There are going to be added congestion and possible traffic delays around Queen Anne over the next few days due to some construction work at two different sites in the neighborhood.

On Thursday, July 7 and Friday, July 8 Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) crews will be grinding and removing existing asphalt on Dexter Ave N between McGraw and Garfield streets, as part of the Dexter repaving project. There will be one lane of travel in each direction, and parking and loading zone restrictions near the work zone, with periodic cross-street and driveway interruptions. SDOT will have uniformed police officers on site to direct traffic. From SDOT:

Drivers should reduce speeds when traveling through the area. Bicyclist should consider utilizing sidewalks or alternate routes. When riding on Dexter Avenue North, bicyclists will share a lane with motor vehicles and should expect grooved pavement and loose asphalt as well as raised utility casting and man holes in the street. There will be increased construction truck traffic.

Once the asphalt removal is complete, crews will begin to repair Dexter Ave’s base pavement and repave the street, which is scheduled to take place later this month. After repaving, SDOT will continue the Dexter Ave N street channelization, installing bus islands, a buffered bike lane, applying new traffic markings and other finals steps.

On Thursday, July 7 SDOT crews will also be performing maintenance work along the eastbound ramp of the Emerson Street Viaduct Bridge to Nickerson Street. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday traffic flaggers will be on hand to help direct traffic as crews repair expansion joints on the bridge. Commuters should be mindful of the work and allow extra time during their regular commutes.

The Rock ‘n Roll Marathon and Half Marathon will be taking over parts of Seattle on Saturday.

A look at the Rock ‘n Roll Marathon and Half Marathon route. For larger image, click here (.pdf)

The Alaskan Way Viaduct and Aurora Avenue North will be closed at 5:45 a.m., starting at North 39th Street in Fremont. The Seattle Department of Transportation anticipates the southbound lanes should re-open by 1:15 p.m., and the northbound lanes will re-open by 4 p.m. The full list of road closures is here (.pdf.)

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will be closing down the I-5 on and off ramps at Mercer Street again this weekend, as part of ongoing work needed as part of the Mercer Corridor Project.

The closure will begin at 11 p.m. on Friday, June 17, and go until 5 a.m. on Monday, June 20. Detour route maps are available here. From SDOT:

Detour routes shown will be signed on roadways and may be heavily used, particularly Denny Way both eastbound and westbound. Travelers are advised to consider alternate routes to their destinations such as SR 99 or alternate I-5 exits and entrances.

After this weekend’s closure, the Mercer Street access to and from I-5 will not be closed again until the weekend of July 8-11, and is scheduled to take place during the same hours. From SDOT:

During these closures, the I-5 on-ramp at University Street will be concurrently closed to provide more efficient traffic flow around the closed Mercer Street exit lane. Fairview Avenue N will also be closed between Mercer Street and Valley Street and Mercer Street will be closed to through traffic between Westlake Avenue N and Fairview Avenue N. All detour routes will be clearly marked to support traffic flow around the closures.

SDOT is advising travelers heading to the Fremont Solstice Parade and Fair to use SR 99 or to the alternate I-5 off-ramps at Olive Way (northbound) or Stewart St. (southbound) and Denny Way to Westlake Ave. N. More information on routes to the Fremont Fair can be found at the fair website.

Travelers are encouraged to carpool and use alternate modes of transportation. Transit information can be found at:

• King County Metro at www.kingcounty.gov/metro, or by calling 206-553-3000
• Sound Transit at www.soundtransit.org
• Community Transit at www.commtrans.org

Starting next week the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will begin lengthening the left-turn lanes on Elliott Ave W at W Mercer Place, as part of Phase II of the Mercer Corridor Project.

In preparation for the project, SDOT will be working on adjusting the rim of a utility access hole along Elliot Ave W this week. All construction will take place on weekdays only, during non-peak travel times. Crews will complete the work over the next three to six weeks. From SDOT:

Starting next week, SDOT crews will first remove the current asphalt island, traffic post, overhead sign and concrete curb. Next, they will pave and restripe the roadway which requires fair weather. Finally, they will adjust the traffic signal timing and install a new overhead sign.

The left-turn from Elliott Ave W onto W Mercer Place will remain open during construction, and signage will guide through traffic, according to SDOT. Drivers should expect congestion and added traffic due to the work and lane restrictions. The work will not interfere with access to nearby businesses, and all closed lanes will be re-opened to traffic during the morning and evening peak commuting periods. For more information, visit the project website.

It might be slow going next week on Emerson Street going in and out of Queen Anne. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will be making  repairs to the deck of the Emerson Street Viaduct Bridge to Nickerson Street from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday, June 13 through Friday, June 17. One lane will be closed at a time going east and west while traffic flaggers direct traffic through the area. SDOT says drivers should expect delays and plan accordingly.

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is hosting an open house on the Mercer West Project from 4:30 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 8 at Seattle Center’s Rainier Room, located within the Northwest Rooms Plaza.

