List of tunnels in Seattle

Last updated

This is a list of tunnels built in the city of Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington.

Contents

The Puget Sound region, where Seattle lies, has a history of glaciation that has left many hills and ridges that civil engineers have needed to traverse for transportation and utilities. [1] Some of these tunnels are part of megaprojects.

Tunnels

Year(s) ConstructedTunnelDiameterLengthNotesReferences
1894Lake Union Sewer Tunnel72 in (1.8 m)5,736 ft (1,748 m)Hand excavated [1]
1894South Bayview Street Tunnel4 ft (1.2 m) x 6 ft (1.8 m)4,526 ft (1,380 m)Hand excavated [1]
1903–1905 Great Northern Tunnel 38 ft (12 m)5,141 ft (1,567 m)Hand excavated [1]
1907Oregon and Washington Railroad Tunnel38 ft (12 m)900 ft (270 m)Hand excavated; never completed (filled in 1922) [1]
1910First Avenue Utilidor Tunnel8 ft (2.4 m)300 ft (91 m)Compressed air, hand [1]
19104th and Connecticut Ave. Sewer3–6 ft (0.91–1.83 m)7,060 ft (2,150 m)Supported trench [1]
1910Ravenna Sewer Tunnel80 in (2.0 m)
Relined 66 in (1.7 m)
2,875 ft (876 m)Hand; tried tunnel boring machine [1]
Early 1900sWallingford Tunnel9 ft (2.7 m)1,803 ft (550 m)Open cut and tunnel [1]
Early 1900sPacific Street Tunnel9 ft (2.7 m)11,325 ft (3,452 m)Open cut and tunnel [1]
1910Lander Street Sewer4.5–9 ft (1.4–2.7 m)5,290 ft (1,610 m)Supported trench [1]
1911Fort Lawton Tunnel10 ft (3.0 m)9,720 ft (2,960 m)Hand dug [1]
1911Montlake Siphon Tunnel4 ft (1.2 m)2,005 ft (611 m)Hand dug [1]
1912Dexter and 8th Avenue Tunnel5 ft (1.5 m)9,315 ft (2,839 m)Hand dug [1]
1912Washington Park Tunnels5 ft (1.5 m)4,052 ft (1,235 m)Hand dug [1]
1913Third Avenue West Siphon Tunnel21 ft (6.4 m)500 ft (150 m)Hand dug [1]
1926Jackson Street Drainage Tunnel 4 ft × 6 ft (1.2 m × 1.8 m)1,500 feet (460 m)Hand dug
35 psi compressed air
[1]
1930South Hanford Street Tunnel9 ft (2.7 m)6,055 ft (1,846 m)Hand dug [1]
1931Charleston Street Tunnel3.5 ft (1.1 m)2,830 ft (860 m) [1]
1936Henderson Trunk Sewer Tunnel60 in (1.5 m) (I.D., concrete)
48 in (1.2 m) (brick)
3,000 ft (910 m)Hand dug
Concrete and brick
[1]
1936Laurelhurst Trunk Sewer Tunnel9 ft (2.7 m)1,850 ft (560 m) [1]
1938–1941 Mount Baker Tunnel 28 ft × 23 ft (8.5 m × 7.0 m)1,330 ft (410 m) [1]
1934–1942WPA slide control drainage projects4 ft × 6 ft (1.2 m × 1.8 m)4,926 ft (1,501 m) [1]
1952–1954 Battery Street Tunnel 3,140 ft (960 m)Originally named Battery Street Subway [2] [3]
1963Montlake Siphon Tunnel replacements42 in × 108 in (1.1 m × 2.7 m)586 ft (179 m) [1]
1965–1966Elliott Bay Interceptor section 6 tunnel8 ft × 12.5 ft (2.4 m × 3.8 m)1,750 feet (530 m) Tunnelling shield [1]
1964–1967Lake City Sewer Tunnel8 ft × 11 ft (2.4 m × 3.4 m)17,570 feet (5,360 m)Close-face wheel excavator [1]
1967–1968Second Avenue Sewer Tunnel8.5 ft × 12.5 ft (2.6 m × 3.8 m)19,900 feet (6,100 m) Tunnelling shield [1]
1960s to present University of Washington utilidors Various, 5–10 ft (1.5–3.0 m)50,000 feet (15,000 m) total [1] [4]
1975 Northwest Kidney Center pedestrian tunnel10 ft (3.0 m) horseshoe120 ft (37 m) Bobcat loader [1]
1983–1986 Mount Baker Tunnel expansion65 ft (20 m)1,330 ft (410 m) Tunnelling shield
World's largest diameter soil tunnel
[1]
1984 Seattle Public Utilities Beacon Hill Waterline/Cedar River Pipeline12 ft (3.7 m)150 ft (46 m) [1]
1985 Columbia Center pedestrian tunnel14 ft (4.3 m) horseshoe280 ft (85 m) [1]
1985 Virginia Mason Hospital pedestrian tunnel10 ft (3.0 m) horseshoe120 ft (37 m) Bobcat loader [1]
1986Renton Sewer Tunnel ETS-4A12 ft (3.7 m) O.D.2,403 ft (732 m)Drill and shoot [1]
1986Renton Sewer Tunnel ETS-4B12 ft (3.7 m) O.D.620 ft (190 m)Drill and shoot [1]
1986Renton Sewer Tunnel ETS-512 ft (3.7 m) O.D.1,820 ft (550 m)Drill and shoot [1]
1986Renton Sewer Tunnel ETS-612 ft (3.7 m) O.D.1,056 ft (322 m)First use of Earth Pressure Balance Machine in Seattle [1]
1987–1988 Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel Twin 21.25 ft (6.48 m)13,624 ft (4,153 m) Tunnelling shield
First use of waterproofing PVC membrane in USA
[1]
1990Fort Lawton Tunnel/West Point Sewer15.5 ft (4.7 m) O.D.8,400 feet (2,600 m)Partial Earth Pressure Balance Machine [1] [5]
1993Royal Brougham Street Sewer Tunnel10 ft (3.0 m) O.D.300 ft (91 m) [1]
1993Lake Washington Canal Tunnel3.3 ft (1.0 m)1,518 ft (463 m)First slurry microtunnel in Seattle [1]
1995Lander Street Sewer Tunnel10 ft (3.0 m) O.D.130 ft (40 m) [1]
1995First Avenue Utilidor Tunnel10 ft (3.0 m)500 ft (150 m) Microtunnel [1]
1995–1997West Seattle Sewer Tunnel13 ft (4.0 m)10,500 feet (3,200 m)Partial Earth Pressure Balance Machine
Maximum 400 feet (120 m) below surface
[1] [5]
1997Eastlake Storm Sewer Tunnel3.5 ft (1.1 m)475 ft (145 m)Slurry microtunnel [1]
2001 Justice Center Tunnel15 ft (4.6 m) horseshoe200 ft (61 m) [1]
2002Denny CSO Storage Tunnel16.8 ft (5.1 m) O.D.6,212 ft (1,893 m)First complete Earth Pressure Balance Machine tunnel in Seattle [1] [5] [6]
2002Henderson CSO Storage Tunnel16.8 ft (5.1 m) O.D.3,105 ft (946 m) Earth Pressure Balance Machine, connecting microtunnels [1] [5]
2006 Beacon Hill tunnel Twin 20 ft (6.1 m)1 mi (1.6 km) Tunnel boring machine [7]
2009–2012 University Link Tunnel Twin 20 ft (6.1 m)3 mi (4.8 km) Tunnel boring machine
$1.9 billion megaproject
[8] [9]
2007–2011 Brightwater Sewage Tunnel 17.5 ft (5.3 m)13 mi (21 km)Four tunnel boring machines
Maximum depth 400 feet (120 m)
Part of $1.8 billion megaproject
[5] [10] [11] [12]
2013–2018 Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement tunnel 57 feet (17 m)2 mi (3.2 km)$4.25 billion megaproject
World's largest tunnel boring machine, 57.5 feet (17.5 m) in diameter
[13]
2014–2016 Northgate Link tunnel Twin 20 ft (6.1 m)3.4 mi (5.5 km) Tunnel boring machine
$2.1 billion megaproject
[14]
2019–King County Ship Canal Water Quality Project21.67 ft (6.61 m) and 8 ft (2.4 m)2.7 mi (4.3 km)Largest tunnel boring machine named "Mudhoney" to construct combined sewer outflow storage tunnel under EPA consent decree. Two smaller machines for conveyance tunnels. [15] [16]

