STATE.
STATE. GLENN FARLEY TAKES US ON THE
JOURNEY TO THE OPENING OF THE
TUNNEL.
TUNNEL.
TUNNEL. >> Reporter: IT HAS BEEN A
LONG JOURNEY.
LONG JOURNEY. 30 YEARS SINCE WE REALIZED THE
VIADUCT HAD A SERIOUS PROBLEM.
SOON TO OPEN AN EARTHQUAKE
RESISTANT TUNNEL AND HOPE THAT
WE CAN GET THROUGH THE NEXT
MONTH DRIVING ON THE VIADUCT.
WE STARTED WORKING ON THIS
STORY LAST SUMMER WHEN WE
THOUGHT THE TUNNEL MIGHT BE
OPEN BY THANKSGIVING.
IT DIDN'T OPEN BY THEN.
BUT I DO WANT TO WARN YOU
ABOUT SOME ELEMENTS IN THE
STORY SOME PEOPLE MIGHT FIND
DISTURBING.
DISTURBING. >> I-880, LIVING OFF THE
OAKLAND BAY BRIDGE, THE GRIM
JOB OF RECOVERING BODIES
CONTINUES TONIGHT AFTER A 7.0
EARTHQUAKE STRUCK THE NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA AREA COLLAPSING
THIS INTERSTATE HIGHWAY IN
PEAK RUSH HOUR.
AS MANY AS 200 CARS MAY BE
TRAPPED THERE.
TRAPPED THERE. >> Reporter: NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA, 1989.
CALIFORNIA, 1989. I-880.
I-880.
I-880. THIS IS THE LOMA PRIETA
EARTHQUAKE.
EARTHQUAKE. THESE HOMES STILL ICONIC.
IT WAS THIS STRETCH OF I-880
WHICH IS ALSO KNOWN AS THE
CYPRESS FREEWAY WHERE MOST OF
THE QUAKE'S 63 DEATHS
OCCURRED.
OCCURRED.
OCCURRED. THE STACKED DECKS PANCAKED ONE
ON TOP OF THE OTHER.
AND FOR DAYS A DRAMA PLAYS OUT
TO TRY TO RESCUE PEOPLE
TRAPPED BETWEEN THEM.
>> I COMMUTED.
IT WAS BUMPER TO BUMPER
TRAFFIC.
TRAFFIC.
TRAFFIC. IF THIS STRUCTURE HAD BEEN
SHAKEN AS STRONG AS THAT ONE
WOULD HAVE, WE WOULD HAVE SEEN
A SIMILAR TYPE OF THING.
>> Reporter: CALIFORNIA'S
TRAGEDY QUICKLY SHIFTS OUR
FOCUS BACK TO SEATTLE.
LOOK FAMILIAR?
LOOK FAMILIAR? COULD OUR WATERFRONT FREEWAY,
THE ALASKA WAY VIADUCT PROVE
TO BE THE NEXT EARTHQUAKE
NIGHTMARE?
NIGHTMARE? >> THE DOT DID AN IN-HOUSE
REVIEW OF THE VIADUCT.
IT LOOKS A LOT LIKE THE
CYPRESS STRUCTURE.
CYPRESS STRUCTURE. IT WAS BUILT ABOUT THE SAME
TIME.
TIME.
TIME. DESIGNED WITH THE SAME LEVEL
OF KNOWLEDGE.
OF KNOWLEDGE. >> Reporter: BY 1989, STEVE
CRAMER HAD LEFT THE BAY AREA
FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF
WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON. HE IS IS A PROFESSOR
SPECIALIZING IN GEO-TECHNICAL
ENGINEERING.
ENGINEERING. IN OTHER WORDS, HE'S AN EXPERT
ON THE DIRT THAT HOLDS
BUILDINGS UP.
BUILDINGS UP. AND, THE DIRT UNDER THE
VIADUCT IS A MESS.
>> IT WAS RUBBLE.
IT WAS CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS.
IT WAS SAWDUST.
EVERYTHING WAS JUNKED IN.
JUNK PUT IN HAPHAZARDLY.
>> Reporter: WELL BEFORE THE
VIADUCT, SEATTLE'S WATERFRONT
WAS A COLLECTION OF ELEVATED
WOODEN RAILROAD TRESTLE.
AFTER WORLD WAR II, THEY
STARTED BUILDING A FREEWAY ON
TOP OF THIS DIRT USING THE
SAME FILL.
SAME FILL. THEN, A DOZEN YEARS AFTER THE
1989 CALIFORNIA DISASTER, WE
HAVE A SMALLER ONE OF OUR OWN.
THE 6.8 NISQUALE EARTHQUAKE.
IT SEEMS LIKE THE VIADUCT DOES
PRETTY WELL.
PRETTY WELL. IT IS CLOSED AND INSPECTED.
>> WE ARE LOOKING FOR ANY
SIGNIFICANT FAILURE.
SIGNIFICANT FAILURE. >> Reporter: THEY DIDN'T FIND
ANY OF THAT.
THEN A FEW WEEKS LATER, THAT
JUNKY DIRT BEGINS TO MOVE.
>> THE MOVEMENTS OF THE GROUND
CONTINUE FOR SOME PERIOD OF
TIME AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE
SHAKING HAS ENDED BUT THAT'S A
PROBLEM FOR ANY STRUCTURES
SUPPORTED ON THIS SOIL.
