What to expect during construction

Construction on the 53rd Avenue Pump Station upgrade is expected to take about 20 months with completion in summer 2009. Throughout this project King County will work closely with its contractor, MKB Constructors of Kirkland, Washington, to minimize impacts to the community, respond to concerns and provide information about work activities and traffic revisions. A 24-hour construction hotline at 206-205-5656 is available to all community members to report and discuss concerns and questions about the project.

 
Traffic will be routed around construction. Flaggers will direct motorists and pedestrians during daytime work. Click map for larger view.

Traffic revisions

Because it will be necessary for the construction to extend into the public right of way of Alki Ave SW, traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction on the south side of the street for most of the 20-month project.

Details about how traffic will flow around the work site will be approved by the City of Seattle soon and posted on this web page. This information will also be provided to community members in a construction update and at briefings to community groups.

Hours of construction

During work hours, flaggers are on site and will help traffic through the construction zone.

Daily work hours will be from 7:00 a.m. to about 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. On some occasions, it may be necessary to work on weekends or longer hours to complete certain phases of work.

• During work hours, flaggers will direct motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians. At times, people may experience short delays especially during summer months when there are more beach and park users in the area. All walkways around construction and in pedestrian areas will be accessible for people with disabilities.
• During non-working hours signage will direct people around the work site.

Parking, deliveries and driveway access

• To help accommodate traffic flow, on-street parking along Alki Ave SW will not be allowed in the immediate area of construction.
• Emergency access will be maintained at all times.
• King County and its contractor will work to maintain access to nearby driveways to single family homes, multifamily and commercial buildings, as well as for mail carriers and other deliveries.
  Because parking is already limited in the area, contractor work crews will be required to park all personal vehicles at the nearby King County Alki Stormwater Treatment Plant and shuttle to and from the job site.
• A temporary bike and walking path will also be provided next to the construction area.

Bus stops

Seattle Department of Transportation and Metro Transit have determined that during construction it is necessary for public safety reasons to temporarily close four bus stops along Alki Avenue near 53rd Avenue SW. These bus stop closures will result in increased on-street parking for the near neighbors during construction. Metro Transit has already issued a Rider Alert that includes the following information.

The four stops that will be closed along Alki Avenue SW are:

• Inbound to Seattle at 55th Avenue SW and 53th Avenue SW and
• outbound from Seattle at Bonair Drive SW and 53rd Avenue SW.

Please call the Construction Hotline at 206-205-5656 if you have concerns about being able to access transit.

School bus stops may also be moved temporarily to accommodate traffic flow. Individual schools will contact parents if changes in stop are required.