October 29, 2009
The Washington State Department of Transportation is designing a system that would automatically close the Alaskan Way Viaduct before or at the start of an earthquake. WSDOT is designing the system in-house to detect structure and ground movement.
The goal is to reduce the number of motorists on the elevated highway in the event of a quake. The viaduct carries about 100,000 vehicles a day. The system would also mitigate the effects of traffic snarls that would occur if the major north-south arterial along the Seattle waterfront were closed.
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