Traffic impacts on Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Stadium Way and Commerce Street during week of Dec. 17
To replace underground utilities along the future route, Sound Transit's contractor will temporarily close parking and traffic lanes in areas along Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Stadium Way and Commerce Street.
What
Construction and traffic closures on Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Stadium Way and Commerce Street.
When
Week of Dec. 17
Where
Martin Luther King Jr. Way: 19th to 15th Street – lane restrictions. MLK between South 15th and South 19th will maintain two-way traffic during construction of underground utilities. The intersection at South 16th Street and MLK will be closed while the contractor connects the side sewer to the main line. Parking will be restricted on both sides of MLK as well as on South 16th for a half-block just west of MLK. Please move your vehicles during the times shown on the no parking signs – thank you. Pedestrian access will be limited in these areas.
Commerce Street: 7th St. to I-705 on-ramp – lane restrictions. Access to Commerce Street from the 705/Stadium Way exit is closed until mid-January 2019. Detours are in place. One-way traffic northbound on Commerce Street will be maintained from South 9th to 705 until January. The contractor is installing a new sewer.
Traffic south of South 4th St. on Stadium Way will be detoured onto I-705. To avoid travelling on I-705, please follow the detours on St. Helens Avenue, Broadway and Tacoma Avenue.
Stadium Way: Division to South 4th Street – southbound lane closure; use detours. Southbound on Stadium Way continues to be closed to traffic from Broadway to South 4th Street. Please follow the detours on St. Helens Avenue, Broadway and Tacoma Avenue. One-way traffic going north on Stadium Way is open. The pedestrian refuge islands on Stadium Way were removed as part of the project and to better shift traffic during construction. For safety, some sidewalks on the east side of Stadium Way may be closed during construction. The contractor is working on both water and storm drainage systems.
More
- Driveway and pedestrian access is maintained, although some sidewalks and crosswalks will be temporarily closed. Pedestrian detours will be in place.
- Construction noise related to replacing the underground utilities.
- Large construction equipment or materials may be in the right-of-way.
- Traffic delays due to detours.
- Work will generally take place during the daytime hours.
- Businesses are open during construction.
- Plan ahead, leave early and allow extra time to reach your destination.
- Due to inclement weather or unforeseen issues, dates and times are subject to change.
Contact us
Outreach Specialist: Liz Satterthwaite, liz.satterthwaite@soundtransit.org or 253-208-0586
After-hours construction hotline: 888-298-2395
Creating foundations for power poles on Martin Luther King Jr. Way
To provide electricity for the light rail vehicles, Sound Transit's contractor will install poles which provide overhead power lines (known as the overhead contact system or OCS) that will be needed to run the train. Creating foundations will consist of cutting the street or sidewalk, removing concrete or asphalt, drilling a hole, installing rebar, and then pouring concrete. There will be no parking near the foundations while the work occurs.
The contractor will start foundation work for the OCS poles on Martin Luther King Jr. Way in between 16th Street and 19th Street as early as Dec. 17.
Replacing water line in front of Stadium High School
Sound Transit's contractor will replace the water line in front of Stadium High School during winter break when students are not at school, starting Dec. 26th. The work will be completed by the time school resumes on Jan. 3. Water service will not be affected during this time. Customers will continue to have water.
In late-January to early-February, Tacoma Public Utilities crews will make the final connections of the newly installed water main. A TPU representative will coordinate the short duration water shutdowns with customers.