Mercer West: Project Updates Archive

December 2011

New Construction Simulation Tool

• The Washington State Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) new interactive simulation helps you visualize how the Mercer West Project the SR 99 tunnel's north portal will be built.

November 2011

Construction Update
SDOT advises travelers of intermittent short-term lane closures on Mercer St. for potholing activities. Work will occur intermittently overnight and on weekends over the next two weeks at the following locations:

• Broad St. and Harrison St.
• 6th Ave. N and Roy St.
• Mercer St. and Taylor Ave. N
• Mercer St. and 5th Ave. N
• Aurora Ave. N and Roy St.
• Mercer St. and 8th Ave. N
• Dexter Ave. N and Roy St.
• Dexter Ave. N and Mercer St.

Potholing is necessary for future work related to the West Phase of the Mercer Corridor Project.

June 2011

June 21, 2011

Mercer West Open House Held June 8, 2011



More than 170 people attended the June 8th Mercer West Open House in Seattle Center’s Rainier Room. Mercer West team members were available to talk about the design, now about 30 percent complete, for the Mercer Underpass and the Two-Way Conversion of Mercer and Roy Streets and provide an update on West Mercer Place improvements.

If you were not among those able to attend, you can still view the presentation shown at the gathering and see the display boards by clicking the links below.

• Open House Presentation
• Mercer West Board (Overview map): PDF, 1MB
• Mercer West Boards #1 (Underpass 3 maps): (PDF, 3 MB)
• Mercer West Boards #2 (Underpass Cross Section, Queen Anne Ave N & Roy St, Mercer St & 2nd Ave N, Roy St): (PDF, 1 MB)
• Mercer West Boards #3 (Urban Design Concepts, Mercer Schedule, Mercer West 2015 Traffic Volumes): (PDF, 591 KB)
• Mercer West Boards #4 (Elliott Ave W Improvements, W Mercer Pl Recommendations, Artist’s Rendering): (PDF, 1 MB)

We would like to hear your thoughts on the Mercer West project.  Please use the comment form below to share your opinions and ideas with us.  You can save your comments in the PDF and e-mail it to us or print it out and mail it to the address on the back of the form.

• Mercer West comment form (PDF, 137 KB)

Construction Update

Work continues to move quickly at Elliott Avenue West and West Mercer Place!  The traffic island has been removed and the replacement asphalt has been placed.  Still to come… a new c-curb, pavement markings, changes to the signal timings and a new overhead sign.  Some of this work will take a few more weeks, but shouldn’t be as disruptive to you.  Thank you for your patience. Scroll down for more information on this improvement.

June 10, 2011

Elliott Avenue West Left Turn Lanes onto West Mercer Place Lengthened
Construction began June 13; crews working daytime,
weekday off-peak hours only

(click on the image above to view a larger version)

The Seattle Department of Transportation will be lengthening the left-turn lanes on Elliott Avenue W at W Mercer Place beginning the week of June 13, weather permitting. This three to six week project was identified as cost-effective with high benefits in SDOT’s analysis of several potential improvements considered for West Mercer Place.  The other alternatives are not being pursued at this time.  City crews will complete the work on weekdays only, during non-peak travel times.

See Construction Notice - PDF (165 KB)

The left-turn from Elliott Avenue West onto West Mercer Place will remain open during construction, with signage guiding traffic.  Expect congestion during this work as well as lane restrictions as needed.  Access to all the nearby businesses will be maintained.  All lanes will be open to traffic during the morning and evening peak commute periods.

SDOT crews will remove the current asphalt island; pave and restripe that section of roadway to extend the left turn queue from 225 to 350 feet; adjust signal timing; and install new overhead signage.

May 2011

You’re invited to an Open House for the Mercer West project:

Wednesday, June 8, 2011 from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the Rainier Room of the Seattle Center. (Use this .ics file to add this event to your electronic calendar (Outlook, Google, etc.))


click map for larger image
The purpose of this Open House is to:

• View the preliminary plans and give us your feedback on:
• A wider Mercer Underpass at Aurora Ave N
• Converting Mercer St and Roy St from one-way to two-way
• Improved intersections, new street connections, and new bike lanes
• View and comment on project art concepts
• Learn about the recommendation for West Mercer Place improvements

To download an 8.5 x 11 inch poster to hang on your refrigerator (or in the lobby of your building or at your business), please click here (1,300 KB).

Coming in June: Improvements to Elliott Avenue West at West Mercer Place

SDOT will be lengthening the left-turn lanes on Elliott Avenue W at W Mercer Place this summer. This improvement was identified as a cost-effective improvement through SDOT’s analysis of potential improvements to West Mercer Place.  It addresses an existing bottleneck and provides benefits with or without the other options considered for West Mercer Place. SDOT will present recommendations regarding West Mercer Place at the June 8th Open House.

Construction on Elliott Avenue West will begin June 13 and will last 3-6 weeks.

SDOT crews will complete the Elliott Avenue West intersection improvement work, which will include removing the current asphalt island; paving and restriping that section of roadway; adjusting signal timing; and installing new overhead signage.  Construction impacts include temporary daytime lane reductions.  Access will be maintained as crews extend the left turn queue to a full 350 feet from its current length of 225 feet.  All lanes will be open to traffic during the morning and evening peak commute periods.

Lane Closure on Mercer at the Aurora Underpass May 4 and 5

One lane will be closed on the north side of Mercer Street from Taylor Avenue North to Dexter Avenue North on May 4 and May 5 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day. Pedestrians on the north side of the street will be escorted around the construction area, but may find using the sidewalk on the south side of Mercer Street is a better option.

A contractor will drill for core samples from the existing retaining wall in this area.  The samples will be used to help design improvements to the retaining wall at this location for the Mercer West project.  The underpass at Aurora will be widened to the south. While the existing retaining wall on the north will remain, the project will make improvements to reinforce this wall.

Previous Updates

March – April 2011

September 2010