March 12, 2009 Sinkhole repairs complete, Kenmore road reopened
Both lanes of 61st Avenue Northeast between Northeast 195th Street and Northeast 194th Place in Kenmore have again reopened after crews repaired a segment of road and sidewalk damaged by a sinkhole on Sunday.
Engineers determined the sinkhole was caused by tunnel construction now under way as part of King County’s Brightwater project. Tunneling resumed on Monday amid careful monitoring, and no further ground settlement issues have been detected.
Temporary paving was installed to make the road and sidewalk safe for motorists and pedestrians, and crews will install permanent pavement this spring.
Although ground settlement can occur during deep tunneling, it’s considered unusual. The county has successfully completed several deep tunneling projects, most recently a three-mile portion of Brightwater tunnel from the North Creek Portal to the treatment plant site north of Woodinville.
The Brightwater project includes a treatment plant now under construction at the intersection of State Route 9 and SR-522 north of Woodinville, a 13-mile conveyance tunnel that will run beneath SR-522, Northeast 195th Street and the King-Snohomish County line, and a deep-water marine outfall a mile off of Point Wells in Puget Sound.
More information about the Brightwater construction is available at http://www.kingcounty.gov/brightwater or by calling 206-205-5989.
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Note to editors and reporters: Visit the WTD Newsroom, a portal to information for the news media about the Wastewater Treatment Division, King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks: http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wtd/Newsroom.aspx
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