Port of Seattle Commission approves funding for Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program
The Port of Seattle Commission approved $267.7 million for the SR 99 Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program. The funding agreement between the State and the Port fulfills the memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the two agencies that was adopted in early 2010. Washington State Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson was on hand to voice her support for the Port’s contribution to the $3.1 billion program, said in the company's press release.
More than 20 projects, including the SR 99 tunnel, will work together to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct while improving freight mobility. Tunneling beneath Seattle allows crews to replace the viaduct while minimizing closures of the highway during construction. Additionally, a new overpass under construction to the west of the stadiums will allow freight and other traffic to bypass a busy railroad track that crosses South Atlantic Street, near the entrance to Terminal 46.
“This agreement is critical to the successful completion of the bored tunnel replacement for the Alaskan Way Viaduct,” said George Allen, Senior Vice President of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. “By keeping traffic flowing along the SR 99 corridor, this project maintains the regional capacity we need for continued movement of freight and other goods between the industrial areas of the city.”
“If Washington State is going to keep family wage jobs, we’ve got to keep freight and goods moving through our region,” said Port Commissioner Bill Bryant. “That’s why the port helped pay for underpasses and overpasses in the Kent-Auburn valley, and why the Port of Seattle is fulfilling its commitment to help pay for a reconfigured SR 99 and tunnel.”
The Port has a long history of contributing to local transportation projects related to moving freight and goods throughout the region. The Port of Seattle agreed to provide up to $300 million to the viaduct program, including the Port’s contributions to a number of State transportation projects including the East Marginal Way Overpass, Spokane St. Viaduct, and the SR 519 Intermodal Access Project Phase 2.
About the Port of Seattle
Founded in 1911, The Port owns and operates Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, four container cargo terminals, two cruise ship terminals, one grain terminal, a public cargo terminal, four public marinas, and manages a number of real estate assets for financial return and economic advantage. The port’s operations currently help create nearly 200,000 jobs and $7 billion in wages throughout the region. Over the next 25 years, the port’s “Century Agenda” seeks to create an additional 100,000 jobs through economic growth while becoming the nation’s leading green and energy-efficient port.
