YOU
YOU FASTER SHOULD YOUR CAR BREAK DOWN.
BREAK DOWN. >>> OKAY, WE ARE COUNTING DOWN
TO THREE WEEKS OF TRAFFIC
ARMAGEDDON.
ARMAGEDDON. >> AND WE ARE NOT MUCH MORE
THAN 48 HOURS AWAY FROM THE
PERMANENT CLOSURE OF THE
VIADUCT.
VIADUCT.
VIADUCT. AFTER WARNING PEOPLE FOR
MONTHS AND MONTHS WHAT WAS
COMING, THE PRESSURE IS ON FOR
ONE FINAL PUSH.
KING 5'S GLENN FARLEY
FOLLOWING IT ALL.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. PRESSURE, FINAL DAY.
>> THIS IS IT.
>> THIS WAS IT YOU KNOW.
WITH 48 HOURS AGO.
HOW SERIOUS, THIS TALKS ABOUT
HOW SERIOUS AGENCIES ARE
DEALING WITH THINGS LIKE HUMAN
FACTORS.
FACTORS.
FACTORS. WHAT WILL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE
IN ALL OF THIS.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU PARK IN A
NO PARKING ZONE, YOUR CAR IS
LIKELY TO DISAPPEAR.
ALONG FOURTH AVENUE, THERE'S A
SMILING SIGN OF WHAT'S TO
COME.
COME.
COME. IT
COME. IT SAYS TUNNEL DIRECT UNDER
DOWNTOWN.
DOWNTOWN.
DOWNTOWN. FROM IF STADIUM TO THE SPACE
NEEDLE BUT GETTING TO OUR
HAPPY DRIVING PLACE MEANS WE
NEED THE GO FLU THE SIGNS OF
THE TIMES THE NEXT THREE
WEEKS.
WEEKS.
WEEKS. MEGATRAFFIC.
MEGATRAFFIC. PARKING RESTRICTIONS AND
FRAYED NERVES.
FRAYED NERVES. >> WE HAVE DONE ALL THE
PLANNING WE CAN DO.
WE ARE READY.
>> Reporter: HEATHER MARX IS
DIRECTOR OF DOWNTOWN MOBILITY
FOR SEATTLE'S DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION.
TRANSPORTATION. THE WILD CARD IS YOU.
THE PERSONAL WHO LIVES IN
SEATTLE, ONE OF THE 250,000
WHO ENTER AND LEAVE THE CITY
EVERY DAY TO GO TO WORK.
TAKE MASS TRANSIT, WORK FROM
HOME.
HOME.
HOME. SHIFT YOUR SCHEDULE AWAY FROM
THE BUSIEST COMMUTE TIMES.
>> SO THE PLANS WE HAVE CAN
WORK.
WORK.
WORK. >>
WORK. >> Reporter: AND POLICE ARE
STANDING BY.
STANDING BY. FOR DAYS THEY HAVE BEEN OUT
READY TO DEAL WITH TRAFFIC
ISSUES AFTER THE STADIUM
DISTRICT RAMPS CLOSED LAST
FRIDAY NIGHT.
FRIDAY NIGHT. THEY WILL BE JOIN BID OTHERS
AT IMPORTANT INTERSECTIONS
ALONG FIRST AND FOURTH
AVENUES.
AVENUES.
AVENUES. FOR TRAFFIC, AND TRANSIT.
>> WE WILL DO BUS LANE
ENFORCEMENT.
ENFORCEMENT. >> Reporter: ASSISTANT CHIEF
STEVE HERJACK WITH THE SEATTLE
POLICE DEPARTMENT.
POLICE DEPARTMENT. PART OF A MULTIAGENCY NEWS
CONFERENCE PLEADING WITH
PEOPLE TO BE PATIENT AND
COOPERATIVE.
COOPERATIVE. >>
>>
>> >>
>> >> STEER IT AND CLEAR IT.
>> Reporter: THE CITY WON'T
HESITATE TO CLEAR OUT CARS
PARKED WHERE THEY ARE NOT
SUPPOSED TO BE.
>> DO NOT PARK IN THE NO PARK
AREAS.
AREAS.
AREAS. >>
AREAS. >> Reporter: BUT WHILE TRAFFIC
THREATENS MAYHEM AROUND THE
CITY, INSIDE THE SOUTH AND
NORTH CONSTRUCTION ZONES, THEY
ARE POISED TO KEPT UP THE
TUNNEL.
TUNNEL.
TUNNEL. IT STARTS WITH THESE RAMP
COLUMNS MARKED WITH AN ORANGE
X. NEAR THE SOUTH END OF THE
TUNNEL, THEIR REMOVAL ALONG
WITH THE RAMP DECK TO COMPLETE
A SECTION OF DEERBORN AVENUE
TYING THE SURFACE STREETS TO
THE RAMPS TO AND FROM HIGHWAY
99.
99.
99. >>
99. >> WE
99. >> WE ARE READY FOR FRIDAY
NIGHT.
NIGHT.
NIGHT. JUST WORKING OUT THE FINAL
DETAILS.
DETAILS.
DETAILS. >> Reporter: THERE WAS A DRY
RUN.
RUN.
RUN. IN
RUN. IN THE SPRING OF 2016.
THERE WERE TENS OF THOUSANDS
OF FEWER PEOPLE LIVING AND
WORKING IN SEATTLE.
THAT WAS TWO-AND-A-HALF YEARS
AGO.
AGO.
AGO. >>
AGO. >> I
AGO. >> I WOULD FEEL A LOT BETTER
IF I KNEW THERE WAS ONE PERSON
IN CHARGE.
IN CHARGE. IS THERE LIKE A VIADUCT CZAR
OUT THERE?
OUT THERE? >> Reporter: YES, HE HAS BEEN
ON THE JOB A WEEK TODAY.
GENERAL WARDEN.
GENERAL WARDEN. HE IS SUPPOSED TO BE IN THAT
ROLE INTERFACING WITH HEATHER
MARX WHO YOU HEARD FROM AND
THE DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION.
TRANSPORTATION. HE WAS A RUNNER UP FOR THAT
JOB.
JOB.
JOB. IN
JOB. IN THIS JOB, HE OVERSEES ALL
OF THIS.
OF THIS.
OF THIS. IN HIS DEAL THERE IS TO DEAL
WITH SORT OF THE UNEXPECTED.
SO, OBVIOUSLY, AS YOU HEARD
FROM TED LAND, WE GOT FIRE, WE
HAVE POLICE, WE HAVE
EMERGENCIES THAT NEED TO BE
DEALT WITH.
DEALT WITH. SO HOW ARE ALL OF THESE
AGENCIES GOING TO INTERFACE?
HIS JOB WAS ONE OF
ACCOUNTABILITY IF IT IS
NOBODY'S JOB, NOBODY IS DOING
THE JOB.
THE JOB.
THE JOB. HE HAS THE JOB AND HIS IS TO
BE IN THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS
CENTER TO COORDINATE ALL OF
THIS KIND OF STUFF.
THERE'S A LOT OF POTENTIAL FOR
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. THE
THAT. THE HUMAN FACTOR IS THERE.
IF WE GET LIKE WE DO AS WE
SAID OVER AND OVER AGAIN,
THREE DAYS INTO IT AND PEOPLE
SAID IT WASN'T SO BAD, I WILL
DRIVE TODAY, WE WILL HAVE WHAT
WE