N 102nd St/Aurora Ave N Pedestrian Bridge Seismic Retrofit

Updated June 7, 2024

Project overview

Earthquakes could have a major impact on Seattle’s infrastructure. To address seismic risks to city infrastructure, the City of Seattle established a bridge seismic program to assess how vulnerable the City’s bridges were to earthquakes, and to retrofit bridges to better withstand the potential impacts of an earthquake.

As part of the Levy to Move Seattle, 16 bridges were selected for seismic retrofits, including the N 102nd St/Aurora Ave N Pedestrian Bridge. The N 102nd St/Aurora Ave N Pedestrian Bridge is an older bridge constructed prior to the modernization of the seismic design code. The bridge provides a more direct connection across Aurora Ave N for the Greenwood and Licton Springs neighborhoods.

We're not planning on changing the current use and operation of the bridge. The planned seismic retrofits to the N 102nd St/Aurora Ave N Pedestrian Bridge include several modifications to strengthen existing bridge components and reduce the bridge’s vulnerability to earthquakes. The following are major construction elements:

• Enlarging the bridge cross-section and installing carbon fiber wrapping to strengthen the bridge's superstructure
• Separating the main span from the ramp and the staircase by adding new expansion joints
• Constructing a lightweight fill/wall support system for the ramp
• Constructing a wall/footing support system for the staircase
  
  

What to expect during construction

Construction will begin as soon as mid-June 2024 and is anticipated to last approximately 5-6 months. Once construction begins, we will continue to share information on our webpage and through regular email updates. You can sign up online to receive email updates.  

To complete the work as safely and efficiently as possible, the bridge will be closed to all people walking, biking, and rolling for the duration of construction. In addition, we will be closing car lanes under the bridge on Aurora Ave N in phases to divert people driving away from where work is occurring. At least one lane of travel in each direction will be maintained throughout each phase. 

We understand these closures will impact everyone who uses the bridge and Aurora Ave N regularly and will do what we can to minimize impacts. The phases will include the following closures:

Phase One 

Our first phase of lane closures will begin as soon as mid-June 2024. We will reduce Aurora Ave N to four lanes of travel with two lanes in each direction underneath the bridge. The two westernmost lanes will be closed, and traffic will be shifted towards the east side of the street.

We will share a map showing phase one closures soon. 

In addition to the above phases of lane closures, we currently anticipate the following construction impacts:  

• Work in the public right-of-way near your home or business
• Temporary sidewalk and crossing closures for people walking and rolling. Detours will be provided and signed
• Temporary side street closures. Detours will be provided and signed
  • *Side street closure includes 102nd Avenue
• Temporary on-street parking restrictions, with "no park" signs placed 72 hours in advance
• A full closure of the bridge during construction. We will notify nearby homes at least two weeks in advance and again 72 hours before the closure.
• Staged construction equipment and materials as well as noise, dust, and vibrations in the work area
• Typical weekday work hours of 7 AM – 5 PM, Monday through Friday 

Project schedule*

* The schedule is subject to change.

Once construction begins it is scheduled to last approximately 5-6 months. Construction schedules are also subject to change and depend on factors such as weather and availability of crews and materials.

Funding

The project is funded through the Levy to Move Seattle. Approved by voters in 2015, the 9-year, $930 million Levy to Move Seattle provides funding to improve safety for all travelers, maintain our streets and bridges, and invest in reliable, affordable travel options for a growing city. 

Get Involved

We're committed to keeping you informed and working with neighbors to limit construction impacts to the extent feasible. Here are some ways to get more information about the project:

• Sign up for our project listserv to receive weekly project updates
• Email the project team at BridgeSeismicRetrofit@seattle.gov  
• Leave a voicemail at (206) 775-8734. A project representative will return your call. 

Materials

We’ll update you with project materials such as mailings, flyers, and fact sheets as they are created throughout the construction phase of the project.

Translation and interpretation

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