What happens after a city removes a freeway?

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Produced by Dave Amos in sunny San Luis Obispo, California.
Edited by Ryan Alva in Los Angeles, California.
Audio by Eric Schneider in cloudy Cleveland, Ohio.
Select images and video from Getty Images.
Black Lives Matter.

[@HarryPujols]

This trend started by accident. After the 1989 Bay Area earthquake, the Embarcadero highway in San Francisco suffered permanent damage, and the city decided to tear it down instead of rebuilding it. The result was a smashing success, the Embarcadero became a business hotspot, and urban planners took notes.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

That was a major factor in the removal of the viaduct as we saw the same design collapse and crush cars during that earthquake. The main question was whether you go with a tunnel, elevated roadway or surface streets. The tunnel turned out to be cost effective due to the reduced disruption during construction resulting in less lost tax revenue.

[@steverogers8163]

and the same reason in Seattle. An earthquake damaged the viaduct.

[@ooooneeee]

Thank God for that earthquake then.

[@ThatCrazyGamerz]

Good job earthquakes

[@pacmanc8103]

Actually, the trend happened in Portland 40 years ago.

[@JineousJ]

Upstate New York has some of the most viscerally disgusting examples of highways shredding through a downtown. I’m glad we’ve gotten to a point where we’re tearing highways down.

[@casmatt99]

It will be a great day when I-81 through Syracuse comes down

[@luciferangelica]

they're gonna put it at ground level through the middle of syracuse. lame

[@clydecessna737]

I fear that if there were no commuting highways built in the 50s and 60s American cities would have been abandoned altogether. Now is a different time though.

[@IkeOkerekeNews]

@@luciferangelica I though the grid plan wasn't going to be a highway?

[@AmazingJayB51]

I saw something on Buffalo, where a park like neighborhood was destroyed by a highway.

[@hebneh]

One thing to remember about waterfront freeways is that, up until container shipping was invented in the 1950s, city waterfronts were purely industrial areas through which all ship passengers and cargo passed. They were not scenic, nor were they attractive places to stroll - they were ugly and congested and dirty. Putting a freeway over them, in most cases, was not taking away valuable or desirable real estate. When container shipping took over entirely, existing urban waterfronts were completely incapable of serving this new method, so new shipyards had to be constructed from scratch in different locations. This left the old docks literally falling apart until new leisure-oriented developments gradually came into being, and waterfronts shifted to being nice parts of cities.

[@cadeduerr4016]

As someone who as born and raised in the Seattle Metro Area who has been to the waterfront numerous times throughout my childhood and early teenage years, I can assure you that even without any of the fancy new city development, the waterfront already looks better without that ugly grey viaduct. I love how open the waterfront is and, even with some less than appealing looking buildings, gives you an amazing view of one of the best skylines in the world.

[@somethingsomething404]

Is Seattle’s skyline that nice? I mean the space needle is tiny and.. what else is there?

[@wanderingstar3308]

@@somethingsomething404 I visited there around the summer of 2010 and I thought it was pretty nice. I'm sure it looks even better now without the viaduct. You can take a harbor boat tour and get some great views and photos from the water.

[@maksimatic]

@@somethingsomething404 what else is there? images.app.goo.gl/JYnVvVZcGNQUZera8

[@KrishnaAdettiwar]

@@somethingsomething404 Seattle’s skyline from Alki beach & the pedestrian pathway that runs along the waterfront is absolutely stunning IMO

[@somethingsomething404]

@@KrishnaAdettiwar I’ll have to give it another go, love the city but Vancouver Canada has such a well designed skyline nothing else compared to me

[@Jarekthegamingdragon]

It's always wild to me that there was a highway going through waterfront park here in Portland. It would be such a downgrade to downtown.

[@sluggo206]

Railroads and highways along shorelines were common in the 1800s and early 1900s because it was flat, the trains were vital to the economy, and the robber barons dominated the government, and an aesthetic waterfront wasn't a public aspiration. Freeways went next to railroads because it seemed like a logical place.

[@stacysilverman6366]

Imagine how nice Portland downtown could be without homeless encampments and Antifa-BLM vandalism.

[@MajorMlgNoob]

@@stacysilverman6366 have you ever even been to Portland?

[@user-de4cq6uk6l]

Same with the embarcadero in San Fransisco

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

We had most of our railroad buried there. But, the city is kind of narrow and the waterfront is a very smart place to have a highway due time the needs of businesses. Even with the viaduct coming down, we've still got a rather massive street along the waterfront due to the ferries.

[@allenmaudiln]

The steam plant is one of the last in operation in the USA. It’s actually a beautiful piece of history and should definitely not be removed to satisfy uninformed aesthetic tastes. It’s more attractive than many apartment buildings as is and I always found it one of the more interesting parts of downtown Seattle.

[@Maoilios12]

I agree! It's really interesting and speaks to the industrial past of the area, similar to Gasworks Park

[@VishwaSharma1]

I agree completely! The steam plant has a really unique look to it. The white concrete wall of the storage unit, and all the windowless ‘backs’ of buildings (since they previously backed onto a literal highway) are what need to go! (Or be updated with like art or something!)

[@ThatCrazyGamerz]

You might agree with that but most people don’t

[@robertrobinson3597]

@@VishwaSharma1 Most people won't agree on the Art !!!

[@27acabana]

agreed - Actually think the waterfront facing buildings are fine. Add to that, unlike Chicago's landscape, which is flat, Seattle's skyline has elevated layers when you look toward it from the water front. I think he missed the mark on this one. good video otherwise.

[@xdprsi]

Mumbai is currently building a really long coastal highway I am waiting for them to remove it in in 30 years

[@robertschnobert9090]

@@xdprsi really?

[@xdprsi]

@@Sp1n1985 I mean they are converting slums in some places into high density public housing complexes for the people living in the slums and using leftover area as high density residential zoning and parks But these public housing complexes are located in prime location of mumbai so the building owners are not really not in favour of the public housing complexes, because they think it will decrease their already hyper expensive homes When in actuality it will increase the prices of their homes so much that people will have sell their kidneys just to pay the deposit

[@sergeykuzmichev8064]

Oh yea tons of cities all over the world have made and are still making these decisions because building freeways along the water is easier from an engineering and financial POV. Seems like the rapid rise of car ownership in any given nation makes them make these kinds of bad decisions, even if the example of other countries shows that it's not a good one. Guess it's true what they say, that your way of thinking is determined by your material corcumstances

[@KrishnaDasLessons]

Yeah the highway would probably have like 5 cars maximum. I have no idea why Indian cities are building new freeways instead of expanding public transportation and water.

