Battery Street Tunnel

The Battery Street Tunnel, built in 1952, runs for 3,140 feet (957 m) under Battery Street in Seattle, Washington's Belltown neighborhood from Western Avenue in the southwest to Denny Way in the northeast.

The Battery Street Tunnel is not a true tunnel, in the common understanding of the word; rather, it is a "cut and cover" structure. In this type of project, a trench is dug and lined with concrete, then "roofed over" by a supporting framework and pavement (or sometimes a park area).

A "true" tunnel, by contrast, is drilled through solid rock. North American West Coast examples of true tunnels are the Connaught Tunnel under Rodgers Pass in British Columbia, Canada, and the (Great Northern) BNSF tunnel under Stevens Pass in Washington state.

The Battery Street Tunnel carries two traffic lanes in each direction, and connects the Alaskan Way Viaduct to Aurora Avenue N., providing continuity for State Route 99. There are no sidewalks or other provisions for pedestrians or bicyclists in the Tunnel.

When an incident blocking traffic takes place within the tunnel, warning lights advise motorists to exit SR-99 at Western Avenue (northbound) and Denny Way (southbound). Emergency exits are placed behind sliding doors, with stairways leading up to Battery Street on the surface.

Plans to renovate the Battery Street Tunnel to meet current ventilation and safety standards are presently on hold (as of August, 2008) due to financial and other considerations.

External links

* [http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/transportation/roadwaystructures.htm#battery Battery Street Tunnel]