Update on 15th Ave NE Bridge Rehabilitation Project

Thanks to DOT’s Kit Loo, Project Manager, for this update to the work being done on the bridge on 15th Ave NE.  Bottom line, it is still on schedule to be opened in March.  Here are the details:

At this time the most difficult and challenging portions of work which is being done on the temporary suspended platforms below the bridge, is wrapping up. The existing box girders have all been strengthened; the strengthening consisted of adding reinforcement steel, thickening the sides of the concrete box girders, and post-tensioning the entire bridge. These items were completed without much incident. Most of the remaining structural work, such as rebuilding the existing abutments, has have also been completed.

With most of the under-the-bridge work complete and some minor painting and utility relocation work scheduled to be completed by mid-January, the contractor expects to begin dismantling the suspended platform sometime at the end of this month.

The removal of the suspended platform is expected to take several days to complete. As soon as the suspended platform is completely removed, the contractor will finalize the final deck preparation for placement of the new bridge deck overlay, as well as the vehicle separation barrier.

At this point the critical item will be the placement of the new bridge overlay, which is highly temperature and weather dependent. The contractor will need at least 7 clear days of no rain or snow with an ambient temperature above freezing in order to be able to place the final deck overlay.

This critical project is on schedule for completion in March 2011, barring any weather related issues. As they get closer to determining when the deck overlay will be placed, DOT will then work out the final details with Metro on when the buses will be re-routed back onto 15^th Ave NE.

The DOT website for this project is: http://www.seattle.gov/Transportation/bridge_rehab_15th.htm