Night work, lane closures part of plan
Night work will continue, some weekend lane closures are on their way and workers soon will put in place additional so-called “icon” lighting.
Those are some of the highlights of the on-going work to improve State Route 522 in Kenmore, according to Amy Turner, a spokesperson for the project.
The weekend work will affect the east segment of the roadway.
According to information supplied by Turner, project contractors MidMountain Contractors Inc., expect to reduce the number of driving lanes for at least two weekends in order to complete paving work between 73rd Avenue Northeast and 83rd Place Northeast.
The contractor also wants to use weekends to place new bus stops and/or bus shelters at 73rd Avenue and at 77th Court Northeast.
The work in question is weather dependent and the Washington Department of Transportation must approve lane changes. Turner said the green light from the state could take up to 30 days to arrive, meaning when the closures will take place is still up in the air.
“We’re hoping sooner rather than later,” Turner said.
The exact timing for more night-time lane closures also is a bit undecided. Crews currently are working on a stormwater vault that begins at roughly 65th Avenue Northeast and heads east. The work has and will continue to require night-time lane closures or lane shifting.
As of Jan. 26, crews were scheduled to begin work east of 65th Avenue in order to install a stormwater vault in the center of SR 522 near the Bank of America building, 7110 N.E. Bothell Way. Night work hours are given as 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., but lane closures shouldn’t begin until 9 p.m.
Similar to the decorative tubular lights in place at 73rd Avenue, more “icon” lighting will be placed along SR 522 at 68th Avenue and 80th Avenue Northeast.
No exact timetable for the installation of those lights was released.
In terms of other project milestones, Turner talked about the upcoming completion of sidewalks between 80th Avenue and 83rd Place.
“We’re pretty excited about that,” she said.
Other current work in the east segment of the construction zone includes continuation of Swamp Creek Bridge improvements such as installation of curbs, sidewalks, bridge railings and paving.
Further construction should include paving on 80th Avenue, street lighting improvements along the north and south sides of SR 522 and the removal of utility poles and overhead wiring. Left-turn lanes should reopen to 80th Avenue and 83d Place following completion of bridge and paving work.
Additionally, Turner talked about stormwater sewer work around 73rd Avenue. The work will require redirecting traffic, though Turner said she had no clear picture of what the temporary traffic pattern will look like. She said flaggers will be in place when the construction begins.
The city and the contractor have established a 24-hour information line on the SR 522 project. Call (425) 361-6300. Information also is available at the project Web site, www.KenmoreSR522.com. Overall work is expected to continue into 2010.
