Washington State Route 99

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State Route 99
Defined by RCW 47.17.160, maintained by WSDOT
Length: 51.65 mi[1] (83.12 km)
Formed: late 1960s
South end: I-5 in Fife
Major
junctions:		 SR 18 in Federal Way
SR 509 through Federal Way
SR 516 in Des Moines
SR 518 in SeaTac
SR 599 in Tukwila
SR 509 in Seattle
SR 104 in Edmonds
SR 524 in Lynnwood
SR 525 in Mukilteo
North end: I-5/SR 526/SR 527 in Everett
State highways in Washington
< US 99 SR 100 >
Lists: current - Interstates - 1937-70 - 1964 renumbering

State Route 99, abbreviated SR 99, commonly called Highway 99, is a numbered state highway in the U.S. state of Washington extending just over 50 miles from Fife in the south to Everett in the north.

Contents

[edit] Route description

SR 99 originates at Interstate 5 in Fife, near its own intersection with 54th Avenue E. From there, it heads eastward to Federal Way and intersects SR 18 just west of its interchange with I-5. It then begins to travel north, through Des Moines, overlapping SR 509 for a few miles. The route becomes a little difficult to identify for several miles, as there are no reassurance signs until entering SeaTac. Once there, it becomes International Boulevard and forms the eastern boundary of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport until crossing SR 518, where it becomes Pacific Highway South and becomes a suburban thoroughfare.

Aurora Avenue with the George Washington Memorial Bridge and downtown Seattle in the background
Aurora Avenue with the George Washington Memorial Bridge and downtown Seattle in the background

SR 99 enters Seattle near the Interurban neighborhood, and enters a freeway alignment borrowed from the terminus of SR 599. This freeway alignment is known as West Marginal Way, and maintains its status and name until a complicated interchange with SR 509 at the southern end of the First Avenue South Bridge. The designation passes over the bridge and onto East Marginal Way which transects the industrial and warehouse district known as Sodo. Near the eastern end of the West Seattle Bridge, SR 99 returns to freeway status along a surface portion of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. SR 99 follows the viaduct to its terminus in the north at the Battery Street Tunnel, a route it continues along.

Once SR 99 exits from the tunnel, it continues through the neighborhoods of North Seattle as Aurora Avenue North. Aurora Avenue snakes its way around Queen Anne Hill, crosses the Lake Washington Ship Canal on the George Washington Memorial Bridge (1932), bisects Woodland Park and escapes the city and county near Shoreline at an interchange with SR 104 in Edmonds as Pacific Highway North.

North of Edmonds, SR 99 enters Lynnwood, where it is known as Highway 99. After a brief journey through Lynnwood, SR 99 enters Everett, where it becomes known as Evergreen Way, until 3 miles south of its terminus, where it follows another route known as Everett Mall Way. SR 99 passes the Mall near its interchange/intersection with Interstate 5, SR 526, and SR 527.

[edit] Designated alignments

SR 99 is designated along the following streets from south to north:

[edit] History

State Route 99 was originally named Pacific Highway 1, which itself had been built over an earlier wagon road named R.F. Morrow Road.[2]

  • SR 99 is a short remnant of US 99. SR 99 is primarily the route of US 99 where building Interstate 5 would have been prohibitively expensive, or would not have served the greater good. Also, with the exception of the freeway sections, and from the Battery Street Tunnel to the north side of the George Washington Bridge (Aurora Bridge), SR 99 is tightly lined with stores, making any expansion nearly impossible.
  • SR 99 used to be both US 99 and Primary State Highway (PSH) 1. As I-5 was built, these designations were moved to the new alignments from state line to international border until I-5 began being designated over the route. They were then co-signed briefly, and later, around the time of the 1964 state highway renumbering, SR 99 was redesignated over much of its former route. Slowly, over time, SR 99 was cut back to the current routing from Fife to Everett.
  • US 99 used to be routed through the downtown Seattle streets. When the viaduct was built and US 99 was transferred to it, the old route became U.S. Route 99 Alternate (later Business).
  • SR 99's former northern terminus was in downtown Everett. However, shortly after the opening of the Boeing Freeway and the Everett Mall, SR 99 was rerouted via Everett Mall Way to terminate at the interchange of the Boeing Freeway (SR 526), SR 527, and I-5.
  • On the Alaskan Way Viaduct, near its southern terminus, there are ghost ramps on the east side of the structure. These were the only interchange structures created when the viaduct was first built in anticipation of the US 10 freeway (now Interstate 90) being completed into Seattle, and being extended to SR/US 99. However, the construction of Qwest Field and Safeco Field have made the possibility of this occurring remote. Some other connection may be made when the viaduct is replaced in the near future.
  • Many cities and towns along the I-5 corridor in Washington have streets named 'Highway 99', 'Old Highway 99', or 'Pacific Highway' all used to be part of US 99. Those cities with the streets still designated 'Highway 99' can cause confusion with people unfamiliar with the area, as they expect the street to be part of SR 99. This is most apparent in Vancouver, Washington whose "Hwy 99" is often confused for a state route.
  • To this day, an older US 99 sign is still in place on an overhead sign at the Columbia Street onramp to the Alaskan Way Viaduct in downtown Seattle.

