Up to 55 trucks a day, as Murray CSO storage-tank digging begins across from Lowman Beach

(PHOTO ADDED THURSDAY AFTERNOON, with digging & trucking under way)
Just got word that tomorrow is the start of the next major phase of the Murray Combined Sewer Overflow control project – digging the hole for the million-gallon tank across from Lowman Beach:

Now that the contractor has completed secant pile installation, crews will begin digging to clear space for the underground storage tank tomorrow, September 18, 2014. Excavation will be complete by early 2015. Crews will dig out an area about 80 feet deep and 100 feet wide. All of the material removed will be trucked off site. These activities will bring as many as 55 trucks per day to the project site to load and haul off material. Trucks will access the project site from 48th Avenue SW or Lincoln Park Way SW. Please be aware of traffic as trucks move in and out of the site.

Here’s the haul route:

(Click map for full-size, PDF version of map)
More info is on the county’s site for the project; if you have questions or concerns, there’s a 24-hour hotline at 206-205-9186.

P.S. As discussed in comments about an hour after we first published this, when the county announced these routes in February, they were labeled “primary” and “secondary” (see the map in the story we published back then). Now they are labeled entry/exit with a warning that either route might be used at any time by any truck, depending on a variety of conditions.

(added) Following further discussion – here’s the PDF including the county’s full announcement, also embedded below:

Donna Pierce September 17, 2014 (5:52 pm)

I need a bigger map. My eyes, my eyes.

WSB September 17, 2014 (5:54 pm)

Still looking for a larger version – and verifying if this is the same one they released earlier. Sorry for the blur, in the meantime.

bigger pic September 17, 2014 (6:03 pm)

If you go to the website linked, you can download a PDF and zoom in at home. .
For those too lazy for that, the entrance is at the Lincoln Park 76 station and runs down that hill. Exit route goes up the hill from Lowman toward the Junction.
.
Professional advice: stay away if you can. 55 trucks in 10 hours == a truck every 10 min. Plus, they queue up when there’s a backup, and there’s lunch hour to consider

WSB September 17, 2014 (6:12 pm)

Thanks, Bigger – I have just linked that to the map. The notations are actually a change from what the county first announced and showed in February – while the two highlighted roads are the same, they were labeled “primary” (LP Way) and “secondary” in February, but now they are marked as “entrance” and “exit” with the lower-right gray box warning that trucks might use either route at any time, depending on a host of factors – TR

Seaview September 17, 2014 (6:10 pm)

I’d hate to be a car mirror on Erskine or 48th It is already close quarters without dump trucks.

iggy September 17, 2014 (6:38 pm)

Looks like this will go on until “early 2015.” Do we know what hours they will operate the trucks? Hopefully, just 8 to 4 M-F ? Or will it go until 5 and be a problem for the afternoon commute?

Trafficgridlock September 17, 2014 (6:43 pm)

Why would you send 55 loaded trucks per day through the junction at Alaska and California (exit route) when we already have 3 construction sites in that area. STUPID
The route up Erskine and 48th should remain a secondary route. Fauntleroy is the arterial!

JayDee September 17, 2014 (6:50 pm)

Are these truck-and-pups or just trucks? Trucks coming up Alaska Street at the Junction will be a hoot at the stop sign, and a truck and pup will be even more entertaining.
–
The 48th Arterial is one of my faves…but maybe not until they are done. Are they removing the speed humps?
–
Watch out everyone.

old timer September 17, 2014 (6:53 pm)

All that dirt. I wonder where they are taking it. I wonder if the receiving area had to go thru the same process as the donor site did – environmental review, neighborhood feedback, route planning, site prep, etc.

jissy September 17, 2014 (7:06 pm)

48th has always been “sideswipe alley” to us — thankful we have off street parking. It’s particularly bad at the bottom of 48th where a new house is being built and the dumptruck/backhoe trailer sticks out into the arterial… oh and then the bus comes along. bigger pic-no joke!

Sharon akers September 17, 2014 (7:12 pm)

Wow…..this goes right by my apt on a very narrow street. Potential nightmare in the making for residents……and what time will this take place? More info please

WSB September 17, 2014 (7:23 pm)

Here’s the PDF version of the county’s announcement, which also includes the work hours, 7 am-6 pm. Will also embed above via Scribd.
.
https://westseattleblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/2014_0917_MurrayCSO_ProjectUpdate_Excavation.pdf
.
TR

Amy September 17, 2014 (7:42 pm)

Thought the story was about the routes I take to drop off kids. Wait… they are the same. :O

sc September 17, 2014 (7:45 pm)

Where does all the dirt go?

