An 8-Year-Long Emergency

HistoryLink
An 8-Year-Long Emergency

Why was the replacement of the Alaskan Way viaduct an eight-year-long emergency? Because everyone - from governors to stakeholders to community groups - cares deeply about the Seattle central waterfront. An 8-Year-Long Emergency: Seattle, an Earthquake, and a Doomed Waterfront Highway is an exploration of the complicated story behind the replacement of the viaduct following the 2001 Nisqually earthquake. Featuring interviews and engaging discussions with historians, politicians, transportation planners, and community organizers, each episode is set against the backdrop of the waterfront's history. As the podcast reveals, "Even though it’s changed dramatically over time, repeatedly, you can still see traces and touch points of the past wherever you go on the Waterfront," reminding us that the past is always present in the landscape.

Episodes

  1. 28 MAR

    The Long View

    New Seattle mayor McGinn enters the scene with hopes of dismantling the tunnel project while progressive Seattle grapples with its desire for a 'Waterfront For All', what the deep bore tunnel promises, and the reality of investing long term in a car-centric future. For others, the end result feels certain: “When we’re done down there [on the waterfront] everybody will win. Without one iota bit of doubt in my mind...Our icon today is the Space Needle, it may very well become the waterfront” - Governor Christine Gregoire This episode is hosted by Dominic Black, Kiku Hughes, and Jennifer Ott and features guests Greg Nickels, Mike McGinn, Nick Licata, Christine Gregoire, and Cary Moon Additional Resources:  Seattle Waterfront History Interviews: Complete Collection

    50 min

  2. 21 MAR

    Consensus Through Exhaustion

    A state-mandated public vote shoots down both tunnel and elevated viaduct and its back to the drawing board. Three new coalitions form to come up with alternatives and while chewing on various options, new deep bore tunnel technology arrives on the scene. But who will foot the bill?  “Interestingly, it is the fact that it took so long to get to this point in the process that actually made the single bore tunnel feasible...” - Jennifer Ott This episode is hosted by Dominic Black, Kiku Hughes, and Jennifer Ott and features guests Greg Nickels, Christine Gregoire, Bob Donegan, Cary Moon, and Paula Hammond   Additional Resources: 2009 WSDOT Alaskan Way Viaduct Earthquake SimulationSeattle Waterfront History Interviews: Greg Nickels, Mayor of SeattleSeattle Waterfront History Interviews: Christiine Gregoire, Governor of WashingtonSeattle Waterfront History Interviews: Bob Donegan, Ivar'sSeattle Waterfront History Interviews: Cary Moon, People's Waterfront CoalitionSeattle Waterfront History Interviews: Paula Hammond, Washington State Secretary of Transportation

    46 min

  3. 14 MAR

    The City, The State and Grand Designs

    How far have we come? Did we learn from our past mistakes? In this episode, officials and archival voices remember the inequities of previous highway construction in the region and this time, a state-mandated public vote decides the fate of the viaduct, bringing us up to 2007.  “I think the whole engagement process with people has evolved over the years...a lot of folks were negatively impacted by the decisions we’ve made…especially communities of color. How do we start the conversation with them again in a way that understands…what their needs are? It’s an exciting time, I think - this new awareness of making decisions for transportation around what people and communities need”  - Paula Hammond, former Washington State Secretary of Transportation This episode is hosted by Dominic Black, Kiku Hughes, and Jennifer Ott and features guests Christine Gregoire, Doug McDonald, Knute Berger, and Paula Hammond Additional resources:  Christine Gregoire wins nation's closest-ever governor's race after recounts and a court battleCommittee to Save Big Ugly Things commercialWashington establishes an office for clearing the route of the Seattle Freeway (Interstate 5) on April 1, 1957.Seattle residents stage protest against Interstate 5 Freeway on June 1, 1961.First Hill neighborhood objects to the Seattle Freeway route at a public hearing on September 13, 1961.Seattle voters scrap proposed Bay Freeway and R. H. Thomson Expressway on February 8, 1972.Douglas MacDonald takes office as Washington Secretary of Transportation on April 23, 2001.Viaduct Tunnel Voters Say No and No, 2007Seattle Waterfront History Interviews: Paula Hammond, Washington State Secretary of TransportationSeattle Waterfront History Interviews: Christine Gregoire, Governor of Washington

