Understanding what happened to Pier 58

Late afternoon this past Sunday a portion of Pier 58, better known as Waterfront Park, collapsed as construction workers were beginning the work to carefully dismantle and remove it.  Let’s look at what led to the collapse, where things stand now, and what happens next. UPDATE 9-18-20: The city has now closed the adjacent Pier 57, due to a “condition of imminent danger” from the potential collapse of the remainder of Pier 58.

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The Seattle Waterfront, minus the viaduct noise

We’re dabbling in audio journalism today. Do you remember how noisy the waterfront was before the Viaduct was shut down? Wondering how much quieter it is now? I made a recording standing outside the Aquarium around noon on Thursday, January 3.  There is moderate traffic on the viaduct, and little surface traffic. I’ve actually stood on the waterfront when the Viaduct traffic was deafening (as I am sure have many of you); it wasn’t that bad on this day, but it was still loud enough that you would need to raise your voice to have a conversation with someone standing …

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