The sprinkler system inside the new State Route 99 tunnel under Seattle got its first test Thursday morning and WSDOT says it was a success.
During the two-minute test, sprinklers spouted 6,400 gallons of water in the 216-foot section along the upper road of the two-level tunnel.
The tunnel contains 208 fire safety zones along its entire length. WSDOT says the fire suppression system is designed to activate sprinklers in the safety zones if a fire starts inside the tunnel. The test was conducted in two of the safety zones.
WSDOT says the tunnel could open as early as this fall.