[@xdprsi]

@@KrishnaDasLessons I think because most of the projects are made on PPP model so government doesn't actually have to work but just pay contractors to do their job and I don't think they are doing something similar for those departments so its taking time or is not happening at all because we know how Indian bureaucracy works

[@harktischris]

I'll never understand the madness that overtook so many twentieth century engineers and planners to sacrifice so much of our cityscape to highways.

[@citizinf]

Having 90% of costs covered by the feds

[@anvilm3861]

lobbying by oil companies, probably

[@scottgrohs5940]

I would be willing to guess that the deep pockets of the automobile manufacturers, oil companies and of course Hollywood had something to do with it.

[@harktischris]

@@citizinf a video linked in another comment had a quote by someone who opposed building a highway through portland: "to say that we must have a [federally paid] $70 million freeway system cutting our city in half so that we can also get a $5 million fremont bridge, is like buying crackerjacks to get the toy in the bottom." having to pay only a fraction of the cost for a crap project still leaves you with a crap project. not a lot of people had (or have) that insight about highways though.

[@ByronTang]

Automobiles were popular and really helped grow the country at the time. Central planning will always have this issue because it isn't a perfect thing. It's pretty much guaranteed that people in the future will be dissapointed at some of the things we are attempting to do today.

[@andrepoiy1199]

The Alaskan Way Tunnel has no exits; it now serves more as a bypass of Seattle, that's why I think they are still maintaining two car traffic lanes on Alaskan Way itself.

[@mukrifachri]

There's the downtown exit of the I-5 though...

[@ecoKady]

It's also much exist to accomplish road construction in the future allowing the city to shut down one of the two lanes and still have one lane left. Car accidents, road damage, etc. If you only have one lane, you have to shut down the entire roadway for even the smallest issue.

[@ooooneeee]

@@ecoKady they could just turn one of the bus lanes into a temporary cat lane instead.

[@chrischampagne9469]

@@ooooneeee You meant "car" not "cat" right? Or is there heavy cat traffic along this corridor?

[@joshjaren5408]

@@chrischampagne9469 Be careful, when you make jokes about cat lanes. Those cats are in a big rush, and they need to get there MEOW.

[@EibaProductions]

It's always baffling to me, how much opposition there is, whenever there's a traffic-reducing scheme. And the compromise does not really work either. The result is that seen in the video: An underground highway with a big street/road-hybrid on the surface. That's pedestrian unfriendly and doesn't promote anything else than "drive with your car".

[@chronometer9931]

That's why you are baffled, clearly those people want to drive with cars, not use other modes.

[@AssBlasster]

@@chronometer9931 If they built the highway underground, why do they build another highway-looking "stroad"? It makes no sense, especially along a waterfront. Who needs a seaside view while driving in their car?

[@seanshen8325]

is better than freeways solely, which is the common sense of most US cities

[@GrimT86]

@@chronometer9931 There was a lot of lobbying from the auto industry against mass transportation back then. That combined with the development of the suburbs that are dependent on travel for goods and services, lead to our ridiculous dependency on driving. I WISH we had more walkable cities and towns. City zoning and building regulations have actually made it virtually impossible to develop anything other than the aforementioned mess we see ourselves in. Its infuriating. I dont think people would chose to drive, if most of their basic needs were met within walking distance of where they live. I know I wouldnt.

[@vladimirlebedev6880]

@@GrimT86 The idea of putting basic needs within walking distance has been implemented in the soviet cities. It just doesn't work for multiple reasons.

[@natatatt]

I'm so glad that Vancouver never went in this direction when building up the city. The waterfront all over the city is pedestrian walkways (the "seawall"), parks, beaches, and then narrow roads. I don't understand the need to have big roads right against the water.

[@nathanlewis42]

Part of it probably was that the water front was undesirable in the past. It was full of fish packing plants and sailors and prostitutes. Back then it probably seemed like a good place to put a highway.

[@realtalk6195]

@@nathanlewis42 In most underdeveloped countries, the waterfront and rivers are literal dumps. So many of these cities are inward focused and hardly anyone goes to the waterfront and often times it's a place of slums and/or low-rise buildings (upgraded from former shacks).

[@nathanlewis42]

@@realtalk6195 historically that was definitely true in the UK. Rivers were open sewers and in the US industrialists would dump their pollution in rivers until it was outlawed and the EPA was established. So yes I agree that is another reason why the waterfronts were not valued historically.

[@alalalala57]

@@realtalk6195 Coming from a developing country, this is true but things change as the cities become bigger, more educated, and having higher incomes. Suddenly, the polluted and wild waterfronts are eyed as prospective valuable property.

[@timby2383]

its the American thing. So the American NIMBYist boomers who live in a quiet suburbia condo or a house near a city away from everyone in their zoned neighborhood can get to the city on their oversize SUV in 10-15 mins to have some fun and enjoy all of the city amnesties and the culture.

[@David.Marquez]

The only thing more beautiful than a proper city waterfront is being this early to a City Beautiful video.

[@renanbolsomario6384]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5evpYWClJyKes0

[@metaphysicalgraffiti]

The cleanest, best pleasure.

[@dr.winner2516]

@Charles Chopstick This is the internet

[@phreenom]

I grew up with the viaduct. It was just always there. When I took the ferry after they removed it, I literally didn't even notice it missing. The sunset light was beautiful on the buildings, and while I was snapping pics, sans viaduct, it didn't register that it was gone. Just felt pleasant...

[@GroiRail2]

You should take a look at what Rio de Janeiro did for the olympics, called Boulevard Olímpico. It is pretty much the same idea of taking down an elevated highway and creating a tunnel, with a boulevard near the water above. Great video btw

[@nixonhoover2]

And build walls to hide the favelas.

[@civ27]

The difference is that the Olympic Boulevard doesn't actually have any car traffic on it, it's pedestrian/bike/light rail-only

[@Glenni91N]

This was the case with some European cities too. If you're curious look at Oslo in Norway, and the "Bjørvika" area. This used to have a waterfront highway and an ugly overpass between the city and the Oslofjord waterfront. Now it's a new city district.

