 Happy Earth Month!
 Kayaks on Lake Union.
April is Earth Month! If you’re new here, it’s a great time to check in on why we’re digging a big tunnel from Ballard to Wallingford in the first place. Some older parts of Seattle have a combined sewer system, which means that stormwater and sewage use the same pipes. With population growth and climate change, there is often too much water for the pipes to hold during large rain events, sending untreated sewage and stormwater into the Lake Washington Ship Canal. These overflows contain pollutants and can harm fish, wildlife, and the environment.
Our solution? Let’s take some of that wastewater – up to 29 million gallons of it – and put it somewhere else. The tunnel that MudHoney, our 18-ft diameter storage tunnel boring machine, is digging will eventually hold excess stormwater and sewage until it can be sent to the West Point Treatment Plant in Magnolia. Storing excess flows addresses the limited capacity of the existing sewer system. After the rain has slowed down, we’ll release the excess wastewater from the storage tunnel to the treatment plant. When the Ship Canal Water Quality project is complete, the tunnel will help reduce over 75 million gallons of polluted stormwater and sewage from flowing into the Ship Canal, Salmon Bay, and Lake Union annually during heavy storms.
To learn more about how Seattle Public Utilities and King County are incorporating sustainability into this project, take a look at our fact sheet. To learn more about the project, visit our project website. We also continue to update our Flickr albums with construction photos.
MudHoney
Our 18-ft diameter tunnel boring machine has tunneled over 12,600 feet! Follow along with our tunneling tracker on our project website.
Ground monitoring is ongoing along the tunnel alignment and is done from both inside MudHoney and on the surface.
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Ballard
Our Ballard shaft site near Shilshole Ave NW will continue to be busy with tunneling activities until MudHoney reaches Wallingford this year.
During regular tunneling activities, you should anticipate:
- Truck deliveries of concrete tunnel segments and MudHoney equipment
- Nighttime segment deliveries and both nighttime/daytime tunnel spoils being hauled away
- Noise and vibrations typical of a construction site
Crews are working 24 hours a day, six days a week.
East Ballard
Crews continue building the mechanical and electrical vault on NW 45th St and the diversion structure in 11th Ave NW. Soon crews will begin working to connect the conveyance pipe that will extend from the diversion structure to the storage tunnel.
Local closures and detours:
- There continues to be a one-lane traffic configuration on 11th Ave NW at NW 45th St. Traffic signals and flaggers will direct traffic at the intersection during single lane closures.
- NW 45th St remains closed to traffic between 11th Ave NW and 9th Ave NW; vehicles must detour onto NW 46th St
- Burke-Gilman Trail remains detoured to the north side of NW 45th St through the project area. For safety, bicyclists should either dismount or cross train tracks at a 90-degree angle. Please take extra caution in wet weather as ramps may be slippery.
You should anticipate:
- Heavy equipment in the area
- Noise and vibrations typical of a construction site
Regular work hours will be Monday through Friday, from 7 am to 6 pm. Night and weekend work may occur.
Fremont
Crews began excavating for a large mechanical vault and will begin installing the conveyance pipes between the diversion structure in 2nd Ave NW and the Fremont shaft.
Local closures and detours:
- Our contractor will be working intermittently in the southernmost eastbound lane of Leary Way NW during working hours for the next few weeks
- On 2nd Ave NW, between Leary Way NW and NW Canal St, the street remains closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic through mid-2023
- NW Canal St is open to two-way traffic to allow access during this closure
- NW 36th St, between Leary Way NW and 3rd Ave NW, remains closed through 2023
- Pedestrian detours are in place on Leary Way NW; please follow all detour guidance
You should anticipate:
- Truck traffic on Leary Way NW as trucks bring materials and equipment to and from the site
- Fans running during work hours to provide fresh air to crews working in the shaft
- Heavy equipment in the area
- Noise and vibrations typical of a construction site
Regular work hours will be Monday through Friday, from 7 am to 6 pm; and some Saturdays from 9 am to 6 pm.
Wallingford
Crews continue working on the electrical building and gate structure at the Wallingford site on Interlake Ave N and N 35th St.
Wallingford Conveyance project crews continue working in Stone Way N, between N 34th St and N 35th St to construct a diversion structure. Later they will begin installing conveyance pipes.
Vehicle detour:
- Stone Way N between N 34th St and N 35th St remains closed to vehicles and bicycles
- Traffic is being detoured via N 40th St and Wallingford Ave N, and via N 35th St and Woodland Park Ave N
- Improvements have been made at the all-way stop traffic revision at the intersection of N 35th St and Woodland Park Ave N
- A new all-way stop has been installed at N 35th St and Wallingford Ave N
- Please adhere to the Road Closed and Traffic Revision Ahead signage and follow the detour route
Bicycle detour:
- Please use the bike detour route to bypass Stone Way N between N 35th St and N 34th St:
- Southbound: bicyclists are detoured west on N 35th St and south on Woodland Park Ave N, then west onto the Protected Bike Lane in N 34th St. Access to the Burke Gilman Trail (BGT) is at Troll Ave N
- Northbound: bicyclists will be detoured east along N 34th St (or the BGT) then north on Wallingford Ave N
- Please dismount and walk if you use the sidewalk
You should anticipate:
- Trucks coming in and out of the site
- Heavy equipment in the area
- Noise and vibrations typical of a construction site
Regular work hours will be Monday through Friday, from 7 am to 6 pm.
Queen Anne
Crews are installing piping and an air duct inside the 8-ft diameter tunnel casing.
Local closures and detours:
- Localized Ship Canal Trail detour at least through summer 2023 (see map). Please continue to remain alert when moving through this area.
- West Ewing Mini Park parking closure through mid-2023
You should anticipate:
- Trucks coming in and out of the site
- Heavy equipment in the area
- Noise and vibrations typical of a construction site
Regular work hours will be Monday through Friday, from 7 am to 6 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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