As part of the Underground Feeder Extension project, North 34th Street will be closed from Troll Way to Stone Way for two weeks starting January 3rd, during weekday construction hours (7:30a – 4p.) A second community meeting to discuss the closures, and ways to mitigate their impacts, will be held on Tuesday, December 28, at History House (790 N 34th) at 8:30a, with representatives from Seattle City Light and the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT).
The project, also called North 34th Ducts & Vaults, will bury underground a majority of the electrical wires that currently run on light poles attached to the retaining wall on the southside of North 34th. The work being done will require one brief power outtage for some adjacent customers in mid to late January 2011. The outtage will be scheduled for overnight, and City Light representatives promised to send out notification to those affected 3-weeks in advance.
According to Rod Emmons, of Seattle City Light, “the contractor is making pretty good progress on the project,” which reflects on the accuracy of the two-week schedule of further street closures. Already closures in early December caused a lot of confusion, although it is hoped that these detours in January will have smaller impacts.
Marilyn Vancil, of SDOT, did mention other measures they will take to mitigate traffic problems. For instance, they’ve changed the traffic signals on the Fremont Bridge, to increase clearance of traffic. They will also evaluate signal timing on Stone Way. Traffic control officers will be posted around the construction area to help direct traffic. Street parking will be removed along Troll Way from 34th to 35th Street North, to allow easier traffic flow. Finally, a message board will be set up at the south end of the Fremont Bridge to warn drivers about upcoming construction delays.
Unfortunately, encouraging drivers – as well as pedestrians and bike riders – to avoid the area will negatively impact business visibility along North 34th Street. Also, Vancil described the detour for truck traffic crossing the Fremont Bridge during construction. Even those trucks delivering to the Northlake Shipyards will be expected to by-pass 34th Street by driving up to 45th Street North, crossing over to Stone Way, and driving down it to access 34th or North Northlake Way. All traffic will be encouraged to detour – with the majority using 35th Street – at Fremont Avenue although local access will remain open to Troll Way.
Emmons will be on-site in Fremont during the January construction, and he encouraged those with immediate problems to contact him at the site, or call 206/418-9894. Also, a website has been established for this project to see updates on the progress.
The Underground Feeder Extension project is due to be completed in March. In May expect a few further disruptions as North 34th Street has been scheduled for repaving.