The Alskan Way Viaduct was closed for nine days this last Friday, in preparation for its demolition. Doom was predicted.
So Monday was the first day when commuters returned to the streets, to expected chaos.
Can you guess what happened?
West Seattle commute easiest of year?
For anybody who waited until 7:30 a.m. to commute out of West Seattle, this was probably the easiest weekday-morning drive of the year. People there adapted instead of being snared by Viadoom.
We’ll see what happens in coming days. I expect the authorities are sincerely hoping for some serious congestion. Otherwise, it might put in doubt the billions they’ll be spending to build a tunnel to replace the capacity of the Viaduct.
It really is a shame they don’t just put that money toward public transit. There are enough successful examples of freeway removal where a costly highway was not replaced underground. I wrote about it here: http://thiscitylife.tumblr.com/post/11724333027
It seems that planners are constantly surprised that when you tell the public what to expect they adjust their behaviour accordingly. If the viaducts had been closed unexpectedly due to a hazmat spill or other accident, then it would have been chaos. But when you tell people in advance that it will be closed and that they should make alternate plans then guess what – they do!
It reminds me of the great Vancouver transit strike of the summer of ’01. Chaos was predicted as everyone took to cars to commute. Yes, traffic was heavy – but people adjusted by carpooling, shifting their hours, etc. and everyone survived. Similar story with the Olympics, of course.
No matter how much people claim that a particular route is “essential”, the fact is that time after time major arteries have gone out of service and life goes on pretty much normally. And if that fact is lost on most planners then it’s clear that they’re completely out to lunch when it comes to their seemingly constant insistence that road networks need to be expanded to “prevent gridlock”.
http://www.komonews.com/traffic/viaduct-guide/132541703.html
SEATTLE (AP) – Commuters faced slightly heavier traffic Tuesday, but none of the massive gridlock feared with one of Seattle’s two north-south highways closed for the second full weekday.
Transportation officials said rush hour took place an hour earlier than usual and more vehicles were on area roads compared to Monday. There were also pockets of delays reported on highways and arterial streets in the region.