NE 45th Street Viaduct Replacement Open House on Thursday

The NE 45th Street Viaduct is being replaced.

And this Thursday there will be an Open House from 4:30-7:30 at University Presbyterian Church in the Larson Hall at 4540 15th Avenue NE to learn more about the 45th Viaduct replacement.

"Stop by anytime to talk with project staff and view project materials. No formal presentations will be given," the invitation says.

What will be shown and discussed with the community are:
*project schedule
*design plans
*construction impacts
*potential detour routes

"The 730-foot viaduct was originally constructed in 1938 and portions of the existing structure are nearly 70 years old. The viaduct has had several retrofits and partial reconstructions throughout its lifetime; first in the late 1960’s and more recently in 2002," according to the SDOT website.

The Seattle Department of Transportation plans to replace the west approach of the NE 45th Street Viaduct starting in June of 2010 as a part of the Bridging the Gap program. Construction will take up to four months.

"The viaduct’s existing 468-foot west approach is nearing the end of its structural life and needs to be replaced to maintain a safe and efficient travel corridor for vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles."

After gathering input from the local community, SDOT has decided to move forward with a full‐closure construction phasing option for the viaduct replacement to allow for a shorter construction timeline and a reduced length of time needed to detour drivers and pedestrians around the construction area," says the SDOT website.

All information about the project can be found here.