At the meeting representatives from SDOT will discuss the preliminary designs for the project, including information on the underpass at Aurora Ave and the two-way conversion of Roy and Mercer streets between 5th Ave N and Queen Anne Ave N. SDOT will also present recommendations for West Mercer Place and West Mercer Street, based on evaluation of the alternatives and input from stakeholders.

The SDOT project team will be available to solicit ideas from the public and answer questions attendees may have about current preliminary design concepts for the following:

• A wider Mercer Underpass at Aurora Avenue North;
• Converting Mercer and Roy Streets from one‐way to two‐way operation;
• And improving intersections, street connections and bike access.

From SDOT:

The Mercer West Project would complete the City’s vision for a direct, two‐way connection between I‐5 and Elliott Avenue West, continuing where the Mercer East Project leaves off. The proposed improvements include:

• Widening Mercer between Dexter Avenue N and Fifth Avenue N, including the underpass at Aurora to provide three lanes in each direction, left‐turn lanes, wider sidewalks, and a bicycle path;
• Converting Mercer Street to two‐way operation with two lanes in each direction and turn pockets between Fifth Avenue N and Queen Anne Avenue N;
• Converting Roy Street to a two‐way street with one lane in each direction and bicycle lanes between Fifth Avenue N and Queen Anne Avenue N;
• Creating a new Sixth Avenue N connection between Mercer and Harrison Streets; and;
• Closing Broad Street to re‐connect the street grid between Ninth Ave N and Fifth Ave N.

Read more about the Mercer West Project on the project website, and in our ongoing coverage.

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will be closing down the I-5 on and off ramps at Mercer Street this weekend, the final construction closure at this site scheduled for May, an area in the midst of ongoing construction work needed as part of the Mercer Corridor Project.

The closure will begin at 11 p.m. tonight, Friday, May 20, and continue through 5 a.m. on Monday, May 23. After this weekend the Mercer Street on and off ramps will not be closed again until the weekend of Friday, June 17 to Monday, June 20 (also from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m. on those days respectively). From SDOT:

During these upcoming closures, please note that Mercer Street will be fully closed to through traffic between Westlake Avenue N and Fairview Avenue N, including access from Mercer Street to southbound Fairview Avenue N that had been maintained during previous closures. The I-5 on-ramp at University Street will be concurrently closed to provide more efficient traffic flow around the closed Mercer Street exit lane. Fairview Avenue N will also be closed between Mercer Street and Valley Street.

Updated detour route maps are available SDOT’s project website. Signs indicating detour routes will also be visible around the closure. SDOT advises commuters to be prepared for heavy congestion along these detour routes, particularly on east- and westbound Denny Way, and to use alternate routes when available.

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) completed the repaving of Dexter Ave N between Fremont and 4th Ave N and McGraw Street on Friday, but construction along the thoroughfare is not quite over yet. A contractor working with SDOT will be continuing construction on bus islands and installing new traffic markers, including buffered bike lanes, along Dexter over the next two weeks in order to stay on track with completing this phase of the project by the end of May.

The second phase of the project, which stretches from McGraw Street to Garfield Street, is scheduled to begin next week and to be completed in early August. From SDOT:

Crews will start with installing an underground storm water detention pipe near Garfield Street and a bio-retention / “rain garden” near Crockett Street. Other work includes repaving the roadway, installing bus islands, adding a buffered bike lane, and making pedestrian improvements.  During this second phase of the project, Garfield Street will be closed for seven days between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m.

SDOT says drivers should expect lane closures and on-street parking restrictions along Dexter Ave N during this period, though some of the work is weather dependent and may be rescheduled or adjusted as the project progresses. To learn more about the Dexter repaving project, check out SDOT’s project website.

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has rescheduled road work to lay new asphalt along Dexter Ave N for this week, on Tuesday, May 10 and Wednesday, May 11, weather permitting. From SDOT:

Traffic will be limited to one travel lane in each direction from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. On-street parking will be restricted. Drivers should expect additional traffic congestion and delays and are advised to consider using alternate routes. Uniformed police officers will be present to keep traffic moving at the intersection of Westlake Avenue N and Dexter Avenue N. Bicyclists will merge and share the lanes with vehicles on Dexter or they may use the sidewalks or alternate routes.

After repaving, SDOT will install new bus islands, a buffered bike lane, and new traffic markings and street channelization, as part of an ongoing effort to improve traffic congestion caused by car, bus and bicyclist overlaps along Dexter Ave N.

The repaving phase of the project is expected to be completed in early May. The entire project, which will extend from Fremont Avenue North to Roy Street, will be completed in September of this year. Read more about the project at the Dexter Paving website.

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has canceled repaving work planned along Dexter Ave N on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week due to unfavorable weather conditions.

The road work would have decreased traffic down to one lane in each direction between the hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and tomorrow, as well as limited on-street parking.

SDOT has not yet set a new time for the paving to take place, but we’ll keep you posted when those dates are scheduled. SDOT plans to complete the paving portion of the project by the beginning of May.

To read more about the Dexter repaving project, which will stretch from Fremont Ave N to Roy Street and will be completed in September of this year, check SDOT’s Dexter Paving project page.