1:08 PM: Passing the Morgan Junction electric-vehicle charging-lot construction site (4118 SW Morgan) over the weekend, we noticed that it didn’t appear to have made much progress. Then this morning, before we could even send Seattle City Light an inquiry, we received this note from SCL spokesperson Jenny Levesque:
I would like to provide you with an update about construction progress for the Morgan Junction Electric Vehicle Charging Station. Site conditions during construction have been more challenging than we anticipated. This, in combination with the right-of-way construction moratorium for the FIFA World Cup™, means that we will not meet the estimated completion date of August 2026. We will have a better idea of the new estimated completion date after the moratorium ends in July. Crews will continue to work within City Light property during the moratorium.
We asked an immediate followup question about what constituted the “challenging … conditions,” but have yet to hear back. Four months have passed since we reported the first signs of construction work at the site, which is designed for eight chargers and was originally supposed to be built in 2022.
10:57 PM: We got a reply to our followup question at day’s end, but this still doesn’t elaborate on any surprises, so we’ll try again:
The project site is compact and located between two heavily trafficked streets. This makes construction challenging. Crews are working to bring in power from north Fauntleroy Way SW, across the road, to the site. Crews ran into challenges with existing site conditions and the required night and off-peak hour work. Our original goal was to complete the work before the FIFA World Cup construction moratorium started. All construction schedules are estimates based on the known conditions at the time. We are working to address issues as they arise, and we will continue to move forward on the project.
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