[@robertwoodpa6463]

I saw that!

[@safe-keeper1042]

I just looked up before and after shots. Quite the transformation, indeed.

[@hogfather22]

Sydney has a problem with an expressway and an above ground train station running across the most iconic spot in the city. There have been plans to take things underground, but there are difficulties. And I have personal nostalgia for the train station, given the great view you get from stopping at that station. But it would be great to remove it and open up that area.

[@xGatoDelFuegox]

Lake shore drive is 8 lanes--and we never had a problem getting to the water in Chicago! I think the key is having ample green space at the water, which the plan has. Past the ferry terminal, alaskan way already tapers off heavily. The plan seems to create a union of pedestrian space at the union of pike place market, the aquarium, pier 62, and pike street's new carless streets. The ferry terminal needs access; we have the busiest ferry system in the world! So long as alaskan way doesn't grow near pike place (which it should curve away from), there is greenways connecting pedestrians to the water, and I think it will be a resounding success

[@FOLIPE]

Green space with lots of interesting cultural buildings.

[@RoryGilchrist42]

yeah but also - we should get rid of vehicular traffic on lake shore drive and make it fully prairie parkland and mixed-use mixed-typology sustainable buildings

[@charliekoloms9224]

Lots of plans to redevelop the lakefront have come out in the past couple years. I gotta admit though, LSD is useful as hell and not too much in the way given the walkable tunnels underneath. With that being said, some version of what @Rory Gilchrist suggested would be fantastic

[@marlostanfield1]

Well, past Pier 62 and the following ones, the city already has the Olympic Sculpture Park and the long coastal park that I forget the name of (Myrtle Edwards?), which are pretty great despite being strapped for space.

[@diegomontoya8889]

I was hoping they build a "highline" type of path in Seattle, by the waterfront. I don't miss the viaduct from a transportation perspective, I miss it because the view from the top deck, diving north, was absolutely incredible.

[@falloutpictures]

I love the city of Seattle, probably the most beautiful city I have lived and proud to work on Bertha. My biggest regret was leaving. I am a Floridian and sometimes I have to return home, but I hope to return and this time on a more permanent basis.

[@frankb3347]

I loved Seattle in the 1990s. Sadly it's been going steadily downhill since then.

[@Tony-so1zl]

Seattle loves you

[@Joramsl]

You really should check out "Bjørvika" in Oslo, Norway. In 2010 it was a free-way, and now it's an amazing example of modern urban design.

[@jandroniol]

Many historic buildings disappeared in Seattle because of wild speculation, it would be nice if they rebuilt some so that the waterfront had that sophisticated and old touch.

[@janschesch3609]

3:25 I like how a three lane road is "narrow" in the U.S. 😄

[@davidc2838]

Big Country...Big Roads.

[@DivinesLegacy]

@@davidc2838 American cities are just unwalkable and americans are too car dependant.

[@emineo3252]

Narrow for traffic purposes. Everyone has a SUV or a truck, maybe not everyone but you get the point. Compared with compact in Europe...

[@Humulator]

@@davidc2838 usa has no public transport at all. in the netherlands, a norrow road would be like the lane so small. in the usa its a 2-3 lane road with huge lanes.

[@davidc2838]

@@Humulator I lived in Chicago and know there’s public transportation and took it often. Same for NYC and many Northeast cities in the US. While much of the rest of the country sucks for Public Transportation in the US, outside the Top Ten or fifteen cities, there are decent public transit in a few areas. The issue is there should be way more and better options./ faster transportation like Bullet Trains 🚅 and other very effective ways to get around. Cheers!

[@arctisCircle]

Got here when this came out 8 seconds ago. Gotta say, if anything, cities do look a lot nicer without highways tho.

[@renanbolsomario6384]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5evpYWClJyKes0

[@moonam8389]

As a European, seeing cities with motorways is so weird!

[@tankee6787]

@@moonam8389 come to texas there in every major citey escpecially Dallas and Houston I 10 Katy freeway in fact is the widest highway in the world

[@kyramcintosh8536]

I was just in Seattle last week, and I was along the waterfront last Friday (6/11/21). If only I had come a week later maybe I could have met you in person (lol). But seriously, one of my favorite things about my trip was walking along Alaskan Way in the sunshine with a cool breeze. I loved seeing all of the beautiful buildings, and I’m so beyond happy that the viaduct was removed and that there’s a plan to make the waterfront even more beautiful!

[@turtle4llama]

The city didn't exactly plan to remove the freeway in the Embarcadero, it fell down and they decided not to rebuild it.

[@hebneh]

The Embarcadero Freeway did not literally "fall down". It had already been stopped from being fully constructed decades earlier due to public protests, and while it did receive some earthquake damage in 1989, that served as the justification to remove it entirely. It was the Nimitz Freeway in Oakland which DID fall down - that is, the upper deck fell onto the lower deck - in that same earthquake.

[@tsareric1921]

I was just wondering about this topic. I've never clicked a video faster.

[@renanbolsomario6384]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5evpYWClJyKes0

[@MatthewHoHiWorld]

Not a highway removal, but Toronto Canada did a waterfront street revitalization on Queens Quay. The bike path is over-capacity nowadays.

[@SweatySockGaming]

When will they remove the gardiner

[@craigcook9715]

That's good to hear, I've not been there in about 5 years (and I don't think I was in that part of the city then). I do remember how much the Gardiner felt like it cut off the major part of the city from the lake.

[@SweatySockGaming]

@@craigcook9715 I agree!

[@JasonLeBel]

Toronto (Tory) needs to get rid of that portion of the Gardner and put in a boulevard. His whole reasoning for not doing so, is that it would add 4 minutes for commuters. So, he would prefer to spend BILLIONS more to keep and maintain it. I bike the QQ quite often, and have mixed feelings about it. As someone who never really came here before moving here, I thought that the city ended pretty much at Front St. So when I found the path along the QQ I was amazed. But, with that said, it's a mess. It's so confusing for anyone who isn't familiar with it (eg: Tourists). And then you have a bunch of cyclists who think they own the MGT path.