[edit] Major intersections

County Location Mile[1] Destinations Notes
Pierce Fife 0.00 I-5 – Tacoma, Seattle Interchange
0.18 Pacific Highway – Fife Former SR 99 south
Milton 1.62 Porter Way Former SR 514
King Federal Way 4.49 SR 18 east (South 348th Street) to I-5 – Auburn, North Bend
7.72 SR 509 south (South Dash Point Road) – Dash Point State Park South end of SR 509 overlap
8.83 16th Avenue South – Saltwater State Park Former SR 509 north
Kent 11.84 SR 516 (SR 509 north) to I-5 – Des Moines, Kent North end of SR 509 overlap
Des Moines
Seatac 15.11 South 182nd Street – Sea-Tac Airport
16.73 SR 518 to I-5 / I-405 – Burien, Renton Interchange; north end of state maintenance
Tukwila 19.29 South 116th Street
19.33 SR 599 south to I-5 Interchange; south end of state maintenance
South end of freeway
19.98 West Marginal Place South Northbound exit and entrance
Seattle 21.17 Des Moines Drive, 14th Avenue South
21.75 South Cloverdale Street Northbound entrance only
22.37 South Kenyon Street – South Park No northbound exit
North end of freeway
22.40 South Holden Street – South Park Industrial Area
22.79 SR 509 south / West Marginal Way Southwest – Burien Interchange
First Avenue South Bridge over the Duwamish River
23.14 To I-5 / Michigan Street Interchange
South end of freeway
24.82 Spokane Street – West Seattle Northbound exit and southbound entrance
25.40 West Seattle Bridge – Harbor Island Southbound exit and northbound entrance
27.03 Safeco Field, Ferries Southbound exit and northbound entrance
27.58 Seneca Street Northbound exit and southbound entrance
28.30 Western Avenue
28.72 Denny Way – Downtown Seattle Southbound exit and northbound entrance
North end of freeway
29.13 Broad Street Interchange; no northbound exit
29.13 To I-5 / Mercer Street Interchange; no southbound exit
29.25 Seattle Center (Valley Street) Southbound exit and entrance
30.45 Queen Anne Drive Interchange
Aurora Bridge over Lake Union
31.10 Bridge Way, North 39th Street Interchange
31.74 Green Lake Way, North 46th Street Interchange
32.57 North 65th Street, West Greenlake Way North Interchange
36.75 SR 523 east (North 145th Street) to I-5
Shoreline
39.87 SR 104 to I-5 – Edmonds, Kingston Ferry, Mountlake Terrace, Lake Forest Park Interchange
Snohomish Edmonds
Lynnwood 43.12 SR 524 (196th Street Southwest)
46.90 SR 525 to I-5 south / I-405 south / Alderwood Mall Parkway – Mukilteo, Whidbey Island Ferry Interchange
Everett 51.67 I-5 – Seattle, Marysville
51.67 SR 526 west / SR 527 south (19th Avenue Southeast) – Mukilteo, Whidbey Island Ferry
51.67 Broadway Continuation beyond SR 526/SR 527

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Washington State Department of Transportation, State Highway Log, 2004
  2. ^ SR 99 North: North End of Battery Street Tunnel to N. 145th Street Route Development Plan. Washington State Department of Transportation. Retrieved on 2007-12-03.

[edit] Notes

  • Near the northern terminus of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, the southbound section of the viaduct is cut away to make room for a brick building that was there at the time of construction. This provides an interesting visual; although the structure of the building extends only a few inches into the viaduct, it is nonetheless unusual to see part of a building in the road, on a bridge, 50 ft in the air.
    The cutout of the Viaduct, is just one of several unique features of the structure
    The cutout of the Viaduct, is just one of several unique features of the structure
  • At no point is SR 99 more than 5 miles west of I-5.
  • At SR 99's northern terminus, there is no direct connection to southbound I-5. Traffic must continue ¼ mile north of the terminus before reaching the entrance ramp to Southbound I-5.

[edit] External links