Maybe they’ll find a mastodon tusk :)

metrognome September 17, 2014 (7:59 pm)

the problem with using Fauntleroy as the exit road is that there isn’t a signalized intersection that allows the trucks to safely make a left turn. Blame the topography for the limited number of usable routes.
.
‘truck and pup’?

Mike September 17, 2014 (8:02 pm)

signs first posted in 2005 for this project, a decade ain’t too long to wait to be finishing up.

JayDee September 17, 2014 (8:23 pm)

Sorry metrognome:

The bigger truck hauling a smaller trailer is called a Truck’n’pup because the main truck carries about 2/3 of the load, and the pup trailer about 1/3. They are much more difficult to maneuver in tight quarters. Sometimes a driver may say: Oh the truck has passed me only to see the solid metal connection between the two as they attempt to merge. These are the typical combos one sees on a dig and haul.
–
What I don’t see is where how many cubic yards/tons they plan on removing. Saying 80’deep x 70’wide leaves one dimension undefined. That basically determines the cubic yards/tons to be removed and in this case, tons is likely the limitation. 55 trucks a day is a shi*load of trucks and it would be useful to see what the total soil volume is supposed to be.

westseattledood September 17, 2014 (8:40 pm)

That’s lots of dirt and lots of trucks accelerating and braking on hills and….oh my.

Noisy, clumsy, screechy, earthshaking, dusty, dirty muddy. Rainy season will keep the dust down (I have never washed and vacuumed house and car so much) but the mud factor will be upped.

You all have my sympathies – I live next to Westcrest and just when they finished the work on excavating and constructing that ginormous underground reservoir after a couple of years (well, almost, anyway) – “they” come back for a second round for surface work requiring dirt being relocated with copious endless parades of vehicles and equipment.

If we are all taking guesses, mine is a “truck and pup” is an open bed truck (about the size of a city dump truck with cab and a tall, deep open box attached THEN a trailer follows from a loooong hitch with a looooooong low bed to carry more dirt. I await the official description.

Colin September 17, 2014 (8:47 pm)

When you flush during a rain storm thank the truck drivers. This is sewage that won’t be in a west Seattle basement.

Sharon September 17, 2014 (8:53 pm)

Oh so this coincides will school zone hours…….and 7am …..ouch for those folks who work off hours and need to sleep…….and rush hour ferry traffic….holy moley

WSB September 17, 2014 (8:55 pm)

If Doug at KCWTD doesn’t see them first (or someone else at the county), we’ll take the unanswered questions to them tomorrow, so keep asking. I’m sure specifics such as ‘where are the spoils going?’ are buried, so to speak, somewhere in the website, but I’ve tried rooting around and haven’t found it yet.

Sharon September 17, 2014 (9:08 pm)

Let’s not forget school bus hours, ferry traffic and garbage recycling trucks!!!!!

WSB September 18, 2014 (4:26 pm)

Just got answers from the county to questions asked here – will be writing them into a separate followup within the next few hours, barring giant breaking news; have to get through at least one other story first.

Celeste17 September 18, 2014 (12:32 am)

I feel sorry for the residents in this area. I stopped by to see the Ducky reserve a couple of weeks ago and Ron said he was pulling up stakes and moving soon because of the sewage digging. He got sprayed with raw sewage by a fan and got sick. I will miss him and his ducks.

BT September 18, 2014 (9:19 am)

What a great infrastructure project! Glad to see this moving forward.

BrightEyes September 18, 2014 (10:42 am)

Seattle Tunnel Punters won’t be using their barge for awhile – why can’t we borrow that?

WSB September 18, 2014 (1:52 pm)

For anybody checking back on this Thursday afternoon – I’m (a) adding a photo taken a short time ago showing one of the trucks (and the backhoes/excavators/whatever proper term is, doing the digging), and (b) sending questions to the county for a followup. – Tracy

wetone September 19, 2014 (11:05 am)

Keep on eye on the roads and surrounding properties used by these trucks as it could be very problematic to both, from the weight and bounciness of these very heavy rigs as many of the roads to be used already suffer from proper maintenance. Hopefully this will get done quickly before ground gets to wet and causes worse conditions along with holding the weight down on loaded trucks.

Sorry, comment time is over.