SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - Just after the rush-hour commute on Friday, the Alaskan Way Viaduct closed so crews could start knocking down the southernmost section.

Time to say "Via Con Dios," which WSDOT nicknamed the historic event on Twitter.

Transportation officials hope we can avoid carmageddon, but it depends on how Seattle drivers adapt to losing one of the city's main north-south highways for nine days.

Either way, Seattle history is being made.

At 7:30 p.m. on Friday, the viaduct closed south of Royal Brougham Way so crews could begin demolishing a section of the 1950s-era behemoth to build a detour connection between a new highway replacing the Sodo section and the central viaduct along the waterfront. The rest of the Sodo section will be torn down by next year, while the central waterfront section will remain open until a new highway tunnel opens in late 2015 or early 2016.

The transportation system gets its first big test Saturday afternoon as fans converge on CenturyLink Field for a football game between WSU and Oregon State. To help with the traffic, northbound lanes between Royal Brougham and the Battery Street Tunnel will be opened during sporting events and between 5:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on weekdays.

Before the game, the main event is the viaduct itself. WSDOT invited spectators to watch from the top deck  Saturday morning as the wrecking begins. And the winners of a WSDOT-sponsored contest seeking the most creative idea for how to spend 30 minutes alone on the viaduct will get a chance.

The Rat City Rollergirls and Seattle Cossacks motorcycle stunt team get that honor.

Businesses have been cashing in on the viaduct anticipation. All three Kimpton Seattle hotels -- the Vintage Park, Hotel Monaco and Alexis Hotel -- for example, are offering special viaduct rates and advertising that "guests can sip their stress away with our complimentary wine hour each day." Guests can book with the rate code "VIADUC."

Transportation officials have been preaching all month about the need for drivers to find other ways to commute -- by taking transit, van pool, bike or water taxi. Or commuters might want to consider working from home, or leaving one hour earlier or later than usual.

"If you haven't familiarized yourself with alternative forms of transportation, now is the time to pick the option that works best for you," state Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond said in a news release.

About 110,000 cars travel the viaduct every day. For West Seattle residents, who already know how bad traffic can be in the mornings to downtown, the closure could be a nightmare. 

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