Alaskan Way Viaduct Earthquake Simulation Video

We hate to be the bearers of Monday's bad tidings. That's more Garfield's territory. But this is a something you ought to see.

WSDOT just released this earthquake simulation video showing what an earthquake of similar intensity to the 2001 Nisqually quake would do to the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

If you've only ever driven the Alaskan Way Viaduct, you probably only have a conceptual understanding that an object of steel and concrete of that size could ever be damaged. On foot, it's a different story: we toured the AWV during one of its inspection closures last year, and the cracks are a lot more visible up close. Our tour guide pointed out some recently repaired fissures in the roadway, which made us think of a crack in our car's windshield which started small and eventually stretched across the entire front of the vehicle. There were gaps between the roadway and the columns--to us, it felt like being in an abandoned building.

This video is a sobering reminder that the Alaskan Way Viaduct is an incredibly vulnerable thing. Whether you're pro-tunnel or anti-tunnel, it's pretty clear that something needs to be done.

Made in 2007, the video was released this morning as a response to public disclosure requests, although its timing so close to the mayoral election does seem of note as well.

The video comes on the heels of WSDOT's promise to install an automated closure system next year to keep drivers off the Viaduct after an earthquake or fire.