The Historic Pacific Highway

Seattle

Seattle is the largest city of the Pacific Northwest, and it lies along Elliott Bay, on the east shore of Puget Sound, 128 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Built on seven hills, with intervening lowlands, it extends between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, which are joined by two canals and Lake Union. It is a city of steep descents and sudden turns, with streets that fall away inevitably to the waterside, lined with docks and moored ships of every description. Many bridges, ranging from the imposing concrete George Washington Memorial Bridge to small spans straddling the ravines, pass between the different parts of this city broken by water routes.

Alaskan Way Viaduct

The Alaskan Way viaduct was a 2 mile concrete elevated, double-decked 4-lane highway. The structure was built in three phases and work began on February 6, 1950, and it was completed on April 4, 1953. The viaduct was built along the waterfront above the surface streets, which allowed vehicles and people to pass underneath it. At first Alaskan Way was elevated from S. Holgate St., to Bell St. near the Pike Place Market. Before the tunnel was completed cars came off the viaduct onto Western Ave. and turned right onto Wall St. to connect with Aurora Avenue.

The Pacific Highway through Seattle

In the 1900's, traffic going north to Everett traveled down Westlake Ave. to Fremont and traveled up Greenwood Ave. to about N. 90th St. where the road turned northeast toward Bothell. The 1915 Automobile Blue Book shows the route of the Pacific Highway through Seattle as beginning at Yesler Way and 1st Ave., and leaving town northbound on 4th Ave. to Stewart St., where it continued northeast to Eastlake Avenue. At Mercer St. the highway veered to the right onto Lakeview Blvd. E. (the freeway was built over this spot severing the connection.) The highway then followed Lakeview Blvd. as it became Boylston Ave. E., and then followed Boylston Ave. as it made a few curves and crossed over Lakeview Blvd. (Lakeview Blvd. had not yet been extended.)

Early Roads to Everett 1864 - 1909

The first wagon road to reach Snohomish county from the south was the Fort Steilacoom - Fort Bellingham Military road which was constructed in 1860. The road began at Fort Steilacoom and traveled the existing wagon roads to Yesler's Wharf in Seattle. From Seattle the road continued northeast over the east side of Queen Anne to Fremont. After crossing the creek at the west end of Lake Union the road continued north along Phinney Ridge to the Washelli cemetery where it turned northeast to the bluff overlooking Lake Washington near the Acacia cemetery, which is about a mile southeast of Briarcrest.

The Bothell Road

The first wagon road between Seattle and Bothell was constructed in 1887 by the Seattle Lakeshore & Eastern RR. This road followed the construction toward Bothell, and it was used by the workers to bring in supplies. This was a long route following the tracks around the lake, and a couple of years later a shorter road would be built which followed the Military Road from Green lake to the top the the bluff overlooking Lake Washington. From there it utilized the existing logging roads going down the hill to Lake Forest Park where it connected with the railroad company's wagon road to Bothell.

Victory Way
Road of Remembrance

In 1922 the Pacific Highway was routed from the old Bothell road to a newly constructed thoroughfare which began at the north end of the University bridge and ran north to Kenmore. This new highway was called "Victory Way." After World War I ended in 1919, new road construction began all across the country. Many retuning soldiers found work building these new roads, which were being built to replace the "elbow joint" way of travel. The American Forestry Association had petitioned to have trees planted along the road sides in remembrance to the fallen soldiers.

University Bridge

In 1891 the first bridge over the narrow passage which lies between Lake Union and Portage bay was the Latona bridge. This bridge would be located directly under The Ship Canal Bridge. In 1913 this bridge would become a part of the Pacific Highway until the University bridge was completed in 1919.

Aurora Avenue

The first wagon road leading north from Seattle was the Fort Steilacoom - Fort Bellingham Military road which was constructed in 1860. This road ran from Yesler's mill which was located at the foot of Yesler Way, north over the east side of Queen Anne hill to Fremont. At Fremont the road continued north along Phinney Ridge and passing Green lake on the west, and just before the Washelli cemetery, the road turned northeast to the Thornton creek crossing near Olympic Hills, which is about a mile northwest of Lake City.