Why Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct Will Have to Close for Three Weeks before Tunnel Opens

Seattle PI | Daniel DeMay | June 21
https://www.seattlepi.com/local/transportation/article/Why-Seattle-s-Alaskan-Way-Viaduct-will-have-to-13014741.php

“Seattle drivers anxious to use the soon-to-be-completed state Route 99 tunnel, now five years in the making, will have to endure three weeks with neither tunnel nor viaduct before it opens, tentatively set for this fall. Exactly when the tunnel will open is still not definite. The state Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has said “as soon as this fall,” and October has been referred to as a possible month for the opening, but that’s all assuming testing of off the hi-tech systems in the “smart” tunnel goes smoothly.”

The Economics of the 40 Biggest US Cities, Ranked from Worst to Best

Business Insider | Andy Kiersz | June 20
http://www.businessinsider.com/us-economy-by-metro-area-ranked-san-francisco-seattle-austin-2018-4

“Business Insider combined five measures of labor-market and general economic health for the 40 metropolitan statistical areas with the biggest 2017 populations to get a sense of where those big cities’ economies stand. Those measures were the unemployment rate, average weekly wage, job growth rate, GDP per capita, and GDP growth rate…4. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA…Seattle’s 2016 GDP per capita of $86,889 was the fourth-highest among the 40 largest metro areas, and its Q3 2017 average weekly wage of $1,445 was the third-highest.”

Sick of San Francisco? Seattle Tops NYC as Favorite Expansion Market for Bay Area Tech Companies

GeekWire | Nat Levy | June 20
https://www.geekwire.com/2018/sick-san-francisco-seattle-tops-nyc-favorite-expansion-market-bay-area-tech-companies/

“When tech companies from the San Francisco area look to grow outside their backyard, Seattle is the most common landing spot, a new report finds. According to research from real estate firm CBRE, Bay Area companies have taken 3.5 million square feet of office space in the Seattle region over the last five years, barely edging out New York City as the top expansion market. Other popular landing spots include Southern California, Boston, Austin, Chicago and Portland…GeekWire tracks the number of out-of-town tech companies that have opened up engineering offices in the Seattle area, and the figure now stands at more than 100.”

What’s Hot in Seattle Biotech: Tech, Life Sciences Convergence & More

XConomy | Frank VInluan | June 18
https://www.xconomy.com/seattle/2018/06/19/whats-hot-in-seattle-biotech-tech-life-sciences-convergence-more/

“Like a good cup of coffee, Seattle’s life sciences ecosystem is a balanced blend of complementary parts: research to find the underpinnings of disease, and information technology that helps scientists make sense of the data. That convergence was on display last week at Xconomy’s annual What’s Hot in Seattle Biotech event. Here are a few highlights from the day:”