MudHoney has been through a lot of muck these last two years.

Top left, longtime local band Mudhoney stood in front of their namesake tunnel boring machine before it began its journey; top right, a peek at the cables inside a tieback seen through MudHoney’s cutterhead. Bottom left, some of the tools that needed to be replaced after defeating Megaboulder; bottom right, MudHoney at the end of its journey to Wallingford.

About 300,000 tons of muck to be specific. In case you missed it – but how could you?! – MudHoney wrapped up tunneling in Wallingford in mid-June! Yes, we are still celebrating, and with good reason. MudHoney, our 18-ft diameter storage tunnel boring machine has many stories to tell, all etched into its exterior, from its 22-month journey.

MudHoney passed under several critical route milestones including the Ballard Siphon (two King County sewer pipelines under Salmon Bay) and Ballard and Aurora bridges, and successfully maneuvered slowly and steadily through a tight curve. It also defeated Megaboulder as well as the lesser known 18 tieback obstacles, with a short meet, greet, and crunch that took place late in the game (about a block away from the final destination!). Tiebacks are used to support underground retaining walls at large construction sites. These tiebacks were about 50 to 60-ft long and six inches in diameter. They remained from a previous project and were no longer needed. MudHoney was a champ and surpassed all our expectations; it ate through them and left no crumbs.

We could go on but who better to share an update than Keith Ward, Ship Canal Water Quality Project Executive? Check out this video!

What’s next for MudHoney?

Now that the Wallingford shaft has been emptied of water – read the previous program email if you need a recap on why there was water in the first place – crews are taking MudHoney apart piece by piece to either be recycled or reused. Alas, it is time to say your last farewells to our beloved MudHoney, at least in its current configuration.

Important note for those traveling through Wallingford:

The Wallingford Conveyance crews moved back into N 34th St on July 5. Westbound lanes are closed at least through July. The left turn lane from Northlake Way onto westbound N 34th St is also closed. Read more about this in the Wallingford section below.

To learn more about the project, visit our project website. We also continue to update our Flickr albums with recent construction photos.

MudHoney Our 18-ft diameter storage tunnel boring machine has tunneled all 13,946 feet! Check out the completed tunneling tracker on our project website. MudHoney continues to be dismantled and hauled off-site to be reused or recycled. Ground monitoring is ongoing for the next few months along the tunnel alignment.

Ballard

Crews continue to dismantle, clean, and move the large amount of equipment needed for tunneling off site.

You should anticipate:

• Periodic nighttime truck movements will be necessary to remove the particularly large equipment over the next few months
• Noise and vibrations typical of a construction site

Crews are working 24 hours a day, six days a week. Some work may occur on Sundays.

East Ballard

Crews completed installing piles to support excavation of the new maintenance hole on the south side of the diversion structure and reopened 11th Ave NW, south of NW 45th St, last week.

Crews continue to work inside the adit and shaft on NW 45th St, and in the diversion structure on 11th Ave NW. In the coming weeks, workers will continue installing 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 (BGT) 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 continue constructing the large mechanical and electrical vault as well as the permanent floor and walls inside the shaft. Workers have started to install the conveyance pipes between the diversion structure on 2nd Ave NW and the Fremont shaft and to construct the permanent structure within the current shaft.

Local closures and detours:

• Our contractor will work intermittently in the southernmost eastbound lane of Leary Way NW during working hours
• On 2nd Ave NW, between Leary Way NW and NW Canal St, the street remains closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic through 2023
• NW Canal St is open to two-way traffic 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 have begun to dismantle and remove MudHoney from the Wallingford site, which will take several weeks. Crews are working up to 20 hours inside the shaft at the site.

On July 5, the Wallingford Conveyance crews moved back into N 34th St to install pipes and access maintenance holes in the north portion of the intersection at Stone Way N. Westbound lanes will be closed at least through July. The left turn lane from Northlake Way onto westbound N 34th St is also closed and will be opened again as soon as possible. The traffic detour is similar to the routes and signage that were in place earlier this year.

Vehicle detour:

• Westbound N 34th St, including the left-hand turn lane from Northlake Way onto westbound N 34th St, is closed to vehicles 
• 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
• The new all-way stop remains in place at N 35th St and Wallingford Ave N
• Please adhere to the Road Closed and Traffic Revision Ahead signage and follow the detour routes

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 onto N 35th St and south onto Woodland Park Ave N, then west onto the Protected Bike Lane on N 34th St. Access to the BGT is at Troll Ave N.
• Northbound: bicyclists will be detoured east along N 34th St (or the BGT) then north onto 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
• Increased noise as crews dismantle MudHoney
• Vibrations typical of a construction site

Extended work hours and multiple shifts will be from 7 am to 4 am, seven days a week for the next two months to dismantle and haul away MudHoney from the shaft in segments.

Queen Anne

Crews continue to work inside the shaft and at the site.

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 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.

Construction Safety is Everyone’s Job

Check out some top safety tips at

www.seattle.gov/utilities/constructionsafety

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 tunneling related work, we have changed our hotline hours to 24 hours a day, Monday through Friday.