Now that drivers are safely traversing the new SR-99 tunnel, the Washington State Department of Transportation is preparing to demolish the Alaskan Way Viaduct, the first in many steps toward revitalizing the city’s waterfront. As GeekWire reports, WSDOT has now released “an extensive online overview of what to expect from the removal of the old highway above ground — a process that should take about six months.”
Read MoreThe Emerald City has seen a record number of construction projects in recent years and activity does not seem to be slowing down, as Seattle Times reports that there are currently 66 major projects underway in the city — that’s up by 1 compared to six months ago.
Read MoreOn January 11, 2019, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is set to permanently close the Alaskan Way Viaduct, the first step in a series of efforts to alleviate congestion but that will first make things worse for Seattleites. In what has been called the “period of maximum constraint,” movement in and around downtown will be difficult, as private and public construction will cause street closures and delays.
Read MoreAs Puget Sound Business Journal reporter Marc Stiles recently tells readers, “if it looks like there are more construction cranes dotting the city of Seattle’s skyline, it’s because there are.” According to a report released in mid-July by Rider Levett Bucknall, “Seattle’s crane count increased from 45 to 65 from December through May,” which means “Seattle has more cranes than any other U.S. city for the third year in a row.”
Read MoreAfter years of planning, the Washington State Convention Center updates and construction are officially underway, as an 11-story addition will be added to “the sprawling cite of the Convention Place Station at the north portal of the downtown transit tunnel.” The $1.7 billion project is one of the biggest developments to be embarked upon in Seattle, and as Puget Sound Business Journal outlines, it is expected to “create up to 6,000 union construction jobs and hundreds of apprenticeships.”
Read MoreOver the next few years, the city of Seattle will transform its waterfront in an exciting project that will see updates extending from Pioneer Square through to Belltown’s Battery Street. As Waterfront Seattle describes, the changes will capitalize “on the opportunity created by the removal of the Alaskan Way Viaduct and the replacement of the Elliott Bay Seawall” and will include the new Elliott Bay Seawall (currently under construction), better connections between city neighborhoods, infrastructure updates, and twenty acres of public space.
Read MoreThe Seattle skyline will continue to be filled with cranes for a bit longer. Recently published in GeekWire, “A new report from the Downtown Seattle Association says the city is in the midst of a record $5 billion in current construction activity downtown.” The builders are rushing to meet demands of new residents (more than 1,000 a week) and businesses moving into the city. According to the 2017 Mid-Year Development Guide, residential work represents two-thirds of all projects underway and have 30,000 units under construction or in development.
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