Along the Mother Road
State Route 99 is an iconic roadway — a relic from Seattle’s early days when the city dreamed that free and easy travel by car would attract people to its center, and later, help them bypass congestion downtown.
But what sped by was time. The road is better known today for its seedier side — prostitution, homelessness, discount stores and car dealerships.
Seattle’s growth is bringing changes and tensions to the throughway some call Seattle’s “Mother Road.” We look at what it tells us about where we came from and where we’re going.
Top Contributors
Stories
-
These Seattle apartments are being built in Boise, Idaho. Here’s why
The apartment complex at Aurora and North 109th Street in Seattle was built on the cheap.
-
As she runs, she imagines Aurora as it could be
City officials have designated some parts of the aging Aurora Avenue as “urban villages” (dense, walkable neighborhoods near transit). But Aurora has a...
-
The state is repaving Aurora. That's a chance to build sidewalks. But no
This summer the state highway department plans to show Aurora Avenue North some love – in the form of fresh paving .
-
Homeless camp seeks second year in Licton Springs neighborhood
A homeless encampment sanctioned by the city of Seattle is hoping to have its permit extended for another year. City officials say the tiny house...
-
VIDEO: 'Aurora could be better than this'
Aurora, formerly the Seattle Speedway, is a relic from the early days when the city dreamed that free and easy travel by car would open its boundaries...
-
PHOTOS: Sneak peek at Seattle's new mega tunnel
Seattle's SR 99 tunnel will have cellular phone service, sprinklers in case of fire and a pedestrian escape route.
-
Aurora Ave used to be kind to the auto industry. No longer
Aurora Avenue North is a place where you can buy a car, sell a car or get fancy rims for your tires. If your vehicle has ever been towed in north...
-
Seattle's last frontier: KUOW begins its reporting along Aurora Avenue
Commuters — in 43,000 cars every weekday — see Aurora Avenue as a river. Pedestrians trying to cross from one side to the other see it as a wall. In...
-
Listen to this freestyle poem about Aurora Avenue
What does Aurora mean to you? Al Jawann Johnson answered that question with a spontaneous poem: "Aurora is to me the beast in the night. It is the...