July 24, 2017

Wanted: Contractor to demolish 1.4 miles of viaduct and 2 ramps

Photos by Benjamin Minnick [enlarge]

Work will include demolishing the central section of the viaduct, filling the Battery Street Tunnel and connecting surface streets near the tunnel’s north portal.

[enlarge]

Hudson Pacific Properties’ project at 450 Alaskan Way S. is just an arm’s length away from the viaduct.

The state is getting an early jump on what promises to be a tricky job: removing the rest of 1953 Alaskan Way Viaduct.

WSDOT has issued an advance notice of the work, which won't start until the replacement tunnel along the waterfront opens in early 2019.

“We want to be able to select the most highly qualified demolition contractors within the industry to bid on the project,” said Brian Nielsen, Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement deputy program administrator at WSDOT.

WSDOT estimates the design-build contract will be worth between $60 million and $80 million.

Work will include demolishing the viaduct, decommissioning and filling the Battery Street Tunnel, and connecting surface streets near the tunnel's north portal.

Here's what needs to come down: the viaduct's 1.4-mile central section, the on-ramp at Columbia Street and the off-ramp at Seneca Street. The contractor will also remove two steel girder structures spanning BNSF Railway tracks near Pike Place Market.

Nielsen said the goal is to have a contractor on board by next spring. The job could take up to nine months and be done in phases. Nielsen said phasing will be up to the contractor.

Demolition will be tricky in some areas because the structure is very close to some buildings. A parking garage near Pike Place Market is just three feet away, and Hudson Pacific Properties has an office building under construction at 450 Alaskan Way S. that is so close that GLY Construction installed a wall alongside the viaduct's lower roadway to protect workers.

The southern mile of the viaduct was demolished in 2011-12 by Rhine Demolition as part of a larger project to replace that section with a new side-by-side roadway. Skanska USA Civil was the general contractor.

For the rest of viaduct, WSDOT plans to issue a request for qualifications on Tuesday. Firms will have until Aug. 25 to submit statements of qualifications. Nielsen said three to five finalists will be asked to submit proposals on Nov. 15.

A voluntary submitters meeting is set for 9-11 a.m. Aug. 3 at 1051 First Ave. S.

The contract will have goals for minority, small, veteran and woman-owned businesses.

In order to build the waterfront tunnel and the new seawall, the Alaskan Way surface street was shifted east, under the viaduct. That road will be shifted back to the west, toward the waterfront, before demolition begins on the viaduct.

Nielsen said the new configuration will have five lanes south of Yesler Way and four lanes north of that.

Funding for the demolition is part of the $3.2 billion overall budget for replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

WSDOT will continue its semi-annual inspections of the viaduct up until the demolition. Nielsen said inspections have found minor movement at times, but the viaduct is generally stable and not a concern.

The next inspection is scheduled for October.

For more information, see the notice in the July 7 DJC.