Since the 2001 Nisqually earthquake , the replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct has been the source of much political controversy demonstrating the Seattle process . Options for replacing the viaduct , which carried 110,000 vehicles per day , included either replacing it with a cut-and-cover tunnel , replacing it with another elevated highway , or eliminating it while modifying other surface streets and public transportation . The current plan emerged in 2009 when government officials agreed to a deep-bore tunnel
Nisqually earthquake
2001 Nisqually earthquake
Transportation in Seattle