South Spokane Street Project

Revised February 1, 2012

Making Progress

The Spokane Street Project is about 80% complete, with all supporting columns for the new superstructure installed, the upper roadway deck nearing completion, the westbound lower roadway completed from Fifth Avenue South to First Avenue South, and most underground utilities in place. 

Right before the holiday, westbound traffic was shifted onto the new structure.  This will be the first of a number of traffic shifts necessary to finish the remaining pieces of the project which is now targeted for completion by late July, 2012.  Because the remaining construction work requires the westbound lanes to be narrower than standard lane widths, the speed limit has temporarily been reduced to 25 MPH (down from 35 MPH).  Once the work is completed, the higher speed limit will be restored.

During this initial traffic shift, the contractor will connect the old and new structures, construct a new center median between the old and new structures, and install new lighting in the median.  Over the next few months, eastbound traffic will be shifted from the south side to the north side of the old structure so that the contractor can begin demolition of the existing south barrier.  Come spring, eastbound traffic will be temporarily moved over onto the new viaduct so that the old bridge deck can be repaired and repaved.  (Eastbound traffic wishing to exit to SODO will still be able to do so, with access to either the First Avenue off-ramp or the Fourth Avenue loop ramp exit remaining open.)

The opening of the new westbound combined on and off ramp at First Avenue S and S Spokane was delayed due to contractor difficulty securing properly fabricated steel girders needed to connect the ramp with the new viaduct.  Ramp construction will likely be completed in the spring of 2012, although safety challenges will likely prevent opening of the on-ramp until the summer, when the entire project is nearing completion. Because the new viaduct structure will then be carrying four lanes of east and westbound traffic there won’t be any space for the merge lane needed for traffic to safely enter the flow of traffic from the new onramp.    The off-ramp doesn’t present the same safety issues, so will likely open as soon as ramp construction is completed.

Finally, artwork will be installed on many of the supporting columns underneath the viaduct.  Some will have historical themes, while others will be more abstract.  Once the artwork is complete, the westbound lower roadway will reopen all the way from Sixth Avenue S to East Marginal Way S.  (The eastbound lower roadway reopened to traffic in 2010.)

The eastbound Fourth Avenue S loop ramp exit was opened to traffic in the summer of 2010, permitting motorists and freight direct access to both north and southbound Fourth Avenue S while avoiding rail crossings.  Ramp construction was made possible in part through $25 million in funding from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), who consider the loop ramp a valuable alternate route for West Seattle traffic heading to downtown or SODO while the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Project is under construction.   

Below are photos taken August 17, 2011 showing some of the progress. 

View to the west from the new First Avenue South access ramp

South Spokane Street lower roadway paving work near Second Avenue South

More Spokane Street Widening Project photos can be viewed on Flickr.

The last major milestone in the project was the opening of the new eastbound 4th Ave S off-ramp, originally set to be complete by December 2010. The new off-ramp officially opened August 16th, 2010,allowing motorists, transit and freight direct access to northbound and southbound 4th Avenue S while avoiding rail traffic. Ramp construction was possible in part because of $25 million in funding from the Washington State Department of Transportation. The initial construction estimate for the 4th Avenue S off-ramp was $42 million. The aerial photo to the right was taken July 31, 2010 and shows the nearly complete 4th Ave S off-ramp structure that opened two weeks later – significantly ahead of schedule and under budget.

Key Schedule Dates

* all future dates subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances

Project Description

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is widening and improving the South Spokane Street Viaduct – the 60-year old elevated roadway that carries 65,000-70,000 vehicles daily between I-5 and the West Seattle Bridge.  The South Spokane Street project created a new two-lane eastbound off-ramp leading to Fourth Avenue S; relocates the westbound on- and off- ramps to a new First Avenue S ramp; widens the upper roadway to the north by 41 feet – between Sixth Avenue S and East Marginal Way; and rebuilds the lower roadway in concrete, with new curbs, sidewalks and improved pedestrian and bicycle access.  Work on this long-awaited project began in 2008 and is set to wrap up in the summer of 2012.

