You’ve Driven Over a Nuclear Bomb Shelter In Seattle Without Realizing It

During the Cold War with Russia, which was recently suspended from the UN Human Rights Council, the United States was on high alert and regularly held drills to prepare for what seemed would be an imminent nuclear attack from the Soviet Union.

Nuclear Bomb Fallout Shelters Were a Luxury Item in the 1960s

Back in the late 1950s and 1960s bomb shelters weren’t easily accessible or affordable for most Americans. Only the wealthy could afford them - low-end shelters started at around $3,000.

Over 90% of the American Population Was At Risk from Nuclear Fallout - Shelters Could Prevent Loss of Life

Bomb Shelter Construction Plans Were Readily Available in the 1950s and 1960s

It was determined that if there was another World War, especially nuclear war, the majority of the population would be at risk, so states and local governments had to come up with a strategy to protect as many civilians as possible.

A Prototype Fallout Shelter Was Constructed Under Interstate 5 in Seattle

According to an article available on the Washington State Department of Transportation website, then-Governor Rosellini and local and state officials enacted a plan to construct a prototype fallout structure using the available space under Interstate 5.  The shelter was for research and demonstration purposes only.

The Weedin Place Bomb Shelter is on the National Registry of Historic Sites

The experimental fallout structure, which cost roughly $64,000 to construct, was finished in 1963.  When it was all said and done, the shelter’s capacity was about 200 people with enough food and water for two weeks. The Weedin Place shelter was never used and it exists to this day under I-5 near Green Lake just North of the Ravenna Exit in Seattle.