Tunnel Vision
Battery Street Tunnel
Seattle’s original Battery Street Tunnel (1954 – 2019) was part of the Alaskan Way Viaduct system designed to expedite travel through downtown Seattle. The tunnel was excavated from the surface (not bored), and then enclosed by a roof that formed Battery Street. Drivers on Battery Street could feel and hear the grates rattling under their tires as they drove over the street and the tunnel ceiling directly below.
The Battery Street Tunnel served the city for over sixty years, and during that time the interior walls developed interesting patterns from cracks, drips, and dirt. These are the walls photographed in this web gallery.
