What to expect in February 2015
U District Station construction activities are currently focused on excavation of the light rail station. Construction alerts will now be distributed quarterly or as construction activities change.
Truck Traffic: There is a lot of construction happening in the U District. For this project, you will notice an increase in truck traffic on Brooklyn Avenue Northeast between Campus Parkway and NE 50th Street. Please stay alert, use crosswalks, and obey traffic signals.
Crews re-opened Northeast 43rd Street between Brookly Avenue Northeast and the alley to one-way eastbound motorists in late January
1. Continue digging for the underground light rail station
Crews have excavated down to approximately 50 feet below ground on the northern end and 35 feet below ground on the southern end of the light rail station box.
Activities this month include:
- Removing dirt and materials using bulldozers
- Installing a conveyor system to move dirt from the excavation area to street level for loading into trucks
- Installing wood planks or "lagging" between the vertical metal piles
- Drilling cable tie-backs and installing soil nails to hold the walls during excavation activities
- Hauling dirt and materials offsite using Brooklyn Avenue Northeast
Crews will dig until they reach about 95 feet below ground. Excavation will be ongoing through summer 2015.
Other project-related activities include surveying and installing ground and building monitors above the future light rail tunnels.
Northgate Link Extension Tunneling
Two tunnel boring machines (Brenda and Pamela) are currently tunneling for the Northgate Link Extension. The two parallel tunnels are being bored from north to south (Maple Leaf portal to University of Washington Station). The tunnel boring machines are currently between Maple Leaf and Roosevelt Station. The first machine has bored over 6,500 feet and the second machine has bored over 1,200 feet. We anticipate the first tunnel boring machine to arrive in the U District in fall 2015.
Construction impacts:
Access/travel
- Frequent truck traffic on area roads and on the project site delivering materials and hauling materials offsite. Expect an average of four trucks per hour during excavation (daytime hours).
- Trucks delivering large loads during the early morning hours.
Noise
- Noise and low-level vibration during drilling of cable tie-backs and soil nails during excavation.
- Noise from equipment and heavy machinery
Dust-debris:
- Dust from soil removal and pouring of concrete.
- Wheel washing stations to minimize truck debris track-out onto city streets.
Crews will work to minimize impacts, such as noise, dust, debris, and access impacts during the work.
Equipment: bulldozers, dump trucks, concrete trucks, vacuum trucks, excavators, jackhammers, cranes, generators, water treatment systems, street sweepers
Schedule: Work hours are typically Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Intermittent weekend and evening work may be scheduled. Construction schedules are subject to change. Notifications will be distributed for significant changes.
