7 Famous Roads That No Longer Exist in Washington State
There is nothing like a good old-fashioned road trip to see unusual sights around Washington State, and remnants of abandoned roads are great places to explore.
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For me, living in Seattle, the Alaskan Way Viaduct was quite the sight. I lived in West Seattle and worked in Downtown Seattle, so I drove the Viaduct every day back in the late 90s.
I thought it would be great to make a list of seven highways that are no longer in Washington State, and let's see if you remember a few of these.
Let's start with the Alaskan Way Viaduct (1953–2019). This was the State Route 99 double-deck waterfront viaduct, which was torn down after the new tunnel opened.
Our next forgotten highway is the Battery Street Tunnel (1954–2019) in Seattle. This viaduct was the northbound conduit that's now been closed, filled, and sealed.
U.S. Route 99 was decommissioned in 1969 and was once the spine from Vancouver, B.C., to Oregon; in WA, it was supplanted by I-5 and truncated to today’s SR-99
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U.S. 10 & the Sunset Highway was a pre-I-90 route over Snoqualmie; you can still look for surviving concrete and hairpin loops near Denny Creek if you've got an eagle eye.
It's always cool seeing the old history and remains of the roads, with a little imagination, it almost takes you back in time.
Old Vantage Crossing of U.S. 10 in Kittitas/Grant counties. The 1927 Vantage Bridge was relocated to Lyons Ferry in 1968; the original approaches are now submerged under Wanapum Reservoir.
Tacoma Narrows Bridge roadway (SR-16, collapsed in 1940). The famous “Galloping Gertie” fell into Puget Sound, severing the highway for nearly a decade.
Finally, the R.H. Thomson Expressway “ramps to nowhere”. This is an unbuilt highway. (remnants removed 2017–2024), Seattle killed the freeway, but ghost ramps lingered at SR-520/I-90 for a while.
How many of these roadways do you remember? Feel free to share your memories below or in our APP.
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