[@JasonLeBel]

@oaktree_ I believe that they're finally adding bike lanes on Young (not sure if they are temporary or not). I've only biked on a small portion of Bloor (Landsdowne to Dufferin) and enjoy it. I've been east at the Annex and see that it looks good. As someone that drives though, parts are a nightmare (not because it's slower to drive, but because of how tight it can get and how the road isn't straight. Oh, and people parking where they shouldn't)

[@neubro1448]

Seoul removed the freeway over Cheonggyecheon Stream. Or big cities in Japan building elevated freeways over rivers and canals. There's talks about removing and rerouting the freeway built over Nihonbashi River and over the historical Meiji Era bridge in Tokyo to restore the scenery.

[@keiffactory]

This is a long shot, but I hope CityBeautiful talks about the reurbanization of industrial harbour front in Toronto. Our downtown used to be separated from the lake by industrial yards and rail lands until merely 30years ago. Our city’s planners and developers have built entire communities in that space and have given a new life to the harbour front.

[@JasonLeBel]

The waterfront/QQ is a breathe of fresh air compared to what's just a few blocks north of it. It's completely different. Overall I think they've done a pretty good job. Interesting to see how the Portlands will turn out.

[@AzureAlliance31]

Ivar's is amazing. If you're in Seattle, tourist or not, eat there.

[@BonaparteBardithion]

If you don't want to fight the traffic, there are multiple locations in the region. They also sell cans of their clam chowder in grocery stores. One of the few clam chowders I'll eat.

[@tyvanderpump2317]

Go to the one in Kent!

[@jcrc1]

My whole life I thought Ivars was a thing everywhere

[@CrankyHermit]

Arterial artery. Straight outta the Department of Redundancy Department.

[@cubeofcheese5574]

Lol

[@axelfoley1406]

Don't you mean the Dept of Repetitive Redundancy Dept?

[@Felipe2000-r6k]

Seattle does look better with out the old viaduct.

[@Felipe2000-r6k]

@@Sp1n1985 Bro...I remember that...

[@hughfergusson9544]

Dude this waterfront is still so disappointing.

[@s.n.9485]

Yea, I'm all for taking the roads out altogether for one huge linear park. But I think that's a little to radical for city designers.

[@spartan117zm]

At the very least they need some pedestrian bridges on every block to allow more ease in crossing the traffic. Or they could just cut more of the traffic lanes and maybe add something like a streetcar.

[@FallenAngelBrass]

Seattle waterfront always has been the secret shame of an otherwise vibrant and exciting city. I lived there for 20 years and never understood why this one area was so culturally and physically left for dead when, being the WATERfront of a famous WATER city, it should have always been the jewel. Sounds like Seattle's ambivalence with its waterfront lives on.

[@keegancurry2593]

@@dungeon309 definitely not true. I loved going to the waterfront when I lived in Portland. I went at least a few times a month, often to bike the whole promenade as well as the trail that connects further south. I'm really excited to visit again once the cycle track is installed.

[@regalsurvivor3418]

Agreed

[@davidkidd1657]

I'm a delivery driver in Seattle. It's funny to be sitting on my lunch and have a new video pop up about a place on 2 blocks away from. One comment I have is that they did move the highway underground but it goes to a completely different area of the city to spit you out in downtown

[@RaymondStone]

I walk The Embarcadero here in San Francisco almost daily and I can definitely say I wouldn't go near the water as often if that double decker freeway still existed. Whenever you see old videos of it you'll occasionally see an amusing stray comment in the comment section defending the old freeway by claiming it was "functional" and that it's actually those opposed to the freeway who are not forward thinking.

[@ByronTang]

Yup, freeways and large highways are not pleasant to walk near. Who likes breathing polluted air and having your ears blasted by constant noises of machinery?

[@jamesbedford7327]

The Embarcadero Freeway was function, until it wasn't ;)

[@RaymondStone]

@@ByronTang Yeah, when I lived in Sacramento it was always awkward walking on the streets that were near the freeways.

[@RaymondStone]

@@jamesbedford7327 The funny thing is the Embarcadero Freeway wasn't even all that functional by freeways standards. The freeway didn't connect with another freeway at its end, so it was basically just an extended offramp for cars coming off of the Bay Bridge.

[@harktischris]

I once read an urban planning book that strongly critiqued the new Embarcadero as a wasted space, and then after I moved to the Bay Area, now I’m just like “what kind of crazy pills were they taking!?” I can’t imagine SF having had a freeway there. I hope they manage to tear down 980 in Oakland

[@steverogers8163]

Part of the crossing the street problem is solved at the north end and at ferry terminal. There are sky bridges (with elevators) at both. The northern crossing at the aquarium (where that parking garage is) will be a nice grand stair case type design. Should provide nice views and directly funnel people straight into Pike Place Market. Traditionally south of the ferry terminal has always been where the "water front" ended in Seattle, I mean the Port of Seattle literally starts two blocks down. At that point it always made more sense for people to cross the street and go over to 1st and 2nd (street level stores and such can be found there) to get to Pioneer Square in the south.

[@lewizzrocks]

Seattle, San Francisco Boston both have beautiful waterfronts loved Seattle when I visited in may

[@jeffreyapplesauce]

A couple key pieces are missing from this video. Mainly that the 8 lane roadway will be on the south end to serve the ferry terminal, the highway 99 interchange, and the cargo terminal. As you go north the lanes will get more and more constricted. And there’s a pedestrian overpass already in place to overcome this at the south end into the ferry terminal which is a nice scenic walk among all new construction. At the north end there will be an enormous ease of access as the Pike Place Market expands with a pedestrian highway that goes over Alaskan way and connects the two. All the rickety staircases that used to connect downtown and the waterfront are getting updates, public art and even elevators. The central area that you point to with the storage and steam plant, was an area redeveloped in the early 2000s with the Waterfront Steps project, a gorgeous stepscape that takes you down to Western Ave, at University Street. The biggest obstacle in my opinion to reconnecting the waterfron, is that for locals or the people who don’t have time to saunder, all transit has been removed while the construction is going on. There used to be a network of busses to the Ferry Terminal, and a trolley that connected to Pioneer Square, the International District, and Myrtle Edwards Park. I hope that transit comes back better than ever, but with the way they are merging the once mighty bus system with the light rail, it will probably be wildly ineffective. Lastly, the 4th thing that the Waterfront Project addresses and actually began with was rebuilding the sea wall, so that it is habitable for wildlife and restores some of the ecosystem that was once along the Seattle waterfront. I hope that while you’re here in Seattle you get to also showcase all the great things this city has managed to make happen despite it’s corrupt planning department. The saving of Pike Place market in the 80s, the amazing Central Library, the parks system designed by Olmsted. If you wanna crap on Seattle, the 5 over 1 epidemic is a good place to start. Or anything that Paul Allen touched, Soulth Lake Union Central Park became all the Amazon towers, failed streetcar transit system,

[@earlgrey8143]

I live in Seattle so really appreciating all the Seattle centric videos coming out :)

[@CityBeautiful]

Thanks! This is my last of a three-part series.

