Trail closures at the Union Bay Natural Area Starting Today Till June 24th

Kathryn Murdock, with the WSDOT SR 520 UBNA Wetland Mitigation Project recently sent out this information:

As you may know, the SR 520 UBNA Wetland Mitigation Project is a partnership between the University of Washington (UW) and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to create and enhance existing wetlands and replace invasive and non-native plants with native species. The mitigation supports and continues work previously begun by the UW and mitigates for effects from the SR 520 West Approach Bridge North project, currently under construction in the Montlake area. When complete, the UBNA mitigation project will have added and enhanced approximately 22 acres of wetlands and buffer areas at the UBNA site. 

In order to maintain safety for trail users, the contractor will need to intermittently close the trail along Wahkiakum Lane and the Loop Trail. We want to make sure that the Laurelhurst neighbors are aware of the closure and the detour route.

Thank you for your patience as we complete this work.

Here is the information:

SR 520 – Union Bay Natural Area Mitigation

Trail Closures: Scheduled for June 13 through June 24 at the Union Bay Natural Area

Contractor crews from Matia-Jansen are preparing to widen trails and build temporary access roads needed to construct wetland improvements at the University of Washington’s Union Bay Natural Area (UBNA). This work will require temporary trail closures starting starting Monday, June 13, and lasting for approximately two weeks. Trails will be closed Mondays through Fridays during the day, but are scheduled to reopen each evening and on weekends for trail users. Please see the map below for the detour route around
this temporary trail closure. Also keep an eye out for detour maps and signs onsite, as early as this week.

When the work is complete and the trails reopen, trail users may notice fabric and quarry spalls along the trails. This enables the contractor to use the trail to access the sites where they will be enhancing and adding wetlands. As this work is completed next year, the trails will be restored to their original condition. 

WSDOT is improving wetlands in the UBNA as mitigation for the effects of the SR 520 WABN project. When the work is complete and the trails reopen, trail users may notice fabric and quarry spalls along the trails. This enables the contractor to use the trail to access the sites where they will be enhancing and adding wetlands. When work is completed next year, the trails will be restored to their original condition.

As exact dates of closures are confirmed, they will be posted on our SR 520 Orange Page and on our SR 520 UBNA website.

Benefits 

The UBNA mitigation project includes:

• Enhancing existing wetlands.
• Creating new wetlands.
• Removing invasive and non-native plants.
• Planting native wetland plants.
• Protecting wetlands by improving the areas that buffer them from adverse effects.

What to expect during construction

WSDOT and the UW are committed to construction management practices that avoid, minimize and mitigate the effects of WSDOT construction activities on neighbors, park users, and the traveling public. As mitigation work occurs, you can expect:

• Up to 50 days of trail closures: In order to maintain safety for trail users, the contractor will need to intermittently close the trail along Wahkiakum Lane and the Loop Trail. The contractor is permitted to close the trails for up to 50 days but is required to keep the trails open over the weekends.
• Restricted construction areas: The contractor will install orange fencing and stakes around project boundaries, research plots and key areas that need additional protection during construction.
• Staging areas: In order to minimize impacts to the traveling public, the contractor plans to stage construction equipment and offices in the E4 parking lot and near Douglas Road Northeast.
• Vegetation removal: In order to provide access for construction equipment to the work areas within the UBNA, the contractor will prune select trees and vegetation. The contractor will also remove selected non-native plants and replant with native wetland plants.
• Restricted construction during bird nesting season: In order to protect nesting birds, the contractor will not be permitted to conduct certain construction activities between March 1 and July 31, such as vegetation removal and excavation. Some activities such as materials stockpiling and other staking activities will be permitted as long as the work does not disturb nesting sites. All construction activities will be monitored by WSDOT and the contractor to ensure that the construction activities do not disturb nesting sites.

Overview
The Union Bay Natural Area (UBNA) is an undeveloped, 74-acre nature reserve and outdoor research laboratory on the north end of Lake Washington’s Union Bay, less than a mile north of SR 520. For many years, the land served as Seattle’s largest garbage dump. After the landfill was closed in 1966, work began to restore the site to a more natural environment. The land, just east of the University of Washington (UW) campus, is now owned by the university and managed by the College of the Environment.

The UBNA Mitigation Project is a partnership between the UW and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to create and enhance existing wetlands and replace invasive and non-native plants with native wetland plants. The mitigation supports and continues work previously begun by the UW as part of the 2010 UBNA Shoreline Guidelines, and mitigates for adverse effects from the SR 520 West Approach Bridge North project, currently under construction in the Montlake area. When complete, the UBNA Mitigation Project will have added and enhanced approximately 22 acres of wetlands and buffer areas at the UBNA site.

• What's new on the UBNA mitigation site?
• Benefits
• What to expect during construction
• Project timeline
• Community Construction Management Plan