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South Spokane Street Project Revised May 24, 2012
Nearing Completion The Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project is now approaching 90% completion, with a current projection that work will be finished in early September. Work on the new viaduct roadway deck was completed near the end of last year, at which point westbound traffic was moved onto the new structure. In mid-April, eastbound traffic was temporarily shifted onto the new structure in order to make room for repairs and resurfacing of the old viaduct structure (after which eastbound traffic will return to the old refurbished viaduct). During these repairs, eastbound motorists wishing to exit to SODO will find either the First or Fourth Avenue S off-ramps open, sometimes both. Signage will alert motorists as to what is available at any given time. As the accompanying photo shows, much of the existing bridge deck is in need of significant repairs. In order to keep traffic moving while these repairs are being made, the work has been broken into a series of phases that will involve some nighttime closures (and likely a small number of weekend closures) which will continue throughout the summer. The work involves a series of steps, beginning with “scarification” or “hydro demolition” which cleans and roughens the deck in order to ensure a good bond when the new thin lift micro silica overlay is applied to the deck at the end of the process. In those places where there has been a loss of 20% or more of the existing rebar, it will be replaced. Repairs will also be made to the eastbound off-ramp at First Avenue South. With all four lanes of traffic temporarily traveling on the new viaduct structure, travel lanes are narrower than standard lane widths, which in turn has required the temporary imposition of a 25 MPH speed limit (down from 35 MPH). In the final configuration, lanes will be restriped to the standard eleven foot width. Construction of the new westbound combined on/off ramp from First Avenue is moving ahead, following a delay in obtaining properly fabricated steel girders needed to connect the ramp with the new viaduct structure. The on-ramp portion will likely open to emergency vehicles on June 1, although safety concerns will prevent its opening to the general public until the eastbound traffic has been moved back onto the old viaduct structure in early September. The temporary presence of all four lanes of traffic on the new structure doesn’t leave enough room for traffic entering from the on-ramp to safely merge into the flow of traffic. The off-ramp portion doesn’t appear to present the same safety challenges, and could open late this spring or early in the summer, pending further evaluation. The remaining construction activity is likely to require a significant number of roadway and/or lane closures in the coming months. However, the vast majority of these are being done at night, when they impact the fewest number of motorists. Currently, there are no plans or expectations of any needed weekday daytime closures. Should such closures prove necessary, every effort will be made to keep them to the shortest possible duration and motorists will be given advance warning through roadside message signs, traffic alerts to the media, and postings on this project website. Under no circumstances to we anticipate any closures that would last beyond two or three days. Finally, artwork will be installed on many of the supporting columns underneath the viaduct. Some will have historical themes, while others will be more abstract. Once the artwork is complete, the westbound lower roadway will reopen all the way from Sixth Avenue S to East Marginal Way S. (The eastbound lower roadway reopened to traffic in 2010.) The eastbound Fourth Avenue S off-ramp was opened to traffic in the summer of 2010, permitting motorists and freight direct access to both north and southbound Fourth Avenue S while avoiding rail crossings. Ramp construction was made possible in part through $25 million in funding the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), who view the off-ramp as a valuable alternate route for West Seattle traffic heading to downtown or SODO while the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Project is under construction. Below are photos taken in recent days showing some of the progress.
More Spokane Street Widening Project photos can be viewed on Flickr. The first major milestone in the project was the opening of the new eastbound Fourth Avenue S off-ramp, which opened August 16, 2010, about four months ahead of schedule. The off-ramp (also referred to as the Fourth Avenue Loop-ramp) allows motorists and freight haulers direct access to both northbound and southbound Fourth Avenue S, while avoiding rail traffic. Ramp construction was made possible in part by the $25 million funding from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). Key Schedule Dates
* all future dates subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances Project Description
Click here to view larger version of Project Overview Map
Detour Routes Contractors working for the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) are widening the upper roadway 41 feet to the north and building a new on- and off-ramp along 1st Ave S in this next year. Alternative routes during construction are noted in the map below and explained in more detail on the detours page.
Until there is once again westbound access to the Spokane Street Viaduct from surface streets in SODO, southbound vehicles approaching Spokane on First Ave S will be detoured to the low level swing bridge to get to West Seattle. To reduce the expected congestion on this bridge during construction, SDOT has requested that marine vessels voluntarily provide advance notification when they will require the swing bridge to open, enabling drivers to plan accordingly. When SDOT receives advance notification of a bridge opening expected during afternoon peak travel time (3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays), this opening will be announced on the electronic messaging signs now operating at Terminal 5 and at Fourth and Spokane. SDOT staff will also send the message with a specific time, if available, using Twitter (sign up to receive the Twitter messages at http://twitter.com/seattledot). The closure will also be posted on the Travelers Information Map on SDOT’s website, http://www.seattle.gov/travelers For questions regarding how Metro Transit bus routes will be affected during this construction period, contact King County Metro Transit directly: by phone at (206) 553-3000; email at Customer.Comments@kingcounty.gov; or visit www.kingcounty.gov/metro for route information. Specifically, riders of routes 15, 18, 21, 22, 56, 57, 118, 119 are most likely to be directly impacted. If you would like to receive King County Metro e-mail route alerts, you may sign-up for them at http://metro.kingcounty.gov/up/rr/alertscenter.html. Please note the primary detour route is a heavily used truck route serving industry in the Duwamish and the Port of Seattle’s terminals. Many industrial and maritime businesses - and the thousands of jobs they support - depend on the corridor for the movement of goods.
Listserve notices: We distribute email announcements for impending lane changes or closures, detours, schedules, etc. as well as periodic information about progress on the project. Use the form below to be added to that email list. Progress Bulletins: We periodically create and hand-deliver to surrounding properties, providing information about recent progress, upcoming activities, expected impacts and mitigation measures. These are also available at the SDOT office, on this Web site and through the listserve. We also occasionally print and mail newsletters to businesses and residences in a large area with general project information, schedule updates and contact information. These are also made available to community groups, libraries and other distribution venues, as well as in our offices. If you have a suggestion for a valuable distribution point, please let us know. Web site updates: Information on the project is maintained here. Project Update Briefings: We provide periodic in-person updates to identify project stakeholders, such as West Seattle and Georgetown neighborhood organizations, the Seattle Freight Advisory Board, the Manufacturing and Industrial Council (MIC), SODO Business Association and others. Contact us to find out about joining a group for a presentation, or having a presentation for your organization. Alternative modes of communication: We are looking at other means of providing information on the current status of the project and on upcoming activities, including text messages and low power AM radio broadcasts. We are also posting project update stories to our Blog. If you have other suggestions on outreach methods, please let us know. We are committed to working with local community and business organizations to provide communications that meet their constituents’ needs.
If you would like more information about the project, please call or email Paul Elliott, SDOT Community Relations, at 206-684-5321 or by email at Paul.Elliott@seattle.gov
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The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is widening and improving the South Spokane Street Viaduct – the 60-year old elevated roadway that carries 65,000-70,000 vehicles daily between I-5 and the West Seattle Bridge. The South Spokane Street project created a new two-lane eastbound off-ramp leading to Fourth Avenue S; relocates the westbound on- and off- ramps to a new First Avenue S ramp; widens the upper roadway to the north by 41 feet – between Sixth Avenue S and East Marginal Way; and rebuilds the lower roadway in concrete, with new curbs, sidewalks and improved pedestrian and bicycle access. Work on this long-awaited project began in 2008 and is set to wrap up in the summer of 2012.
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