Construction - Ballinger Way  >>> to construction activities Ballinger Way Portal site and construction activitiesBallinger Way NE near 19th Ave. NE in Shoreline In response to growth in our region, King County is building a new wastewater treatment system called Brightwater to serve north King and south Snohomish counties. Brightwater construction activities are centered at five sites: the treatment plant site in Snohomish County near Woodinville; and four conveyance construction sites—called portals— in Bothell, Shoreline, Kenmore, and at Point Wells unincorporated Snohomish County. Underground tunneling will take place between the portals and the construction will not generally be visible. Construction started in 2006. Treatment plant start-up and operations will begin in 2011, with the entire system scheduled to be completed in 2012. For this part of the project, construction is centered at the Ballinger Way Portal in Shoreline, located along Ballinger Way NE, just west of the 19th Ave. NE intersection. There are two main parts to this project: Brightwater portals and pipelines:
The system of pipes that brings wastewater to the treatment plant and treated wastewater to Puget Sound is called the conveyance system. To limit construction at the surface, the conveyance pipelines are being built almost entirely below ground in tunnels approximately 40 to 440 feet below the surface. Portals are the access shafts where workers, machines, soil and equipment enter and exit the tunnels during construction. There are four portals located along the conveyance line. Tunnel boring machines (TBMs) are being used to build the tunnels. These large machines do their work underground, excavating the tunnel and installing a concrete lining as they go. The Ballinger Way Portal is a receiving portal: TBMs will not be launched from here. Instead, two TBMs - one coming from Point Wells to the west and another from Kenmore - will be pulled from the ground at this portal after completing their work. This means that less work and materials will be needed at the site and for a shorter duration compared to the launching portals. Portal Construction:
Construction of the Ballinger of the 25-foot diameter, 200-foot deep TBM retrieval shaft is now complete. The contractor had used ground freezing to assist in excavation of the portal. This involved installing a series of small diameter, deep wells dug around the perimeter of the shaft. These lined wells were then filled with a freezing saltwater brine which was continuously circulated through the wells and through above-ground refrigeration units. This caused the nearby ground to freeze, creating ground support which allowed shaft excavation. Permanent Facilities:
After all of the underground work is done, the portal shaft will be sealed. An odor control facility will be built. This will be about 300 square feet in area and 15 feet tall. It will be attractively designed and landscaped. Construction ActivitiesConstruction started in 2007 and activities at the site are expected to last for about four years. What you can expect during constructionKing County is committed to being a good neighbor and will work to minimize impacts to nearby residents and businesses during construction, though people may experience increased truck traffic, construction noise, potential vibrations and dust when work is taking place. Want to learn more?For construction-related questions and urgent issues, contact the construction information line at 206-205-5989 (remember to dial 911 for emergencies) For general questions and information about Brightwater call 206-263-9453, or 711 for TTY access, or email us at: brightwater@kingcounty.gov
King County Brightwater Project
22505 State Route 9
Woodinville, WA 98072
E-mail: Brightwater
Phone: 206-263-9453
TTY Relay: 711
Driving directions to Brightwater project office. >>>Return to construction activites |