[@MichaelWhitman]

My friend works for the city and one of the reasons they are not doing more green parks is because they fear the homeless camping out by Alaskan way.

[@KingArannir]

The Last of Us fans know all about that aquarium

[@joermnyc]

They replaced the viaduct, but not the exits that it had going into downtown. The tunnel completely bypasses downtown, so Alaskan way has to take on any traffic that doesn’t want to go all the way to the north/south ends of downtown.

[@Josh_Fredman]

Indeed. Seattle only has three north-south routes that run all the way through the city, and only two of these pass through Downtown. Without a revamped surface-level Alaskan Way, it would essentially force all Downtown traffic onto either secondary arterials (lol, no) or Interstate 5. But the 5 is hard to get to from the west end of Downtown, with steep hills, tons of congested intersections, and only a handful of ramps. Traffic engineers studied a "no replace" option, and I imagine their simulations predicted three apocalypses and a cataclysm if Alaskan Way weren't revamped at the surface level. And that's to say nothing of the importance of the ferry connection and its need for surge volumes of traffic, which is glossed over in the video.

[@joermnyc]

@@Josh_Fredman I recall the ferries are part of the state road system because they are that important.

[@MichaelSalo]

By all means, let's make sure we replace a freeway teardown, with an equally massive, horrible stroad, that continues to cut people off from the waterfront.

[@JanGudme]

Rio de Janeiro is going through the exact same thing. They already removed the freeway and placed the tunnel, but are still revitalizing the neighborhood. It might make a great story as well, I'd love to see a video about it.

[@FreewayBrent]

Driving the Alaskan Way Viaduct was such an amazing experience, particuarly driving northbound which gave the driver incredible views of the skyline and Puget Sound. However, the waterfront will be a fantastic place to hang out along when the final projects are completed...I drove the new tunnel late in 2019 and WSDOT did a very nice job.

[@tankee6787]

Hey it’s you I saw your new video you’re back when will you upload again

[@FreewayBrent]

@@tankee6787 Hey there! I've been busy, but I want to work on some footage of the local freeway in town. Trying to get something up on my channel in July. Stay tuned...

[@andrewgeary9749]

We have not had a waterfront in Seattle since about 2012 or 2013. A lot of successful businesses were forced to shut down as foot traffic in most areas and all parking on the waterfront were closed. Having driven down along it a month ago it's clear we will essentially not have a functional waterfront for another 5 or 10 years.

[@PSNDonutDude]

The big issue is politicians and staff with old fashioned ideas. We (Canadian here, but same issue) still don't consider bicycles, walking and buses as real transportation options that could reduce congestion, and therefore reduce the need for car travel lanes, which would further encourage walking, cycling and transit.

[@diegoperez2090]

I moved to Calgary from England and I love the fact that I can drive everywhere without getting stuck in traffic. No matter how much the government wants to reduce car dependency, people will always love to drive, it's convenient and often cheaper than public transport. England is a prime example of that.

[@PSNDonutDude]

@@diegoperez2090 yes, but it's also important to not just aim to build for cars. Some of the best places to drive are those that cater to and encourage people not to drive if not necessary.

[@spartan117zm]

This is why we need maximum age limits for politicians.

[@sm3675]

Why did you state that you're Canadian? Our city designs are almost the same.

[@PSNDonutDude]

@@sm3675 transparency and to reflect on the fact that Canadian and American cities have similar issues. If I said "we" without clarification it may have seemed like I was American, but I like to point out to people that Canada exists!

[@guilhermetavares4705]

Rio de Janeiro replaced a downtown viaduct with a park in 2016, on the waterfront of Guanabara Bay. Today we have an aquarium, a ferris wheel and museums, in addition to the port. The local government also built a tunnel to maintain the connection to the southern part of the city. It was the best construction work in decades.

[@lyssasletters3232]

Loved hearing about my old city, Rochester! I gotta admit that I used to love driving on the inner loop… because nobody was on it, and I had the road to myself!! Haha glad it is gone 👏👏👏. Thanks for all the hard work you put into these educational videos!

[@detroitcoffeeartdetroit6502]

Harder to get in an out of downtown now and developers really cashed in on immediately building upon it.

[@lyssasletters3232]

@@detroitcoffeeartdetroit6502 you mean in Rochester? Sorry to hear that

[@Newspeak.]

The Portland waterfront park and the east bank esplanade on the other side of the river are some of my favorite features of the city. It’s such a pleasant thing to ride a bike on them or just take a stroll along the riverside. I wish we could pull out more freeways here.

[@BD-yl5mh]

Brisbane in Australia has ‘the Riverside Expressway’ which is essentially a bridge sitting over and running parallel to the bank of the Brisbane River past the most built up part of the city. Now they’re building a new development that’s going to try and reclaim the bank a bit by building right up to the expressway and then adding parkland on the far side of it. The opposing bank already has an extensive world class green space and cultural precinct but it’s interesting to see that the current development for the other bank seems committed to keeping the expressway in place

[@FreewayBrent]

Yup, I have a video of that drive, which starts just a bit after the 2 minute mark. Brisbane's a great city; underated compared to Sydney and Melbourne. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6PLn3toedmeoJY

[@b_uppy]

The redesign doesn't have to include tearing down old buildings. Dynamic painting scemes can bring interest, and other interesting solutions.

[@PresCities]

The $3 billion used to construct the tunnel and serve cars could have been used for so much more…

[@afgor1088]

like 200km of tram lines

[@elizabethmccommons3379]

The waterfront will most likely end up like other Seattle Parks with needles, trash and tents. It will probably be just like the park across from the north end of Pike Place.

