Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement, Seattle, WA

Like many coastal cities, Seattle’s downtown core has been separated from its shoreline by the filling of tidal areas for late 19th century maritime/rail transshipment activity, and by transportation improvements made in the 1960s and 70s. ROMA assisted the State of Washington and the City of Seattle as the lead urban design consultant for the replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, an elevated expressway structure which runs along the waterfront. The project has been structured not solely as a transportation improvement, but as a major act of city building - a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reconceive the entire downtown waterfront. As part of a multi-disciplinary team, ROMA developed urban design solutions for a series of alternative transportation options, exploring how to add to and improve the organization, treatment and continuity of public spaces and corridors including waterfront promenades and open spaces, roadways and the trolley as well as access ramps to a below-grade expressway that will replace the viaduct structure.