'New normal': Post-Viaduct congestion 'will last for years, not months'

Construction continues on Alaskan Way and the viaduct, Monday, Oct. 15, 2018. Alaskan Way has been moved out from under the viaduct and almost all traffic has been redirected to the new, wider road west of the viaduct. The viaduct is slated to close permanently Jan. 11. less Construction continues on Alaskan Way and the viaduct, Monday, Oct. 15, 2018. Alaskan Way has been moved out from under the viaduct and almost all traffic has been redirected to the new, wider road west of the ... more Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Image 1 of / 11 Caption Close 'New normal': Post-Viaduct congestion 'will last for years, not months' 1 / 11 Back to Gallery

An already congested Seattle, on the eve of a three-week state Route 99 closure, must permanently change how it gets around, getting used to more bus-only lanes, more buses, camera enforcement directed at motorists driving downtown, and that drivers display the patience of Job.

"We know how we get in and around Seattle will change significantly," said Mayor Jenny Durkan. "People will have to understand this 'new normal' will last for years, not months."

The "Seattle Squeeze" will begin when the Alaskan Way Viaduct closes on Jan. 11. The SR-99 Tunnel will open three weeks later, with ceremonies on Super Bowl weekend.

WATCH: Crews will start demolition of Seattle's Alaskan Way Viaduct in February, a six-month process

On March 23, the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel becomes light rail only, bringing seven significant regional bus routes onto city streets. "Transit routes from all over the county will be impacted," said Bill Bryant of King County Metro.

Construction of the new Alaska Way begins in early summer, and will last until 2021. A bit of relief will come that year as light rail opens to Northgate.

"This is going to be a really stressful time: We have to be compassionate with ourselves and with each other," Heather Marx of the Seattle Dept. of Transportation told a morning news briefing.

Ubiquitous downtown construction projects, which frequently close lanes, will be moved back to expand right-of-way during the period after the Viaduct is closed and before the tunnel becomes operational. They'll then go back to closing lanes.

Local political leaders insist there will be a light at the end of the SR-99 Tunnel and Transit Tunnel.

"When we're done, it will be totally worth it," said Durkan.

RELATED: Wander Seattle's Alaskan Way viaduct, new tunnel in upcoming celebratory weekend

The city of Seattle, and Washington Department of Transportation, produced artists renditions of the world to come -- a Pike-Pine "renaissance," a green and inviting central waterfront and a Seattle Center Arena ready to welcome NHL hockey.

The drawings harken back three decades, to when City Hall was selling the downtown transit tunnel. Artists depicted a future Third Avenue as something reminiscent of Paris' Left Bank, with patrons sipping lattes at outdoor cafés under trees on a bus-free avenue.

Some commuters are in for a pleasant ride.

"Through late March, we will be doubling water taxi service," said Bryant. The taxi is a 10 minute ride from Seacrest Park in West Seattle to downtown. Metro will create an additional 250 parking spots at Pier 2 with shuttle to Seacrest Park.

Car drivers headed downtown will have a rougher time. Uniformed police officers will be deployed at key transit intersections to maintain transit access. "We are going to deploy police to keep those buses moving," Durkan said.

PHOTOS: 65 years of the Alaskan Way Viaduct

Alaskan Way was once the main arterial along Seattle's busy waterfront (though part of it was originally Railroad Avenue). But by the 1950s it and other city streets were clogged with traffic, and city leaders had settled on building the viaduct to let drivers skirt the busy downtown streets. The viaduct first opened in 1953 and by the end of the 20th century, the raised portion of state Route 99 was carrying 110,000 cars per day through the city.

Now, part of it has already been torn down and the rest will follow once the tunnel to replace it is completed. But before we say goodbye to a piece of Seattle's skyline, look back at the viaduct over the years, from before its inception to its demolition.

Caption: Alaskan Way prior to construction of of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Exact date unknown. less Alaskan Way was once the main arterial along Seattle's busy waterfront (though part of it was originally Railroad Avenue). But by the 1950s it and other city streets were clogged with traffic, and city leaders ... more Photo: P-I File Photo: P-I File Image 1 of / 155 Caption Close The Alaskan Way viaduct through the years 1 / 155 Back to Gallery

The city will also ask the Legislature for authority to install traffic cameras, to catch motorists who pull over into a bike lane to pick somebody up, or stray into a transit lane. Employers' buses and vans will be allowed to use transit stops.

The bus-free Third Avenue envisioned in those 1980's artist drawings will never happen. As the transit tunnel is switched to light rail use, 72 more buses will come out onto the street during peak use hours of the afternoon.

Transit priority hours on 3rd Avenue will be expanded to seven days a week. The city will create "new transit pathways" on 5th and 6th Avenues, said Marx of SDOT.

A key improvement will be installation of ORCA card readers along Third Avenue, so in March passengers will be able to board buses by front and rear doors.. Initially, 25 Metro bus drivers with card readers will be dispatched to Third Avenue, so riders can board buses by their rear doors.

RELATED: Is your commute Seattle Squeeze proof?

"If you look at the totality of our improvements, all of them are to transit," said Marx.

The city is also reserving the right to eliminate more street parking -- a task that the Seattle Dept. of Transportation performs with relish -- if buses do not move smoothly.

City government is promising to practice what it preaches during the SR-99 shutdown and subsequent tunnel switch. Of 12,000 Seattle government employees, 7,000 commute to the downtown core each day, about 10 percent in single occupancy vehicles.

The city will try to reduce daily commutes to the downtown core. At present, 13 percent of the Seattle workforce uses such arrangements as telework or flex work schedules. The city is committed to boosting that to 20 percent.

The "Seattle Squeeze" is, to use a phrase made famous by then-Vice President Joe Biden, a "big (bleeping) deal."

The Viaduct closure means that 90,000 vehicles a day, including several thousand trucks and buses, have to use another route. Long holdups are certain on Interstate 5. Referring to a mishap that paralyzed Seattle a couple years back, Durkan quipped, "Whatever plan you have in place, what is there is another fish truck?"

The "new normal" will send ripples far beyond the Emerald City. "The resources for an entire state move through Seattle," said Durkan.