Old Tunnel

Seattle Demolished a Highway in 2019 - Then Used Its Concrete to Fill an Old Tunnel For 65 years, Seattle's Battery Street Tunnel carried highway traffic beneath Belltown, connecting Aurora Avenue to the elevated Alaskan Way Viaduct along the waterfront. The tunnel opened in 1954. By 2019, the transportation system it belonged to was being dismantled. After traffic moved to the new SR 99 tunnel, Seattle demolished the old waterfront viaduct. Much of its crushed concrete was then hauled back and used to fill the Battery Street Tunnel. But the decision wasn't simply about getting rid of an old road. The original highway system had shaped Seattle's streets for decades. The 2001 Nisqually earthquake raised questions about its long-term safety, and proposals to reuse the Battery Street Tunnel faced significant seismic and financial challenges. Filling the tunnel also made it possible to reconnect neighborhood streets that its northern approach had interrupted since the 1950s. This documentary follows the history of Seattle's old SR 99 corridor, from the construction of the viaduct and Battery Street Tunnel to the decisions that led to their removal, and the changes left behind. 00:00 The Hidden Highway Beneath Seattle 03:02 When the Earth Shook the System 05:53 Turning a Tunnel Into a Grave 07:46 Reconnecting the Divided Streets #Seattle #HighwayHistory #Infrastructure