[@nicolasblume1046]

The new waterfront is absolutely disappointing! WAY too many Lanes for cars - this is a new STROAD being constructed in 2021 🤦‍♂️

[@kylea.1223]

Honestly. Alaskan Way had so much potentional, and they turned it into yet another highway. The tunnel was essentially pointless. 🙃

[@binbin6878]

Ikr, I hope someday they understand that a small narrow street is not always a bad idea. Especially when u already have a frickin HIGHWAY underneath

[@ByzantineCalvinist]

For years Toronto has contemplated the removal of the Gardiner Expressway, which parallels the lake shore, separating it from most of the city. But nothing has been decided yet.

[@Skyfoogle]

i'd say the gardiner isn't too obtrusive. its a decent distance away from the waterfront, parallels a rail corridor that already severs the waterfront from most of the city, and theres a ton of high density and walkable development between the freeway and the lake. toronto still has a great waterfront

[@kelvinw.1384]

I first visited Seattle about 20 years ago for a convention and I love how clean and beautiful the city was with the hills. coming from Chicago it was amazing. but one thing that I hate it had no waterfront. What was there was dirty and dingy with the highway on the waterfront without beaches and that was really sad

[@FromPSB]

As someone who spent a ton of time in SF's Embarcadero Park. I don't think the view behind you matters. You always look out towards the water.

[@Brian_rock_railfan]

hope fully Seattle, Washington rebuilds the waterfront streetcar line

[@likesorange]

That would be nice, but the current plan is to connect the South Lake Union and First Hill streetcar line along 1st Ave. Close to the waterfront, but not quite there :(

[@scottgrohs5940]

Or reroute Link light rail toward Ballard and West Seattle.

[@Brian_rock_railfan]

@@likesorange do you thank Seattle should rebuild the waterfront streetcar line ?

[@hostilepancakes]

@@Brian_rock_railfan With the current plan to connect the South Lake Union and First Hill lines by brand-new tracks on 1st Avenue, no, they shouldn’t. It would duplicate service along 1st Avenue, which would be a waste of taxpayers’ dollars that could be used to enhance transit in parts of the Puget Sound where service quality is lacking.

[@YukarioMashimato]

We're almost done removing a section of highway on the waterfront in Jacksonville, FL.

[@muneebbasit8519]

Third-world countries believe in increasing vehicle traffic and see it as a sure sign of economic growth no matter the cost. Such redevelopment projects mean nothing to our policy makers and politicians see them as a major negative.

[@PSNDonutDude]

It will come. North America had to handle the plight of the car king for nearly 70 years before we started to realize that maybe making everything shitty for anyone other than car drivers was really bad policy. Now we've started to change, and despite early efforts with bicycle lanes, and other great benefits, people still push back. Look at this design with 8 travel lanes. Still focused on the car. Yet in another city they are further shrinking roads. It's also cheaper in long run because while new roads look nice. In 15 years they need to be repaved and in 40 years the entire road needs to be redesigned, and that's all very costly when there's thousands of kilometers (or miles) of roads.

[@sanderw7153]

Let's just hope they look for examples in countries like the Netherlands and Japan instead of the US.

[@aizazkhan5439]

I am from Pakistan and it pains me to see how uninformed people are about this. People here take great pride in 6 lane roads cutting through cities and will often take pictures of these and post them on Facebook saying something like "I love Pakistan". Facebook is full of pics of Pakistani roads. My countrymen are obsessed with them.

[@muneebbasit8519]

@@aizazkhan5439 True

[@ChemySh]

for 3rd world countries, the problem is that roads are easier to build than public transport. Public transport requires good planning and continued investments (2 things sorely lacking in developing countires) to be a viable alternative to car-oriented infrastructure. Also doesnt help that national developments tend to be focused on several big cities, so it's harder to justify building infrastructure for very scattered rural areas

[@Southsidelion514]

Used to live in Seattle by the waterfront for years. Would love to revisit in the future once this vision is complete

[@FordCrownVic1995]

Knew he was going to talk about the Alaskan way

[@adeniyiprecious4124]

Washington DC wharf/SW Waterfront is also currently being redeveloped in phases. It’ll be cool to check out

[@loudnoise4690]

The steam plant is obviously going to stay. I would, however, bet that a large number of the other "freeway" buildings will be redeveloped within a decade. The Public Storage building is a good example. Since it was up against the viaduct, anyone who redeveloped the land would be faced with having much of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors being either useless or being leased at very cheap prices. The developer would also have the joy of coming up with engineering solutions to make certain the Viaduct didn't fall over during construction. A you-store it sort of store was a good use of the land. With the viaduct gone, the uses for the land become varied.

[@JustMeMorgane]

3 lanes makes me anxious i can't imagine having to cross 8, it sounds super dangerous

[@connormcgrath5800]

Hi, Seattle resident here. I’m incredibly glad they removed the viaduct. It was big, ugly, traffic was horrible at nearly all hours of the day, and it was also really loud since all road noise just reverberated off the concrete. The tunnel they replaced it with is great, however it has a big flaw. It’s a toll road, so you need to pay use it, which is a major turn off for a lot of people. I personally avoid using the tunnel for that very reason. And while Alaskan Way has never been perfect, I can already see the traffic on the main road is getting worse. And not just because of the construction. A major concern is the massive uptake in tourist drivers, ie people driving around just to enjoy the sights. All these people tend to gravitate towards the waterfront, pretty much guaranteeing full and backed up streets no matter how many lanes you add. Their solution being to add more lanes, only increases the risk for an accident because of more cars and more distracted drivers. Meaning people walking will have to cross multiple lanes just to get to the waterfront. There’s a sky bridge that connects one of the upper streets, and elevator for the people down on Alaskan Way, but people don’t wanna take multiple elevator rides just to cross the street, and don’t want to risk crossing seven or eight lanes of traffic either. The people in charge thinking that having a big ass stroad right next to the waterfront just goes to show how ingrained car culture is and how much we need to learn. And in my opinion, is a big ball drop

[@spencerpond9416]

Super happy that your channel worked out for you

[@LuisMendoza-pp9qi]

They should've left a small segment with a ramp as an observation area!!

[@ransom182]

It wasn't seismically sound.

[@LuisMendoza-pp9qi]

@@ransom182 it could've been retrofitted and revamped, easier for just one segment than the entire freeway

[@Lou.B]

Excellent film! My home town has changed quite a bit!

