The weekly SDOT update on the Avalon/35th repaving-and-more project includes a reminder that a major intersection closure is ahead. Here’s all the latest:

Crews are busy on the SW Seattle Paving: 35th/Avalon Project. Crews have, or are planning to complete, the following construction activities:

· Crews have wrapped up road base repairs, curb ramps, and utility work in zone A and B

· Today, Thursday, August 29, crews are paving the south side of Zone C.

· From 9 AM on Friday, September 6 through 6 AM Monday, September 9, we will be closing the SW Avalon and 35th Ave SW intersection for the first of up to three weekend closures to rebuild the concrete roadway.

· From August 28 through September 13, crews will be placing high-friction surface treatments on SW Genesee St and Charlestown Ave SW

· In mid-September, crews plan to return to zones A through C for final grinding and paving

You can read more about each activity in their respective sections below.

35th Ave SW and SW Avalon Way Intersection:

To rebuild the concrete roadway, we will be closing the intersection of 35th Ave SW and SW Avalon Way.

· The intersection will be closed from Friday, September 6 at 9 AM to Monday, September 9 to 6 AM

o This intersection closure is weather dependent and subject to change

· Metro buses will be allowed southbound on 35th Ave SW from Fauntleroy between 3 PM and 7 PM on Friday, September 6 to assist with the evening commute

· No-parks on 37th Ave SW and 38th Ave SW to accommodate detour traffic

· This work will take up to 3 weekends

· Please visit our website for more information

· Please follow posted detour routes, see map

The 35th Ave SW and Avalon Way SW intersection must be rebuilt because the existing pavement is nearing the end of its useful life. The project will also make utility upgrades and improvements for people walking, bicycling, driving, and riding the bus. Closing the intersection is necessary for the safety of the traveling public and it will allow us to complete this work as quickly and safely as possible

Information by Zone

Zone C (SW Avalon Way from SW Genesee St to 35th Ave SW)
Today, Thursday, August 29, we are paving the road base on the south side of the road. This work is weather dependent and subject to change. Please note:

· There will be no driveway access on the day of paving from 7 AM to 7 PM

· You will not be able to use your driveway for up to 4 hours while the pavement cures

Zone A – C (SW Avalon Way from SW Spokane St to 35th Ave SW)
Once crews have wrapped up this phase of work in Zone C, crews will begin preparing for final paving in Zones A–C. The first construction activity you will see is crews grinding the top layer of pavement as soon as September 12 and 13. Please expect:

· No parking signs to be seen along the corridor as early as Friday, August 30 that will be effective starting after the holiday. Please read the permits on the signs for effective no parking dates.

o No parking signs must be placed up to 72 hours before enforcement. Due to the holiday weekend, signs are being installed this Friday.

· Temporary driveway closures as the grinding machine passes. We encourage you to speak with our crews about when work will take place in your area.

· Loud noise, dust and vibrations

· Rough pavement and steel plates on the roadway once base paving is complete

· A single lane of traffic to be maintained in each direction

We anticipate completing final paving as early as September 18 and 19. This work is expected to take place at night to reduce the impacts to traffic as the pavement cures. All driveways and side streets will be closed to SW Avalon Way until crews re-open them. We will provide more information as we get closer to paving.

Zone E (35th Ave SW from SW Avalon Way to SW Alaska St)
We are continuing work in Zone E, including:

· Concrete paving on the west side of the street from SW Alaska St to SW Oregon St this week. This work is weather dependent and subject to change.

· Beginning demolition on the east side of the street as early as the week of September 9

· Continuing the closure of SW Snoqualmie St for staging

High Friction Surface Treatments
In the next few weeks, crews will also be placing high friction surface treatments on SW Genesee St and Charlestown Ave SW. Work is expected to take place (now through) September 13 from 9 AM to 3 PM but is weather dependent and subject to change.

· Crews will be working on SW Genesee St from SW Avalon Way to 30th Ave SW. One lane of traffic will be maintained, with flaggers present to direct traffic in each direction.

· Crews will be working on Charlestown Ave SW from 46th Ave SW to 47th Ave SW. Charlestown will be closed to through traffic from 45th to 48th. Please follow posted detour routes.

Questions? The project team’s contact info: avalonpaving@seattle.gov or 206-900-8734.

11:31 AM: Just announced to address the south-downtown slowdown: Starting September 9th, SB Metro buses will be moved off 1st and onto 2nd, connecting to 4th. There will be a “longterm stop on 2nd Ave Ext. S. between Washington and Main to replace the SB stop at 1st/King.” More details to come.

12:21 PM: Just leaving the media briefing downtown. Also from the announcement: Starting September 12th – the projected start date of the Dearborn section of viaduct demolition – NB buses will be rerouted too, though that’s only expected to last a week and a half or so.

During that time, NB buses that use 99 will take 4th Ave. S. with stops at Prefontaine Pl. and James St.

The permanent pathway for buses is expected to open around the end of the year, the SDOT and Metro reps at the briefing said. Meantime, we asked what took so long to come up with this solution – couldn’t the problem have been predicted?

Metro’s Bill Bryant said it really took summertime traffic to kick in before they realized things weren’t going well. As for the month-plus it’s taken to come up with this, he indicated that they tried hard to see if signal timing and other nonrouting measures would help enough … but they didn’t.

The routing alone isn’t the only change planned; SDOT’s downtown mobility director Heather Marx said there remain many “moving pieces” in terms of signal timing and even channelization changes. Today’s announcement notes that “Buses using 2nd Avenue to connect to 4th Avenue S. will have a second left-turn lane from Columbia St. to 2nd Avenue.” And on 99, for example, the NB bus lane that was in place pre-tunnel will be brought back, possibly in time for the end of the Dearborn demolition.

2:57 PM: Commenter Kyle asked about data. We in turn asked Metro spokesperson Travis Shofner, who replied:

These travel times are between 3rd and Columbia and Avalon St in West Seattle. Here are the scatter plots looking at the afternoon and evening rush (Limited data in these plots):

While we cannot promise that Fourth Avenue South is always going to be faster than First Avenue, riders should have a more predictable commute. From the data … you can see that First Avenue was sometimes the fastest option but also unreliable and inconsistent, with extended travel times for riders in the afternoon and rush hour. Second Avenue to Fourth Avenue South has less data, but in just one day of reroute, showed more consistency and was much more reliable without as many extended travel times. With SDOT improvements not reflected here, we may see those Second Ave/Fourth Ave S times improve.

(Photo courtesy Free Waterfront Shuttle)

If you use the Free Waterfront Shuttle downtown, they want you to know that it’s been extended to October 31st, instead of ending service on Labor Day weekend as originally scheduled. We last wrote about it back in January, when it expanded hours to help with the viaduct-to-tunnel transition. With viaduct demolition not quite done yet, “additional funding will keep the daily service running,” according to the announcement, which notes:

… Since it started in July 2018, the free service has provided more than 330,000 rides to tourists and locals visiting Seattle’s waterfront, Pioneer Square and downtown’s retail core. The shuttle currently operates seven days a week, running weekdays from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on weekends from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The service is provided by the WSDOT-funded DowntownSeattleParking.com program and is managed by Commute Seattle and the Downtown Seattle Association. … The shuttle is funded through the Alaskan Way Viaduct Parking Mitigation Program, designed to increase accessibility to the waterfront and Pioneer Square during viaduct demolition. …

The shuttle offers two routes: one along the waterfront and one linking the downtown core to the waterfront and Pioneer Square. …

With the shuttle now scheduled to run until late October, that also aligns with the end (October 25th) of this year’s 7-day-a-week King County Water Taxi schedule.