A week ago SDOT closed a block between NE 54th Street to Sand Point Way for emergency roadwork.
SDOT has updated the information:
There is a void under the street panels at this location, our staff will be backfilling and repairing, after SPU has a chance to check to for sinkholes/leaking pipes. This work will be completed, and the road will be re-opened as soon as possible.
The block was closed around 3pm on June 17th, between NE 54th Street and Sand Point Way for emergency road work. This is the block to the south of Katterman's Pharmacy, a high traffic route out of the neighborhood.
Detour signs route traffic around the area by going east on NE 50th Street then north on 50th Avenue NE.
SDOT told the Laurelhurst Blog:
This road closure is the result of a broken privately owned side sewer which created a large void beneath the roadway. The property owners who own the failed side sewer share responsibility for repairs, and SDOT cannot safely reopen the roadway until these repairs have been completed.
On June 15, a plumbing company discovered and reported a large void under the roadway while conducting an inspection of a privately owned side sewer shared by multiple properties. Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) inspectors confirmed that the roadway was unsafe to travel on, and determined that the damage was caused by the broken side sewer and there was no indication that a City of Seattle owned asset contributed to the damage of the street. On June 16, SPU notified the property owners of the side sewer of their responsibility repair their broken side sewer and fill the void beneath the roadway.
The City has been in ongoing contact with the property owners, and my understanding is that they have indicated that they have been working to arrange and schedule a private construction contractor.
The Laurelhurst Blog received this information from a concerned driver:
I have concerns about the way this roadway repair project has been handled and have seen a number of near vehicle collisions as a result.The majority of the west side of 47th where it meets Sand Point Way has been barricaded off and closed or partially closed for several weeks following some concrete and asphalt repair on the roadway. I believe this project is a result of some underground utility work (not sure if it's a private resident project or a utility company/city project).I have never seen asphalt or concrete repair needing to be closed for such an extended period of time. The partial roadway closure creates a hazard because vehicles are still allowed to turn onto 47th Ave NE from both directions off of Sand Point Way, but there isn't enough room on 47th for vehicles to pass safely in both directions simultaneously.My question is: is it really necessary that this part of the roadway still be roped off and closed? Why is this section of the road being closed for so long? Who is managing this project and what is the timeline for barricade removal?
Prior to any work being conducted last month, the entire block of 47th Ave NE was closed off to both directions of traffic for several weeks prior to any work being conducted. Fortunately, the signage that was initially placed was safe and helpful to traffic from all directions.Recently, however, it appears that the length of roadway closures, or partial closures, exist well beyond what is actually necessary. Additionally, the recent use of closure signage has been set up poorly, causing confusion for vehicles turning off of Sand Point Way. For example, there was a several day period when the entire block of 47th Ave NE was closed, but there were no signs on Sand Point way prohibiting vehicles from turning onto 47th Ave, so vehicles would still turn onto 47th, only to come upon the barricades, requiring them to abort the turn last minute, back up, or "U-turn", resulting in some fairly dangerous situations. I saw this happen with large box trucks and vehicles with trailers.
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