Coming soon? WSDOT plans demolition of viaduct Plans call for demo work to begin after the new tunnel opens to traffic, but will likely take up to nine months

With Bertha's work done and efforts at building the highway inside the tunnel moving forward, Washington's Department of Transportation is ready to start talking about tearing down the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

Yep, tearing it down.

The new state Route 99 tunnel is set to open to traffic sometime in the first half of 2019, and right on the heels of that, WSDOT will have contractors set about the nine-month task of demolishing the viaduct.

To prepare for what is expected to be a major disturbance (to say the least) along the waterfront, WSDOT plans to open an online open house starting Thursday.

Planning for that demolition will include moving Alaskan Way traffic to the west -- out from under the viaduct, as well as protecting buildings that are, in some places, nearly touching the viaduct.

Journalists are shuttled through the state Route 99 viaduct tunnel to the end of Bertha, the tunneling machine, on Wednesday, July 13, 2016. Journalists are shuttled through the state Route 99 viaduct tunnel to the end of Bertha, the tunneling machine, on Wednesday, July 13, 2016. Photo: GRANT HINDSLEY, SEATTLEPI.COM Photo: GRANT HINDSLEY, SEATTLEPI.COM Image 1 of / 21 Caption Close Coming soon? WSDOT plans demolition of viaduct 1 / 21 Back to Gallery

WSDOT promises it will always keep at least one lane moving in each direction along Alaskan Way during demolition, and the contractor will have incentives to complete the work faster than nine months, said Brian Nielsen, a deputy administrator for WSDOT, in a video about the demolition.

Undoubtedly, WSDOT will have to coordinate closely with Washington State Ferries during the work, as WSF is in the midst of a five-year effort to rebuild Colman Dock, and has already shifted holding lanes off the dock to the area where WSDOT will need to move Alaskan Way traffic.

This also won't be the first time WSDOT has torn down part of the viaduct. Contractors shredded the southern mile of the viaduct in 2011, an effort WSDOT managed to get done faster than planned, it said in a news release.

Watch the video above to learn a bit more about what the demo will entail and then check back to the open house once it's live.

Daniel DeMay covers Seattle culture, city hall, and transportation for seattlepi.com. He can be reached at 206-448-8362 or danieldemay@seattlepi.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Daniel_DeMay.