[@wclark3196]

I doubt Toronto will ever tear down the Gardiner Expressway and reconnect to the lake. It's too late, anyway, as they've given over nearly the whole lakeshore to developers who have built a wall of condos that cuts off the city from the lake even worse.

[@JasonLeBel]

Actually, don't completely blame the city for the condos. The city has a plan for density. A developer has a piece of land and then proposes a condo for it. The city says No. Developer goes to the province and fights it. Province says take a few floors off and add greenspace. Developer builds said condo. See Bloor & Young where the biggest building is going up. City opposed it. Or see Parkplace. I believe the city opposed it, so, the developers ended up building a massive school there and were allowed to build several MASSIVE condos (some of the biggest in the city)

[@wclark3196]

@@JasonLeBel The OMB and whatever the new thing is called does have a lot to do with the worst development in the city. That said, the lands on the waterfront was largely government owned. The decision to turn it over to developers to ruin rests on the various governments.

[@adorabell4253]

One big reason is it's the only through-way along the south of the city. The next large capacity throughtway is the 401 that is already the busiest highway in the world. Think of how many streets actually run all the way through downtown: Bloor (which is already busy), Queen (which is also already busy), Lakeshore which takes all the local traffic and Gardiner overflow as is. Dundas? It's a residential street for a large part of it. College stops at Lansdowne, and is already busy, Adelaide and Wellington only run through downtown. King has no through traffic. Queens Quay stops at Bathurst. St. Clare? Doesn't cross the Don Valley. Most streets don't cross the Don Valley on one end and stick into the Humber River on the other. Revitalizing the area under the Gardiner, as is being done, is a much better idea than removing it and running a good portion of that traffic through residential streets.

[@fontourinha]

This project is really similar to the "Porto Maravilha" operation that happened in my home town in preparation for the 2016 Olympics games. The city's government demolished the Perimetral freeway that crossed through the downtown waterfront and replaced it with a 3-lane tunnel just like the seattle project. In the surface, the country's first tram line was built with a new walkable boulevard, the biggest aquarium of the southern hemisphere and 11 new or refurbished museums. It's one of the cities most popular tourist attractions and by far the best legacy from the Olympics Games. (Even though I have many critics with the project itself and the way it was handled, especially in the lack of public housing and the transit connection flaws we're still trying to solve up to this day)

[@roberthoople]

I'm a gearhead who loves roadtrips and the amazing engineering of vehicles, but even I see that we need to get this monstrous open gear machine out of our cities completely, and urbanists shouldn't be making excuses for designers, planners or government who aren't trying hard enough to get rid of roads all together, or at a minimum, at least putting them underground when this kind of expensive redevelopment is happening.

[@MSkwar]

A cab driver told me it'd be done in 5 years in 2011. I laughed at him in my best Big Dig era Boston accent I could muster.

[@ispeakasiplease]

That’s what I like about New Orleans. They have their main attraction, the French Quarter, the Riverwalk, French Market, and downtown all on the Mississippi.

[@ryanbaldassin7064]

I think what wasn't considered in this video is the amount of new persons that move to Seattle every week. A lot of the projects the city is working on is only to keep things from getting worse. Instead of actually lessoning any traffic.

[@jasond8734]

Dude, we've been arguing about that waterfront for decades. We finally have an approved plan in place and we're doing things. Let's not go submitting a change order now! You're 100% right though, its a crappy compromise plan.

[@nikolatesla5553]

I live in Seattle. The few ugly buildings along along the water will mostly be replaced because the financial sense of them has become highly questionable. Those buildings use to face an extremely loud ugly monstrosity. Now it is much quieter and the view will command multimillion dollars. The steam plant will probably remain as rerouting new steam pipes seem cost prohibitive. The Parking Garage will likely stay since there is a park above it and a sizable building.

[@lcdabest]

i can’t wait to visit Seattle now that i’m seeing these. i want to make it a trip after covid to see Vancouver too, and it’s literally all because of this channel..thanks City Beautiful!

[@estradamurcielgo175]

Hahaha

[@lcdabest]

@@estradamurcielgo175 bro this channel got me into so much i love this guy strait up

[@jumpingjeffflash9946]

Boston got rid of the other "green monster" (elevated central artery) and put it underground and where the highway once was is now green space.

[@aznDrgoonZ3]

Now that SF removed the freeway along the Embarcadero, there's an added hour's worth of traffic to head north or east out of the city. I'm glad Seattle decided to keep the flow but move it underground.

[@robertrobinson3597]

Most of the people responding with such admiration obviously don't commute. They probably don't work or pay taxes either. So, they have lots of the to enjoy! If they did, they probably would not hate the Automobile, just the commute.

[@Burt1038]

@@robertrobinson3597 To be fair, there are a lot of high income earners who like places like these also, since they can afford to pay the exorbitant prices of real estate. When you mention how much they're paying for a tiny living space, they can rationalize it as an investment b/c housing prices have gone up so much in the last twenty years. The whole trend of gentrification is a byproduct of government meddling. This would never occur organically.

[@KyrieFortune]

@@robertrobinson3597 lmao you know these projects usually make the value of nearby areas skyrocket and become a favourite spot for rich people, right? Ever been to Europe?

[@yuriydee]

Surprised you didnt mention the West Side Hwy in NYC. They tore down the highway there and its so nice now. Compared to the FDR drive on the east side of island its so much nicer.

[@charliepalmer3244]

It actually took away the beautiful view you got from that viaduct. That city used to be beautiful. Now it's full of trash, used needles, and tents.

[@DanArnets1492]

This is not removing a freeway, this is putting a freeway underground - I don't mind tunnels... but you can't just kill motorized traffic. I'm in Barcelona and I've seen entire neighborhoods full of shops getting KILLED because someone decided to make the streets a lot unfriendlier to cars. Cars are needed, we just need to handle traffic in a nice way.

