Saturday, March 25, 2000

By ROBERT L. JAMIESON JR. and ALIYA SAPERSTEIN
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTERS

	Perfect demolition leaves Dome a fallen souffle More stories ... Photo galleries VR tour from the field Live shot of where the Dome used to be

From a distance, the Kingdome offered a postcard moment on the final Friday of its life. The sun shone, and to the south a snow-capped Mount Rainier rose from behind the concrete landmark.

But a close-up view of the Dome showed every sign of its demise set for tomorrow. Nearly 22 miles of orange detonation cord, much of it visible from Pioneer Square, snaked around the building.

Black protective textile, like armbands for mourning, were strapped to its columns. More than 5,900 holes, poked into the Dome, were plugged with gelatin dynamite. And a total of 4,461 pounds of dynamite were set -- awaiting just a spark.

The Kingdome was a "hot zone" -- protected by police -- ready to blow.

"I don't want to see it go," said Mike Grubb, a homeless man, whose tears blurred his view of the Dome from King Street. Grubb's last trip to the stadium was to accompany a friend to a Mariners game. Grubb's friend has since died.

"That was the last time I saw him," he said.

Across Seattle yesterday, people braced for the many ways the Kingdome implosion will affect their lives -- from stirring memories to forcing folks to prepare for temporary lifestyle woes the blast will create.

The implosion will depend on the weather.

Blast crews will delay the implosion if heavy fog drops in the area. Heavy fog deflects air blasts from the implosion toward the earth, which could cause damage to windows and fragile structures.

But Allen Kam, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said there a "very low chance" of such fog. For tomorrow morning, he predicts a light patchy fog for parts of Western Washington -- possibly Seattle -- that will give way to sunny skies.

In Pioneer Square, business owners aren't thinking about the weather. They expressed concerns about dust from the collapsing stadium, as well as the potential for damage to breakable items.

At Emerald City Fine Art, Erica Cryer and Tatiana Zaitsevskaia debated over the best way to safeguard fragile glass objects and large paintings in the First Avenue Gallery.

"It's a lot of worries," Zaitsevskaia said.

The Glasshouse Studio at 311 Occidental Ave. was not taking chances, either. The store will close early today so employees can take glasswork -- worth between $20 and $2,500 -- off shelves and put the pieces atop a tarp spread on the floor.

"I think they'll be safe, but maybe the vibrations (from the implosion) will break things even on the ground," said Valerie David, gallery coordinator.

In order to prevent vibration after the implosion of the Kingdome, blast crews have placed concrete islands inside the stadium that will act as "cushions" when the roof collapses.

Heavy dust from the implosion should fall within the footprint of the Kingdome. But light winds, which are expected to come from the south, could carry lighter dust particles toward the International District before dissipating in 15 minutes.

Pete Pedersen, a spokesman for the companies doing the imploding, said the best way to avoid problems from dust is to observe the implosion from a distant high point or watch the event on television.

Some people are planning parties -- including expensive gatherings downtown -- while others are headed for public venues, including parks on Beacon Hill and in West Seattle, to see the blast.

Even people in New York City will get to see the implosion. It will be shown live on a giant television screen -- one of the largest in the country -- in Times Square.

In Seattle yesterday, demolition workers sheathed walls and facades of buildings on Occidental Avenue South in protective textile and plastic.

At Safeco Field, the left-field sign and several public art pieces that ring the stadium were wrapped in plastic. And rat traps, which have been in place for several months in case of a rodent exodus from the falling Dome, sat on concrete floors.

Mariners spokeswoman Rebecca Hale said Safeco Field's pest-control crew hasn't noticed an increase in rodents -- and they don't expect to see any rats tomorrow.

"If they were going to move, they would have a long time ago," Hale said. "Their nests have been disrupted for months now."

One thing the implosion is certain to disrupt is traffic. Roads in the region -- Interstates 5 and 90, state Route 520, the Alaskan Way Viaduct, and city streets -- will be snarled by closures and slowdowns beginning at least 30 minutes before the 8:30 a.m. implosion.

Drivers headed for SeaTac Airport should leave several hours before a morning or early afternoon flight.

Beginning at 8 a.m. tomorrow, the northbound and southbound lanes of the Alaskan Way Viaduct will be shut down. Southbound traffic will have to exit at Denny Way; northbound traffic will have to exit at East Marginal Way.

But the southbound offramp to First Avenue South, near the Kingdome, will shut down even earlier -- about 5 a.m.

Driving around downtown Seattle will be tough. At 5 a.m., Seattle police and fire officials will impose a restriction zone -- no cars allowed -- as well as several detours.

Pedestrians may or may not be allowed inside the restriction area; Seattle authorities will decide Saturday. But several Metro bus routes will be detoured around the restriction area for hours.

Meanwhile, Amtrak service will not be operating at the King Street station tomorrow morning. Passengers will have to catch departing trains or pick up arriving passengers at depots in either Edmonds or Tacoma.

Amtrak officials said the southbound Cascade No. 751, scheduled to go from Seattle to Portland at 7:30 a.m., is now scheduled to depart from Tacoma at 8:18 a.m.

The Northbound Cascade No. 760, scheduled to go from Seattle to Vancouver, B.C., at 7:45 a.m. will leave Edmonds at 8:12 a.m. Passengers unable to board at Tacoma or Edmonds may go to the Seattle Greyhound terminal at 811 Stewart St. and take a passenger bus to the appropriate depot.

Two popular train routes will be affected by the implosion. The Coast Starlight No. 11, scheduled to go from Seattle to Los Angeles at 9:45 a.m., will now originate in Tacoma. It will depart at 10:43 a.m.

The Empire Builder No. 7, scheduled to arrive in Seattle tomorrow morning, will pull into Edmonds at 8:51 a.m. Train service could return to normal by noon.

On the water, ferry service will be normal.