Washington State Route 99

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SR-18 Image:WA-18.svg
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12<tr><td align=right>SR-516 Image:WA-516.svg<td align=left>12<tr><td align=right>SR-518 Image:WA-518.svg<td align=left>20<tr><td align=right>SR-599 Image:WA-599.svg<td align=left>24<tr><td align=right>SR-509 Image:WA-509.svg<td align=left>28<tr><td align=right bgcolor=#ffdead>SR-519 Image:WA-519.svg<td align=left bgcolor=#ffdead>32<tr><td align=right bgcolor=#dda0dd>I-90 Image:Interstate 90.svg<td align=left bgcolor=#dda0dd>32Template:Routeboxwa/county<tr><td align=right>SR-104 Image:WA-104.svg<td align=left>40<tr><td align=right>SR-524 Image:WA-524.svg<td align=left>42<tr><td align=right>SR-525 Image:WA-525.svg<td align=left>46<tr><td align=right>I-5 Image:Interstate 5.svg <td align=left>N-51/S-52<tr><td align=right>SR-526 Image:WA-526.svg
SR-527 Image:WA-527.svg<td align=left>51.64
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Washington State Route 99 (also known as Pacific Highway South, International Blvd., West Marginal Way, East Marginal Way, Aurora Avenue North, Highway 99, Pacific Highway North, Evergreen Way, and Everett Mall Way), is a highway in the state of Washington, U.S.A. It extends just over 50 miles from Fife in the south to Everett in the north.

Route

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 less than 300 feet from its interchange with I-5. It then begins to travel north, through Des Moines, multiplexing with SR-509 for a few miles. The route becomes a little difficult to identify for several miles, as there are no 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 an suburban thoroughfare. SR-99 enters Seattle near the Interurban neighborhood, and enters a freeway alignment borrowed from the terminus of SR-599. This freeway alignment is know 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, there it is know, erroneously, 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 overly complicated interchange/intersection with Interstate 5, SR-526, and SR-527.

History

• 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 WA-PSH-1 (Primary State Highway). As I-5 was built the PSH and US routes 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, and later, around the time of the Great 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 Alternate, and later Business US-99.
• 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 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.

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. Although the structure of the building extends only a few inches beyond the walls the viaduct, it is none the less disconcerting when driving to see part of a building in the road, on a bridge, 50 ft in the air.
• 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. You must continue 1/4 mile north of the terminus before encountering the interchange to Southbound I-5.

External links

• Highways of Washington State