How the 1989 Bay Area Quake Reshaped Seattle’s Waterfront

City planners in Washington made some bold decisions after learning how bridges and overpasses were affected by the 1989 Bay Area Earthquake.

The quake, which registered 6.9 on the Richter Scale, caused the Nimitz Freeway on Interstate 880 in Oakland to collapse. Entire sections of the upper deck collapsed directly on the lower deck, crushing more than two dozen cars and their occupants. 

Timing Saved Lives

The time the earthquake struck - 5 p.m.- usually meant that much more traffic should have been stuck on the Nimitz. But that year, baseball’s World Series featured two local teams: the Oakland A’s and the San Francisco Giants. Ten thousand came home early from work to watch the game on television.

The collapse of the Nimitz Freeway meant change for a viaduct in Washington.

The Nimitz Freeway was designed similarly to Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct, which ran the length of the downtown Seattle waterfront. 

Due to Seattle’s earthquake history, planners knew the Alaskan Way Viaduct had to go.

This led to the 2009 decision to replace the viaduct with a four-lane, 2-mile-long tunnel.

The Longest Road Tunnel in the Lower 48 is here in Washington.

Seattle's Highway 99 Tunnel—the longest in the contiguous U.S. (the lower 48)—opened in early 2019. The tunnel gives drivers excellent access from Seattle’s downtown to the famous waterfront attractions. 

Does the Highway 99 Tunnel require a toll to drive on?

Yes. The tunnel's price varies depending on the duration of your drive and whether you have the WA Good-To-Go sticker displayed on your windshield. Click HERE for the toll info.

How does this tunnel compare to other famous tunnels in NYC?

The Lincoln Tunnel is a 1.5-mile-long tunnel built under the Hudson River. It connects Weehawken, New Jersey, to Midtown Manhattan. 

The Holland Tunnel is slightly longer than the Lincoln Tunnel, measuring 1.6 miles below the Hudson River, connecting the Newport district in Jersey City< New Jersey, with Lower Manhattan.

Is there a longer road tunnel than Seattle’s Highway 99 in Alaska or Hawaii?

Yes. The Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel in Alaska is a 2.5-mile tunnel connecting Anchorage and Whittier.