Editing Alaskan Way Viaduct (section)

===Earthquake concerns===

The [[1989 Loma Prieta earthquake]] destroyed the similarly designed [[Cypress Street Viaduct]] in [[Oakland, California]], with the loss of 42 lives.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://home.pacbell.net/hywaymn/Cypress_Viaduct_Freeway.html |title=Cypress Viaduct Freeway |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090707140502/http://home.pacbell.net/hywaymn/Cypress_Viaduct_Freeway.html |archive-date=July 7, 2009}}</ref>  The [[2001 Nisqually earthquake]] damaged the viaduct and its supporting Alaskan Way Seawall and required the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to invest US$14.5 million in emergency repairs. Experts gave a 1-in-20 chance that the viaduct could be shut down by an earthquake within the next decade.<ref name="viaduct_project" /> Semi-annual inspections discovered continuing settlement damage from the Nisqually earthquake up until the viaduct was removed in 2019.

In 2001, the Alaskan Way Viaduct was considered for placement on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] by the [[Washington State Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation]] for its historic qualities.<ref>{{cite news |last=Foster |first=George |date=January 14, 2002 |title=Getting There: Historic viaduct or hysterical idea—or both? |url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/54374_get14.shtml |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020606113756/http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/54374_get14.shtml |archive-date=June 6, 2002 |accessdate=November 24, 2024}}</ref>

Due to damage from continuing settlement, a group of researchers and faculty from the University of Washington urged the mayor of Seattle (in 2007) to close the viaduct within a four-year timeframe.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Miles |first1=Scott |last2=Montgomery |first2=David R. |last3=Beyers |first3=Bill |date=March 2, 2006 |title=Shut down the viaduct |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2002837776_viaduct02.html |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=July 21, 2016}}</ref>