The Alaskan Way Viaduct was an elevated highway in Seattle which was completed in 1966 after 16 years of construction and decades of planning. The double-decked highway ran along the Elliott Bay waterfront above the surface street, Alaskan Way, following previously existing railroad lines. The viaduct provided Seattle with its first bypass route around the downtown business district. The viaduct was damaged in the 2001 Nisqually earthquake and was replaced by the State Route 99 tunnel and torn down in 2019.
This image was taken facing southeast from Alaskan Way as the viaduct was being built. The viaduct was built in several phases, and the first section opened on April 4, 1953.
Caption information source: "Alaskan Way Viaduct, Part 3: Building the Viaduct," by Jennifer Ott, HistoryLink.org Essay 9978
ID Number: SHS7287
Date: Circa 1952
Physical Description: 1 photographic print mounted on cardboard: b&w ; 7.5 x 9.25 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant.
