 What’s happening on NW 45th St in East Ballard?
Mechanical/electrical vault in NW 45th St at our East Ballard site
After a pause, work is resuming at our East Ballard site! So, what are we building here?
- We have already installed a new 55-ft deep, 10-ft diameter vertical shaft near the intersection of 11th Ave NW and NW 45th St to carry sewage and stormwater down to the new storage tunnel
- Crews are now resuming excavation and installation of a mechanical/electrical vault to house piping and equipment for system operation
- In late spring, crews will excavate and install a new diversion structure and conveyance pipes to connect the existing overflow pipe in 11th Ave NW to the storage tunnel. Once this work starts, 11th Ave NW will be reduced to one lane until late November 2022. There will be a flagger onsite directing traffic through the area.
We’ve talked about diversion structures before, but they are so cool we want to share a bit more. Diversion structures are an important part of the Ship Canal Water Quality Project. These are where contaminated stormwater and sewer are directed (or “diverted”, clever, right?) to the Storage Tunnel during heavy rains using hydraulics and gravity. Without the tunnel in place, untreated flows would be discharged into a nearby body of water.
Best of all, when construction is complete, all of these components will be underground and the roadway, sidewalks, and Burke-Gilman trail will be back to normal!
To learn more about the East Ballard project site, read our fact sheet.
Take a look at our Flickr albums to stay updated on the most recent construction activities.
Ballard & MudHoney
MudHoney continues to tunnel toward Wallingford. During tunneling activities, you should anticipate:
- Truck deliveries of concrete segments and MudHoney equipment
- Tunneling activities
- Nighttime segment deliveries and tunnel spoils being hauled off
- Noise and vibrations typical of a construction site
Crews are working 24 hours a day, 6 days a week and will continue until MudHoney reaches Wallingford by early 2023. Sunday work may also occur.
Ground monitoring is ongoing along the tunnel alignment and is done from both inside MudHoney and on the surface.
East Ballard
Excavation work for the underground mechanical and electrical vault on NW 45th St continues. When excavation begins for a smaller vault in late spring, 11th Ave NW will be reduced to one lane. Flaggers will direct northbound and southbound traffic, and additional directional signage will be in place.
During this time, you should anticipate:
- Starting as soon as June, one-lane closure on 11th Ave NW through November 2022
- Heavy equipment in the area
- NW 45th St closed to traffic; vehicles must detour onto NW 46th St
- Burke-Gilman Trail users remain detoured to the north side of NW 45th St
- Flaggers will help direct traffic during daytime working hours. Please follow all detour guidance on site. For safety, bicyclists should either dismount or cross train tracks at a 90-degree angle. Please use extra caution in wet weather as ramps may be slippery.
- Noise and vibrations typical of a construction site
Regular work hours will be Monday through Friday, from 7 am to 5 pm. Night and weekend work may occur.
Fremont
Lane reductions on Leary Way NW, between 1st Ave NW and NW 39th St, will be in place until early April to restore the site after jet grouting. After that, there will be utility work on Leary Way NW that will require intermittent traffic revisions and lane reductions. Crews will also be working on large 8-ft conveyance tunnel pipes inside the white tents from 7 am to 10 pm on weekdays, and possibly 9 am to 10 pm on weekends over the next 2 months.
During this time, you should anticipate:
- Dust and grinding noise
- Lane reductions on Leary Way NW
- Excavators working on-site for utility installation work
- Truck traffic on Leary Way NW as trucks bring and remove materials to and from the site
- NW 36th St between Leary Way NW and 3rd Ave NW closed (through the remainder of the project)
- Pedestrian detours on Leary Way NW; please follow all detour guidance on site
- Generators running during work hours to power equipment
- 2nd Ave NW, between Leary Way NW and NW Canal St, closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic for sewer and diversion structure work at least through the end of 2022
- NW Canal St open to two-way traffic to allow access during this closure. Please do not park at the west end of NW Canal St to allow two-way traffic to turn around at the closure.
- Noise and vibrations typical of a construction site
Regular work hours will be Monday through Friday, from 7 am to 5 pm. Work inside the tents may occur during nights and weekends as described above.
Wallingford
Crews continue working on the shaft liner wall and preparing for MudHoney’s arrival. Construction activities will be paused at this location until concrete is available.
When work resumes, you should anticipate:
- Concrete trucks coming in and out of the site
- Noise and vibrations typical of a construction site
Regular work hours will be Monday through Friday, from 7 am to 5 pm.
Queen Anne
Crews are resuming work on two of three below-grade vaults. Crews will begin formwork and rebar placement. Construction of the third below-grade vault will begin this summer.
During this time, you should anticipate:
- Trucks coming in and out of the site
- Noise and vibrations typical of a construction site
- The West Ewing Mini Park parking lot to remain closed through mid-2023
- A localized Ship Canal Trail detour at least through summer 2023 (see map). The trail will be adjusted north later this year for construction of the third below-grade vault. Details and schedule for intermittent changes to come.
Regular work hours will be Monday through Friday, from 7 am to 5 pm. Night and weekend work may occur.
Contact us
Please email SPU_ShipCanalProject@seattle.gov with questions or comments or call our hotline at (206) 701-0233. You can also find information online at spushipcanal.participate.online/. To support the community during active tunneling, we have changed our hotline hours to 24 hours a day, Monday through Friday.
Construction Safety is Everyone’s Job
Check out some top safety tips at www.seattle.gov/utilities/constructionsafety
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