See also

Further reading

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 Robinson, Robert A.; Cox, Edward; Dirks, Martin (2002), Tunneling in Seattle: A History of Innovation, North American Tunnelling Conference, Seattle, Wash., archived from the original on April 6, 2010, retrieved December 16, 2012
  2. Bridges and roadway structures, Seattle Department of Transportation, retrieved December 17, 2012
  3. Phil Dougherty (April 1, 2007), "Final phase of Seattle's Alaskan Way Viaduct opens to traffic on September 3, 1959", HistoryLink , Seattle: History Ink
  4. Jenny Hansson (September 27, 1995), "The freedom to have a tunnel map", UW Daily, retrieved December 16, 2012
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 2010 Brightwater Project Progress and Tunneling Status (PDF), King County Waste Treatment Division
  6. Featured Project: Denny Way CSO Control Project, American Underground Construction Association, retrieved December 16, 2012
  7. Mike Lindblom (April 21, 2006), Beacon Hill tunneling a breeze, The Seattle Times
  8. Scott Gutierrez (May 15, 2012), Light rail tunnels now link downtown to Capitol Hill, UW, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
  9. "University Link Extension". Sound Transit. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  10. Jack Broom (September 8, 2009). "2 tunneling machines on Brightwater sewer project are damaged — and 300 feet deep". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  11. Scott Gutierez (August 17, 2011). "Brightwater tunneling completed this week". Seattle P-I. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  12. Jeff Switzer (September 25, 2007), "Machine moves 100 trucks of dirt a day", Everett Herald
  13. Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement program: Tunneling, Washington State Department of Transportation , retrieved December 17, 2012
  14. "Sound Transit contractor completes mining last tunnel segment for Northgate Link Extension" (Press release). Sound Transit. September 2, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  15. Tim Newcomb (April 19, 2021), "Seattle's Latest Tunnel Boring Machine Will Dig 2.7 Miles", Engineering News-Record
  16. "Meet our tunnel boring machines". Ship Canal Water Quality Project. Retrieved March 3, 2022.