As we head into late summer, paving and resurfacing will be the focus for the King County Road Services Division.
Harsh weather, accidents, fuel leaks, and the day-to-day grind from thousands of cars and trucks do their share of damage to the more than 1,900 miles of asphalt on King County roads. That is why the King County Road Services Division gives roads in need of repair a makeover each summer.
Officially, the work is called asphalt-concrete pavement (ACP) overlay – but the public usually thinks of it as repaving the roads. This summer, crews plan to overlay more than 40 miles of roads in unincorporated King County and several contract cities.
The county budgeted $4.79 million total for this summer's work and plans to overlay more than 80 different stretches of roadway. The overlay program is more cost effective than having to rebuild a road. And, overlaying asphalt is more than just a cosmetic fix. The process not only smooths out the surface, but it also reduces maintenance costs and extends the life of the road.
Because the work moves so quickly, it's hard to predict a specific time for when the paving crews will be working on a particular street. But they will begin the overlay program this week, with all the work—including rocking the roadway shoulders—to be completed within 50 working days.
There are a few locations in which the work is time-critical and must be completed before school starts in the fall. Crews will be working near Liberty High School and Briarwood Elementary School east of Renton early in the program. Other significant stretches of roadway scheduled for an overlay include:
North:
• 100th Avenue Northeast, from Northeast 145th Street to Northeast 139th Street;
• Northeast 172nd Place/Northeast 165th Street, from 164th Avenue Northeast to Avondale Road;
• Southeast Cedar Falls Road, from bridge to Southeast 177th Street.
South:
• 168th Avenue Southeast, from Southeast 128th Street to Southeast 136th Street;
• 169th Avenue Southeast, from Southeast 136th Street to Southeast 144th Street;
• Southeast 134th Street, from 166th Avenue Southeast to 182nd Avenue Southeast.
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Metro will again be providing special shuttle service to the Seafair Hydro races this weekend on Lake Washington. Last year, more than 33,000 people cruised to the boat races by bus.
The shuttles will operate Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 7 and 8, from 7:30 a.m. to about one hour after the last race.
The drop-off and pick-up spot on the lakefront is at 43rd Avenue South and South Genesee Street. The shuttles will travel to that point from the Northgate Mall South Lot, the Eastgate Park-and-Ride, and the parking lot at the Renton/Boeing Plant at Park Avenue North and North 8th Street. The shuttles run every 10 minutes and the fare is $3 for the trip to the races. There is no fare for the return trip.
Also, on Friday there will be free shuttles from Safeco Field to the hydro pits for all the preliminary action. Those shuttles begin running at 8 a.m. The pick-up spot is on Royal Brougham near the northeast corner of the stadium.
Visit Metro Online for all the details.
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Make way for the Blue Angels
The Blue Angels - the U.S. Navy's precision flying team - will be in town this week for the Seafair Air Show. The excitement of their practices and performances are also always accompanied by a few traffic delays.
The Washington State Department of Transportation will close all lanes of Interstate 90 across Lake Washington several times between Thursday, Aug. 5, and Sunday, Aug. 8, to accommodate the air show practices and performances. The closures include all mainline I-90 lanes between Interstate 5 in Seattle and Island Crest Way on Mercer Island, and the entire length of the I-90 center roadway.
Transit passengers should be aware that there might be delays during the closures. The bridge will also be closed to pedestrians and bicyclists.
The approximate closure schedule is:
• Thursday, Aug. 5 – Noon to 12:45 p.m.; and from 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
• Friday, Aug. 6 – 11:20 a.m. to 1:10 p.m.
• Saturday, Aug. 7 and Sunday, Aug. 8 – 11:20 a.m. to 1:10 p.m. each day
Closure times are subject to change; watch media coverage, or check Metro Online periodically for updates.
Here is a list of King County Department of Transportation projects that may disrupt traffic and travel in the coming weeks:
Upper Tokul Bridge, near Snoqualmie – Traffic will be limited to one lane across the Upper Tokul Bridge on Tokul Road Southeast through most of August beginning Aug. 3, while crews complete a seismic upgrade of the bridge. Motorcyclists should use extreme care in crossing the bridge and its approaches.
204th Place Northeast, east of Redmond – 204th Place Northeast will be closed between Redmond-Fall City Road and Northeast 61st Street through late August, while crews replace retaining walls and install guardrails. Motorists should use alternate routes.
Northeast 155th Street, east of Woodinville
– Northeast 155th Street will be closed until Friday, Sept. 3 between Avondale Road and 188th Avenue Northeast, while crews install a larger culvert under the roadway. Detour via Avondale Road and Northeast 159th Street.
Novelty Hill Road, east of Redmond – Work is finishing up on safety and drainage improvements for Novelty Hill Road between 243rd Avenue Northeast and West Snoqualmie Valley Road. The road is expected to re-open later this week.
288th Avenue Southeast, east of Enumclaw – A 300-foot section of 288th Avenue Southeast will be closed until 4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 12. The closure is near Southeast 477th Street, where crews will be replacing a deep drainage pipe on the narrow road. Motorists should use alternate routes.
Cherry Creek Bridge, east of Duvall – The bridge over Cherry Creek on Kelly Road will be closed through Friday, Aug. 27 for repairs and upgrades. Motorists should detour via Big Rock Road, State Route 203, and Cherry Valley Road.
Northeast 124th Street, north of Redmond –
Work continues through October 2004 on Northeast 124th Street between Willows Road and State Route 202. Expect periodic traffic delays.
Wyanco Bridge, east of Auburn – The Wynaco Bridge on 168th Way Southeast is closed through September for repairs and upgrades. Motorists should detour to Auburn-Black Diamond Road and Kent-Black Diamond Road.
Edgewick Bridge, east of North Bend - The Edgewick Bridge on 468th Avenue Southeast remains closed, and traffic has been diverted to a temporary one-lane bridge. The project is expected to last through mid-October.
South 277th Street, between Auburn and Kent – There will be no lane closures, but motorists may experience periodic traffic disruptions on South 277th Street between the West Valley Highway and 72nd Avenue South through October 2005 as a result of this major reconstruction project.
124th Avenue Northeast, in Kingsgate –Work is ongoing for street improvements along 124th Avenue Northeast between Northeast 132nd Street and Northeast 146th Place.
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DOT Dash