Click here to view larger version of Project Overview Map

Widening of Spokane Viaduct (Upper Roadway)
Changes	Benefits
The upper roadway between 6th Avenue South and East Marginal Way is being widened to the north by 41 feet. The existing upper roadway deck will be repaved and variable message signs will be installed. Seismic strengthening of the viaduct will be completed.	The widened structure will allow room for: Two thru lanes of traffic in each direction A new westbound acceleration/ deceleration lane A permanent median Wider lanes and shoulders An additional eastbound HOV/Transit lane between East Marginal Way and 4th Ave South
New Eastbound 4th Avenue Off-Ramp
Changes	Benefits
A new eastbound, two-lane off-ramp to the Spokane Street upper roadway opened in August, 2010. The ramp touches down at 4th Avenue South, where vehicles may head either northbound or southbound on 4th Avenue South.	The new ramp provides eastbound travelers on the West Seattle Bridge with direct access to downtown Seattle via 4th Avenue South. This new exit allows traffic to exit the viaduct east of the rail tracks and thus avoid surface congestion due to rail-caused delays for vehicles. In addition, whenever the upper roadway becomes congested due to back-ups onto I-5, the new ramp allows drivers to exit onto surface streets.
Before	After
New Westbound On- and Off-Ramp at 1st Avenue
Changes	Benefits
The now demolished westbound off-ramp at 4th Avenue South is being replaced by a new ramp at 1st Avenue South, built to current design standards. The old westbound 1st Ave. on-ramp was closed and demolished to make room for the widened upper roadway.	Relocating the westbound ramps to 1st Avenue South will improve westbound traffic flow and safety. (The old ramps at 4th Avenue South required an abrupt weave from the I-5 merge to exit off the viaduct, and a sharp right turn to enter traffic westbound. The new westbound merge lanes at 1st Avenue South will allow for smoother and much safer entry to and exit from the upper roadway.)
South Spokane Street Reconstruction (lower roadway)
Changes	Benefits
The lower roadway is being rebuilt with curbs and gutters, and a new 10-foot wide sidewalk, with landscaping installed along the north side of the lower roadway. The eastbound lower roadway reopened in the summer of 2010 while the westbound lower roadway will reopen in the summer of 2012.	Improvements to the lower roadway will create safer travel options for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as for transit, freight and the motoring public. The work will also beautify the area; improve drainage and result in a longer-lasting roadway.

Detour Routes

Contractors working for the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) are widening the upper roadway 41 feet to the north and building a new on- and off-ramp along 1st Ave S in this next year. Alternative routes during construction are noted in the map below and explained in more detail on the detours page.

Until there is once again westbound access to the Spokane Street Viaduct from surface streets in SODO, southbound vehicles approaching Spokane on First Ave S will be detoured to the low level swing bridge to get to West Seattle. To reduce the expected congestion on this bridge during construction, SDOT has requested that marine vessels voluntarily provide advance notification when they will require the swing bridge to open, enabling drivers to plan accordingly. When SDOT receives advance notification of a bridge opening expected during afternoon peak travel time (3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays), this opening will be announced on the electronic messaging signs now operating at Terminal 5 and at Fourth and Spokane.

SDOT staff will also send the message with a specific time, if available, using Twitter (sign up to receive the Twitter messages at http://twitter.com/seattledot). The closure will also be posted on the Travelers Information Map on SDOT’s website, http://www.seattle.gov/travelers

For questions regarding how Metro Transit bus routes will be affected during this construction period, contact King County Metro Transit directly: by phone at (206) 553-3000; email at Customer.Comments@kingcounty.gov; or visit www.kingcounty.gov/metro for route information. Specifically, riders of routes 15, 18, 21, 22, 56, 57, 118, 119 are most likely to be directly impacted. If you would like to receive King County Metro e-mail route alerts, you may sign-up for them at http://metro.kingcounty.gov/up/rr/alertscenter.html.

Please note the primary detour route is a heavily used truck route serving industry in the Duwamish and the Port of Seattle’s terminals. Many industrial and maritime businesses - and the thousands of jobs they support - depend on the corridor for the movement of goods.

Staying Informed

Listserve notices: We distribute email announcements for impending lane changes or closures, detours, schedules, etc. as well as periodic information about progress on the project. Use the form belowto be added to that email list.

Progress Bulletins: We periodically create and hand-deliver to surrounding properties, providing information about recent progress, upcoming activities, expected impacts and mitigation measures. These are also available at the SDOT office, on this Web site and through the listserve. We also occasionally print and mail newsletters to businesses and residences in a large area with general project information, schedule updates and contact information. These are also made available to community groups, libraries and other distribution venues, as well as in our offices. If you have a suggestion for a valuable distribution point, please let us know.  

Web site updates: Information on the project is maintained here.

Project Update Briefings: We provide periodic in-person updates to identify project stakeholders, such as West Seattle and Georgetown neighborhood organizations, the Seattle Freight Advisory Board, the Manufacturing and Industrial Council (MIC), SODO Business Association and others. Contact us to find out about joining a group for a presentation, or having a presentation for your organization.

Alternative modes of communication: We are looking at other means of providing information on the current status of the project and on upcoming activities, including text messages and low power AM radio broadcasts. We are also posting project update stories to our Blog . If you have other suggestions on outreach methods, please let us know . We are committed to working with local community and business organizations to provide communications that meet their constituents’ needs.

If you would like more information about the project, please call or email Paul Elliott, SDOT Community Relations, at 206-684-5321 or by email at Paul.Elliott@seattle.gov