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What's Happening Now? (updated June 14, 2013)

Update – June 14, 2013:

Over the next two weeks, Seattle City Light is continuing underground electrical work on the waterfront as part of the Elliott Bay Seawall Project. Here is a snapshot of the work through the week of June 17 and June 24:

• Monday, June 17 through Friday, June 21: Two crews will be working from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. each day. This will involve short stops at various vault locations multiple times along Alaskan Way.
• Tuesday night, June 18: At the intersection of Alaskan Way and Seneca Street, crews will be pulling cable from 6 to 11 p.m.
• Temporary lane and parking restrictions are expected as crews will be in the south bound inside lane and the north bound inside lane.
• Week of June 24: There will be additional underground vault work on Alaskan Way at the Union Street intersection to make necessary repairs to a vault.

What to expect?

• Parking may be restricted in localized areas around vaults as necessary for positioning trucks for access and to maintain worker safety. Temporary lane restrictions on Alaskan Way are expected around each vault. One roadway lane will be restricted during daytime work. At night, up to two lanes may be restricted.
• Two-way traffic will be maintained at all times.
• Sidewalks will be open and accessible at all times.
• All work will be conducted within the public right of way. Access to businesses will be maintained.

Summer utility activities – through September 2013

Visit the Seawall at summer events!
Elliott Bay Seawall Project staff will be out at festivals this summer. We hope to see you at some of our upcoming events where you can talk to our representatives about upcoming construction planning.  

Seattle Science Festival Expo Day – June 8, 2013
Seattle Center, 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
 
Waterfront Whimsea Family Fun Day – June 9, 2013
Waterfront Park, 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Classic Weekend – June 15-16, 2013
Bell Harbor Marina, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Upcoming Central Waterfront Stakeholders Group Meeting
The fourteenth meeting of the Central Waterfront Stakeholders Group will be held on Tuesday, June 18.

Meeting #14:
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
5:15 – 7:15 p.m.
Seattle Labor Temple
2800 1st Ave, Hall #1
 
For information about Metro bus routes that serve the Seattle Labor Temple, please visit King County Metro Trip Planner.

All materials will be available online following the meeting. To see materials from previous meetings, visit the Seawall Project library. 

Reminder: construction begins in Fall 2013 – sequencing and schedule
SDOT has made significant progress in planning the logistics of seawall construction along the waterfront between September 2013 and spring 2016. View our presentation to the Seattle City Council from March 11 to see the City’s anticipated construction sequencing plan and schedule.

Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) issued
As of March 14, 2013, the Final EIS has been issued, which completes the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) process. The evaluation of alternatives within the Final EIS enabled SDOT decision-makers, with input from the public, regulatory agencies, and Native American tribes, to consider the environmental impacts of project alternatives in conjunction with factors such as cost, schedule, and feasibility. The full draft and final documents are available on the Environmental Impact Statement page. If you have questions, please email us or call 206-618-8584.

Recent Seawall ballot measure (“City of Seattle Proposition 1”)
As of November 6, 2012, a $290 million bond measure, which includes $240 million intended to fund Phase 1 of the Elliott Bay Seawall Project (from Washington Street to Virginia Street) was approved by voters.  We appreciate voters’ recognition of the need to fund the replacement of this critical piece of infrastructure and are committed to keeping this project on time and within budget, while simultaneously maintaining a vibrant waterfront throughout the upcoming construction process. See the Project Overview to learn more about the project. The election is slated for certification on November 27, 2012.

For information related to the ballot measure, please see:

Council Ordinance Number 123922

What’s beneath your feet?
Stroll down to Pier 62/63, and you’ll see that SDOT has installed a “Light Penetrating Surfaces Study”as part of the Elliott Bay Seawall Project. Three test surfaces have been installed in the pier’s wooden decking: steel grating, glass planks, and a light tube. These surfaces could help increase the amount of natural light reaching the water of Elliott Bay, an important part of a healthy ecosystem. By minimizing the light to dark contrast that overwater structures – like piers and walkways – create, light penetrating surfaces can improve habitat diversity and salmon migration along our shoreline.

Each of these surfaces could be installed along the future seawall. They are being compared to understand their effectiveness at transmitting light. Take a walk to Pier 62/63 to see these light penetrating surfaces in action!

“British Invasion…Otterly Amazing.” Find out more at Waterfront Park
Take a walk on the waterfront, and you will see a new series of informational panels at Waterfront Park, just south of the Seattle Aquarium. Consisting of four vertical panels and four horizontal panels, this “kiosk” is a new feature of our waterfront that provides information about the waterfront today, yesterday, and tomorrow, with fun facts and “find it” items for adults and kids alike. Learn more.

Celebrate seawall and waterfront history
Do you recall Seattle’s central waterfront way back when? Remember the seawall being built in the 1930s? Have memories of important or special times, people, or events?  The City of Seattle is collecting stories to celebrate the history of the seawall and waterfront. Sharing your story is easy! (Click for more info)

How will the seawall be replaced? Learn the details

Want to get involved with the Elliott Bay Seawall?
See our project calendar for upcoming outreach dates and project library for materials from previous meetings. The project team regularly talks to community groups—neighborhoods, business groups, and other associations—about the seawall. If your group or organization would like to arrange a presentation, please email seawall@seattle.gov.

Project Overview

The Elliott Bay Seawall Project will replace the existing seawall—from S. Washington Street to Broad Street—with a structure that meets current safety and design standards.

The Elliott Bay Seawall Project is a critical public safety project. Failure of the seawall would have significant impacts to the public, the City of Seattle, the Puget Sound region, Washington State, and the nation. Protection from coastal storm damage and shoreline erosion is vital to preserving Seattle’s downtown, the economy, and the region’s quality of life and economic competitiveness. The Elliott Bay seawall:

• Protects Seattle’s downtown waterfront from wind-driven storm waves and the erosive tidal forces of Puget Sound and Elliott Bay.
• Supports and protects major public and private utilities, including power for downtown Seattle and the western seaboard, natural gas, and telecommunications.
• Supports State Route 99, the ferry terminal, and rail lines, all of which transport local commuters and visitors as well as local, regional, and international freight.

In 2011, in coordination with Mayor McGinn, the Seattle City Council, Waterfront Seattle, and the public, the project team developed three alternatives for replacing the aging seawall. Working with the Army Corps, the City of Seattle intends to publish a draft environmental document in 2012.

Meanwhile, the City continues to work collaboratively across projects to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shape Seattle’s waterfront. Rebuilding the seawall will be the foundational first step to a future Seattle waterfront. Throughout 2011, Waterfront Seattle’s james corner field operations urban design team and seawall designers collaborated on potential seawall placement to help determine seawall alternatives and maximize flexibility for the future waterfront design.

The project will replace the three types of deteriorated seawall structures along the waterfront, constructed between 1916 and 1934, which range in size from approximately 15 to 60 feet wide. The City plans to replace the most deteriorated sections of the central seawall beginning in late 2013, with a second phase of work for the northern seawall following as funding is available. The central seawall is between S. Washington Street (just south of the Washington Street Boat Landing) and Virginia Street (at the northern edge of Pier 62/63), and the north seawall is from Virginia Street north to Broad Street (just south of Olympic Sculpture Park). The new seawall’s “service life” will be approximately 100 years.