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KIRO 7 takes first end-to-end tour of new Highway 99 tunnel

The Washington State Department of Transportation today offered media tours of the new Highway Tunnel.

Inside the 1.7 mile long tunnel, we saw the signs of construction well underway.

Today, tunnel builders announced they now are ready to install 1,100 concrete panels that will be used to form the basis of the lower roadway. Work on the upper roadway is also underway.

WSDOT has said the tunnel will open in early 2019.  We asked for an update.

Chris Dixon, manager of Seattle Tunnel Partners responded, “Well, our schedule now is to achieve substantial completion by October of next year."

WSDOT tunnel administrator Joe Hedges added, “We're holding to our January of '19 opening, with a commitment to try to advance that forward.”

Seattle Tunnel Partners says construction is going well so far.  They say it will have a better handle on the opening date when it reviews progress in March.

Whether it's early 2019 or late 2018, it won't be much more than a year before everyone will be able to see this tunnel for themselves.