>> Reporter: THIS WAS THE SLOW
VERSION.
VERSION.
VERSION. BUT IN A LARGER QUAKE IT WOULD
BE DISASTROUS.
BE DISASTROUS. NISQUALIE RAISES THE ALARM.
LIQUIFACTION IS WHEN DIRT IS
SHAKEN BY AN EARTHQUAKE.
IT STARTS TO JIGGLE LIKE JELL-
O AMPLIFYING THE SHAKING.
THEN IT FLOWS LOSING WHAT
LITTLE STRENGTH IT HAS.
THIS WASHINGTON STATE
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
ANIMATION WAS RELEASED IN 2009
AND BASED ON EARLIER TESTS OF
THE WATERFRONT FILL.
IT IS CONSIDERED CREDIBLE
ANIMATION OF WHAT THE QUAKE
WOULD DO TO THE SEAWALL AND
THE VIADUCT.
THE VIADUCT. THIS IS CONSIDERED SO
DISTURBING, THE TRANSPORTATION
DEPARTMENT DEBATED WHETHER TO
EVEN RELEASE IT.
PROFESSOR CRAMER IS ASKED TO
REVIEW IT BEFORE IT GOES OUT.
>> YOU DIDN'T THINK IT GOES
FAR ENOUGH?
FAR ENOUGH? >> NO.
>> NO.
>> NO. I
>> NO. I THINK IT COULD HAVE GONE A
LOT FURTHER.
LOT FURTHER. >> Reporter: BUT WHAT TO DO?
WE ALL KNEW SOMETHING HAD TO
BE DONE.
BE DONE.
BE DONE. REPLACE IT WHICH WILL COST AT
LEAST HALF A BILLION DOLLARS
OR REBUILD IT WHICH IS FEARED
WOULD COST JUST AS MUCH.
AND THE NEXT QUAKE COULD BE
FAR, FAR, FAR BIGGER.
THE ONE ALONG THE CASCADIA
SUBDUCTION ZONE.
SUBDUCTION ZONE. A FAULT WOULD BE AT THE
SURFACE.
SURFACE.
SURFACE. NOT 30 MILES DOWN.
AND THESE ARE NOT THE ONLY
THREATS.
THREATS.
THREATS. >> NISQUALIE WASN'T A TEST,
BUT A QUIZ.
>> Reporter: IT WOULD TAKE
MONEY, FAR MORE THAN THOSE
INITIAL ESTIMATES.
INITIAL ESTIMATES. FOR NOW, THE CRACKED VIADUCT
WOULD HAVE TO BE BRACED UP AND
PATCHED UP.
PATCHED UP. TODAY, THOSE BRACES INSTALLED
IN 2001 ARE STILL HERE.
THAT LIGHTER GRAY?
THOSE ARE EPOXY PATCHES
DESIGNED TO HOLD THE CONCRETE
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER. EVERY SIX MONTHS FOR THE PAST
18 YEARS, THE VIADUCT IS
CLOSED FOR INSPECTIONS.
IT WILL TAKE MORE YEARS TO GET
THE PROCESS TO REPLACE IT
MOVING.
MOVING.
MOVING. >> EVERYBODY SAID THE RIGHT
THINGS BUT NOTHING HAPPENS.
IT TOOK NISQUALLY EARTH WAKE
TO GET US TO LOOK AT IT AGAIN.
WE LIVE IN A VOLATILE TIME.
>> Reporter: SO, SAY GOOD-BYE
TO THE VIADUCT AND HELLO TO
THE TUNNEL.
THE TUNNEL. AND TOMORROW, WE WILL TALK
ABOUT THE ABILITY OF THE
TUNNEL TO NOT END UP IN THE
KIND OF ANIMATION YOU JUST SAW
AND WHY.
AND WHY.
AND WHY. >> OKAY, SO THEY ARE PLANNING
A BIG PARTY.
THE TUNNEL WILL OPEN ON
FEBRUARY 4. IS THAT A SOLID
TIME SCHEDULE?
TIME SCHEDULE? >> Reporter: IT'S PRETTY
SOLID.
SOLID.
SOLID. NOT SUPER SOLID.
WANT TO CLEAR THAT UP IF THERE
WERE ANY DOUBTS.
THE BIG PARTY IS ON FEBRUARY 2
AND 3. THAT'S THE GRAND
OPENING PRIMARILY THAT
SATURDAY.
SATURDAY.
SATURDAY. THE IDEA IS TO HAVE IT OPEN
THE FOURTH.
THE FOURTH. THAT COULD SLIDE A COUPLE OF
DAYS BECAUSE LET'S FACE IT,
WEATHER IN JANUARY IS NOT ALL
THAT GREAT.
THAT GREAT. >> SO, THE VIADUCT SURVIVED
THE QUAKE IN 1965.
BARELY SURVIVED THE
NIISQUALIE.
NIISQUALIE. >> THE 65 QUAKE IS 6.5 OR 6.7.
SO, DEPENDING ON WHO YOU WANT
TO READ ON, THE NUMBERS GET
REVISED.
REVISED.
REVISED. 49 WAS A DEVASTATED QUAKE.
NISQUALIE KILLED ONE PERSON
FROM A HEART ATTACK.
THAT'S IT.
THAT'S IT. THERE WERE LOTS OF PEOPLE