    56 min

  4. 7 MAR

    The Process

    The game is afoot! The first several years following the Nisqually Earthquake witnessed "the winding and cranking of the system through the city, and the state and the federal government, [and] the stakeholders" to come up with a new vision for the Seattle waterfront. In this episode, we introduce some of the key players in the system and listen as 76 potential replacement options for the viaduct are ground down to a final five while the first Draft Environmental Impact Statement heats things up.  This series is hosted by Dominic Black and Kiku Hughes and features guests Ron Paananen, Greg Nickels, Grace Crunican, Jennifer Ott, Cary Moon, and Bob Donegan Additional resources:  Monorail (Seattle) includes map of proposed monorail expansionLake Washington Ship Canal includes the South Canal proposalAlaskan Way Viaduct, Part 4: Replacing the ViaductFirst Draft Environmental Impact StatementSeattle Waterfront History Interviews: Greg Nickels, Mayor of SeattleSeattle Waterfront History Interviews: Grace Crunican, Seattle Department of TransportationSeattle Waterfront History Interviews: Bob Donegan, Ivar's

    54 min

  5. 28 FEB

    Earth Versus Viaduct

    Be it rickety pilings or concrete behemoth, Seattle's industrial transportation along the waterfront has only been as strong as the seawall beneath it. In this episode, we remember fondly the "gritty, grungy" viaduct and the not-so-hallowed ground upon which it stood.  With both the viaduct and seawall breathing their last breathes, Seattle faces a full shoreline reorganization and as Knute Berger notes, "Every decision Seattle makes is often infused with a moral righteousness. We don't just look at a highway project as a highway project, we view it as a statement about our values and that's where this public debate and consensus gets snagged." This series is hosted by Dominic Black and Kiku Hughes and features guests Jared Smith, Bob Donegan, Knute Berger, Jennifer Ott, and Coll Thrush  Additional resources:  HistoryLink's Square One PodcastSeattle Municipal Archives Digital Collections - Alaskan Way Viaduct ConstructionSeattle Municipal Archives Digital Collections - Seawall DamageSmallpox epidemic ravages Native Americans on the northwest coast of North America in the 1770s.Thomson, Reginald Heber (1856-1949)

    37 min

  6. 28 FEB

    A Contested Waterfront

    Dive into the history of Seattle's Central Waterfront, uncovering layers of colonial empire building, settler place-making, and Indigenous displacement, and highlighting the significance of Native inclusion in the planning of the new Waterfront Park. As the episode reveals, "Even though it’s changed dramatically over time, repeatedly, you can still see traces and touch points of the past wherever you go on the Waterfront," reminding us that the past is always present in the landscape and that the Oculus is ever watchful. This series is hosted by Dominic Black and Kiku Hughes This episode features guests Coll Thrush, Valerie Segrest, and Jennifer Ott Additional Resources:  Alaskan Way Viaduct, Parts 1-4Earthquake registering 6.8 on Richter Scale jolts Seattle and Puget Sound on February 28, 2001.Washington Street Boat LandingSkid Road1959 King 5 Lost Cargo Documentary

    47 min
  • 6 Episodes

About

Why was the replacement of the Alaskan Way viaduct an eight-year-long emergency? Because everyone - from governors to stakeholders to community groups - cares deeply about the Seattle central waterfront. An 8-Year-Long Emergency: Seattle, an Earthquake, and a Doomed Waterfront Highway is an exploration of the complicated story behind the replacement of the viaduct following the 2001 Nisqually earthquake. Featuring interviews and engaging discussions with historians, politicians, transportation planners, and community organizers, each episode is set against the backdrop of the waterfront's history. As the podcast reveals, "Even though it’s changed dramatically over time, repeatedly, you can still see traces and touch points of the past wherever you go on the Waterfront," reminding us that the past is always present in the landscape.

Information

  • Creator
    HistoryLink
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 HistoryLink
  • Show Website
    An 8-Year-Long Emergency

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada
OSZAR »