Date:  Friday, March 27, 2009

Contact: Greg Phipps, WSDOT Communications, 206-464-1265
David Sowers, WSDOT Project Engineer, 206-802-3969

S. Royal Brougham Way, Fourth Avenue S. and Third Avenue S. will see closures and lane restrictions through early 2010.

SEATTLE – WSDOT is about to embark upon construction that will change the landscape in Seattle’s SODO neighborhood and make trips safer and faster.

WSDOT contractor crews are beginning work to build a bridge over the railroad tracks on S. Royal Brougham Way, and a new westbound off-ramp from I-90 and I-5 to the existing S. Atlantic Street overpass. The $90.8 million SR 519 Intermodal Access Project is funded primarily through the 2003 gas tax and will support an estimated 910 jobs.

These SR 519 improvements will make the corridor safer for drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists, and enhance traffic flow for freight traveling to the Port of Seattle, ferry commuters traveling to Colman Dock, and sports fans heading to the stadiums.

Crews will begin work Monday, March 30, by moving underground utilities that are in the way of the piers that will support the new structures. By mid-April crews will begin drilling pier shafts as deep as 92 feet for the S. Royal Brougham Way bridge.

Closures and detour

• By 9 a.m., Monday, March 30, to Saturday, April 3: S. Royal Brougham Way will be completely closed from just east of the Qwest Field Event Center to Fourth Avenue S. Access to the garage will be from the west only. Drivers should also expect closures on S. Royal Brougham Way the week of April 6-10. Details of that closure will be announced next week.
• By 9 a.m., Monday, March 30 to early spring 2010: Around-the-clock closure of Third Avenue S. from S. Royal Brougham Way to just south of Edgar Martinez Drive S.
• Traffic will be detoured around the S. Royal Brougham Way and Third Avenue S. closures via Fourth Avenue S., Edgar Martinez Drive S. and First Avenue S.
• Mid-April 2009 – early spring 2010: Full and partial closures of S. Royal Brougham Way between Occidental Avenue S. and Fourth Avenue S. One lane will be open in each direction during the partial closures.
• May 2009 – early spring 2010: Around-the-clock lane closures on Fourth Avenue S., near S. Royal Brougham Way.

Drivers should expect delays during these closures and plan accordingly. Exact closure dates may change depending on the construction schedule. Visit WSDOT’s weekly construction update report at www.wsdot.wa.gov/northwest/king/construction/ for a complete listing of SR 519 project closures.

WSDOT is working with the contractor, Kiewit Pacific Co., to minimize delays during construction. Crews will keep one lane in each direction open on S. Royal Brougham Way during events in the neighborhood that are expected to attract more than 15,000 attendees, including, Mariners, Sounders and Seahawks games. Also, Kiewit crews will complete the widening of the intersection of First Avenue S. and S. Atlantic Street before the S. Royal Brougham Way closures begin. The intersection's new turn and through lanes should open this Saturday afternoon, and will help keep traffic moving on the detour route and on nearby streets.

For more information on the SR 519 project, visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr519.

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