[@londonundergroundfan1563]

Let me tell you about another very successful example of reconnecting a city to its waterfront, that you probably have not heard of: Düsseldorf, lies along the River Rhine, a major River in Germany. For a long time, an important north-south road ran along the waterfront. 28 years ago, the road was moved into a double-decker cut-and-cover road tunel ("Rheinufertunnel", which means Rhine River Bank Tunnel) with access to other roads and parking garages via short connection tunnels. On the surface, the waterfront has been completely pedestrianised and is now the most popular spot in the entire city. Many bars and cafe's popped up and recently, a "city beach" with a big area of grass to sit or lay down. The Old Town is also right there and is now car free. The city's most beautiful square the "Burgplatz" (Castle Square) is now the most popular meeting point. It also spurred other developments. Towards the south, a (well-designed) new parliament building for the State Parliament for North-Rhine Westphalia was constructed partly over the road tunnel (and partly on an re-filled, disused dock). There is some empty space underground, which resulted as unused space between different tunnels, where an art gallery has its exhibition space. The Waterfront has become such a popular destination, that for some periods of the Pandemic, there were restrictions for access or staying too long. In 2019, for its 25th anniversary, there was a huge party, where on a sunday the tunnel was closed and you could walk through it on foot. Along the River, there were may attractions and it seemed like half of the city was there that day.

[@Gift0r]

Something worth mentioning: 40 years ago, the Rhein was basically dead due to unfiltered wastewater and industrial waste. There was no point in having a nice riverside without a nice river. Given that the water quality has improved greatly since then, Düsseldorf has acted rather quickly with the remodeling, at least in city-planning timeframes.

[@dawert2667]

So happy to see rochester actually moving roads around- I’ve seen where these new housing developments are and would’ve never guessed it used to be yet another freeway. Rochester has some of the most abysmal road organization I’ve seen in my life. I’d enjoy very much to see most of it bulldozed and redone properly

[@Triumphant712]

Great video. Cleveland Ohio is working to figure this out as well.

[@BonzerMrT]

Now we need to do this type of thing to all the wasted space like parking lots, and gentrified/redlined neighborhoods

[@-haso]

I’ve lived in Rochester my whole life and the attention and acclaim it gets for removing its highway from the heart of the city is totally overblown. The city’s Interloop is a useful thoroughfare for those who use it, but with the city’s continued drain of downtown businesses, it was barely used. It would have been much more transformational if the city removed the whole Interloop instead of the VERY SMALL portion they did. The section they removed was the least used portion to the point you could stand in the middle of the freeway with little risk. The new area that was created in its place is pretty to look at but is simply residential housing. There is still little through traffic on the new street and little to no new commercial business sprung up in this “new space.” I’m all for removing unused freeways but the Times using Rochester as a poster child for the movement is silly.

[@MrTwostring]

Of course I thought of my hometown of Rochester when I saw the title. (Notice my avatar.) It always amazed me that we paid millions and in the end was vacant land that needed to be developed. It just goes to show how valuable the land under the freeway is! Removing the freeway worked, I think, because it was part of the "inner loop" - and you can get to most of the places you want to go by looping the other way, and it's just as fast.

[@5688gamble]

Replace freeways with railways, the land is there..

[@GaiaCarney]

Thanks, City Beautiful 🚲

[@niek024]

I find it fascinating how you call a dividing and inhuman monstrosity a 'free'.

[@CityBeautiful]

I know, right? The term comes from the fact that there are no tolls.

[@niek024]

@@CityBeautiful Ah, Thanks! I genuinely wondered about the name, and would have guessed it was 'free to drive' because there are no non-car obstacles on those roads. But 'Free as in beer', makes way more sense.

[@StephenMakesVideos]

The timing is perfect! haha I was in Downtown Seattle on Monday wondering what all was going on. It's full of construction right now but glad they're making an effort to reconnect the city with the waterfront.

[@Freakyjohnsson1]

Freeways through the city is insane to me as a european. EDIT: 5:30 Like LOOK AT THAT, its massive and it goes through the city center wtf.

[@baronvonlimbourgh1716]

Crazy right. Never understood that either.

[@TJDawgs72]

It’s still hard to get used to seeing that area without the viaduct.

[@jthizzlefoshizzle]

Huge problem since I work at one of the piers. This plan eliminated all of the parking which provides access to the waterfront and will provide more space for homeless encampments. Plus busses don't run on alaskan way

[@JennyA]

Add more buses, bike lanes and walkways to get rid of the cars. Build a parking garage somewhere else and have people walk to the area.

[@paulwalker1443]

Nice report. You have touched on some important factors, one of course is building a bypass tunnel to move traffic through the city. This has been a great success. Now the Alaska Way street has so much potential. I wouldn't be too concerned with double crosswalks. They are just a minor irritation. The important thing is bringing the waterfront to downtown, and that is progressing.

[@macaroon_nuggets8008]

As a Louisvillian, I'm sure we could use some freeway removal!

[@1799to1815]

First place I thought of while watching this. Good luck.

[@thurston5173]

I'm not a builder or civil engineer, but here's my take on the waterfront rebuild as a Seattle resident. I think that the seemingly excessive amount of space dedicated to automobile traffic is largely to expand current and future access to the ferry terminal. While Seattle and its surrounding areas are growing rapidly, the Puget Sound region is heavily dependent on automobiles for transportation. Since Seattle is boxed in by the Puget Sound to the west and Lake Washington to the east, most commuters live either north or south of the city. These are the areas where public transportation projects are in the process of expanding in the next decade, as these areas have already experienced or are in the middle of their population boom. The same goes for the eastside, for the most part, and is especially true with the imminence of the new Lightrail extension. That being said, our public transportation systems are rather inadequate for the size of our region and the primary mode of transportation is automobiles, and will continue to be for at least another decade. Walk-on commuter ferries like they have in the Bay Area or in New York generally aren't feasible yet because most of the western Puget Sound region is still in its metropolitan adolescence. Until walk-on commuter ferries become the norm for ferry transportation in the Puget Sound region, the downtown ferry terminal will always require the additional real estate to handle the volume of traffic they receive. The alternative is congestion on surface streets extending into downtown, potentially intersecting with other main routes out of downtown and creating gridlock. I also may not know what I'm talking about, this is just my perspective as a Seattle resident/voter/taxpayer. The last thing that I'll say is that the Alaskan Way Viaduct was a really meaningful and symbolic piece of architecture in Seattle, and a lot of people (myself included) were sad to see it go. I think it was the only stretch of highway where people looked forward to getting stuck in traffic, the views you got of the sound were always breathtaking. Even without traffic. As a kid I used to be fascinated by looking into the office buildings and apartments-at 40mph it was almost like an animation reel. I understand the structural concerns after the Nisqually earthquake made its removal necessary, but I really wish that there would have been some sort of way to feasibly retrofit the viaduct and retain its character. The tunnel just feels so lifeless.