Tag: Denny substation

Roadway Restoration Work Begins on Stewart Street August 1

Beginning Monday, August 1, the contractor for Seattle City Light’s Denny Network Project (part of the Denny Substation Program) will begin final restoration work along Stewart Street between Minor Avenue and 6th Avenue. This work will affect commuters entering the city, particularly at the Stewart Street exit from southbound I-5.

Anticipated traffic restrictions:

  • Weekday peak hours (6 a.m. to 10 a.m., Monday – Friday): There will be one lane closed and two general purpose lanes and one transit lane open. At times, there will be a split lane configuration of the roadway, with traffic flowing on either side of the closed lane. See graphic for an example of this traffic lane configuration.
  • Other weekday hours (10 a.m. to 6 a.m., Monday – Friday): There will be two lanes closed and two general purpose lanes open, which will be shared by transit and all other vehicles.
  • Weekend hours: If no work is scheduled, there will be one lane closed and two general purpose lanes and one transit lane open. If work is scheduled, there will be two lanes closed and two general purpose lanes open, which will be shared by transit and all other vehicles.

This is what Stewart Street will look like for drivers, starting Aug. 1.

Bicyclists who currently use this section of Stewart Street may continue to use the north curb lane, which remains open during construction. This transit lane is used for right turns by general purpose traffic, but is also marked as a sharrow for cyclist use. All travelers should exercise additional caution during the Stewart Street lane closures. For more information on bike routes, please see SDOT’s interactive Bike Map at http://web6.seattle.gov/SDOT/BikeMap/.

During morning commutes, only one lane will be closed on Stewart Street.

Restoration of the Stewart Street roadway between Minor Avenue and 6th Avenue is anticipated to take approximately three months. This work is part of the Denny Network Project and is the next step in completing the installation of an underground electrical vault and duct bank system on Stewart Street. The contractor and Seattle City Light are coordinating with the Seattle Department of Transportation and adjacent private developments to conduct this work over the shortest period of time possible and to minimize impacts to traffic, pedestrians, businesses and residents.

About the Denny Substation Program: As part of the Denny Substation Program, Seattle City Light is building a new substation and an underground electrical distribution network while designing a transmission line between the Denny and Massachusetts substations. The program will ensure more reliable power delivery to customers in and beyond the South Lake Union and Denny Triangle neighborhoods. The new substation, located on Denny Way near Stewart Street, will be City Light’s first and largest substation in 30 years. The Denny Substation Program will increase system-wide reliability and operational flexibility, achieving a major electrical system upgrade for the city of Seattle.

Seattle City Light is the 10th largest public electric utility in the United States. It has some of the lowest cost customer rates of any urban utility, providing reliable, renewable and environmentally responsible power to about 750,000 Seattle area residents. City Light has been greenhouse gas neutral since 2005, the first electric utility in the nation to achieve that distinction.

Denny Network Construction Continues on Stewart Street

Construction of an underground vault on Stewart Street.

Seattle City Light’s contractor for the Denny Network Project has received a noise variance to work at night and in the early morning to install a large electrical vault on Stewart Street between Boren Avenue and Terry Avenue. During this work, Stewart Street will be reduced to one lane, which will be shared by general purpose traffic, bicycles and transit. Dates and times of this work are:

  • Friday, April 1 from 7 p.m. until Monday, April 4 at 6 a.m.
  • Friday April 8 from 7 p.m. until Monday, April 11 at 6 a.m.

If you are traveling downtown during construction, please consider other routes, especially when exiting from Interstate 5.

Monthly Online Construction Update April 6: Join the Denny Network Project team on Wednesday April 6 at 12 p.m. for an online construction update. This web-based event kicks off the first in a monthly series designed to keep project-area stakeholders informed of construction progress. We’ll share an update of completed work, look ahead at what’s next, and answer your questions. Signing up is easy—click this link:

http://tinyurl.com/OnlineConstructionUpdate

Schedule

April 1 – 3 and April 8 – 10: South side of Stewart Street between Boren Avenue and Terry Avenue

Electric vault installation: This work will occur at night between 7 p.m. on Friday and 6 a.m. on Monday

April 4 – 7: Intersection of Stewart Street and 7th Avenue

Potholing to confirm utility locations, soil sampling for analysis and setting up settlement monitoring stations

April 5 – 7: Intersection of Stewart Street and Boren Avenue

Relocating a side sewer: This work will occur at night between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m.

April 8, and 11 – 13: Intersection of Stewart Street and 6th Avenue

Potholing to confirm utility locations, soil sampling for analysis and setting up settlement monitoring stations

April 12 – 14: Intersection of Stewart Street and Minor Avenue

Relocating a side sewer: This work will occur at night between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m.

April 13 – 15: Stewart Street between 7th and 6thAvenues and on 6th Avenue between Stewart Street and Westlake Avenue

Potholing to confirm utility locations, soil sampling for analysis and setting up settlement monitoring stations

April 15 – 17 and April 22 – 24: Stewart Street between 8th Avenue and 7th Avenue

Electric vault installation: This work will occur at night between 7 p.m. on Friday and

6 a.m. on Monday

April 18: Virginia Street between Minor Avenue and Boren Avenue

Potholing to confirm utility locations, soil sampling for analysis and setting up settlement monitoring stations

April 19 – 21: Intersection of Virginia Street and Boren Avenue

Potholing to confirm utility locations, soil sampling for analysis and setting up settlement monitoring stations

Note: This schedule is subject to change due to weather or other circumstances

Traffic Restrictions

From now through August 2016, drivers should expect congestion on Stewart Street between Yale and Westlake Avenues as the project continues with the installation of vaults and duct banks along Stewart Street. To stay informed about traffic conditions, subscribe to SDOT’s email alerts by following this link: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/emailalerts.htm

What to Expect During Construction

  • Lane restrictions and some traffic and pedestrian detours
  • Typical weekday work hours from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Some night and early morning work between the hours of 7 p.m. and 5 a.m.
  • Parking and loading restrictions near work zones
  • Typical construction impacts such as dust, noise and truck activity

Lane Reductions on Stewart Street between Minor and 6th Avenues Begin Friday, April 1

Stewart Street between Minor Avenue and Terry Avenue will be reduced to one lane of traffic, shared by general purpose traffic, bicycles and transit, from 7 p.m. on Friday, April 1, through 6 a.m. on Monday, April 4, for construction of an underground electrical distribution network associated with Seattle City Light’s future Denny Substation. This traffic reduction will be in place again from 7 p.m. on Friday, April 8, through 6 a.m. on Monday, April 11.

Additionally, Stewart Street at 7th Avenue will be reduced to one lane of general purpose traffic and one lane for transit April 4 – 7, and Stewart Street at 6th Avenue will have similar reductions on April 8 and 11. Work in these areas will occur between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

There also will be nighttime work on Stewart Street at Boren Avenue April 5 – 7, between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m.

During this time, Stewart Street will be reduced to one lane of general purpose traffic and one lane for transit.

Access to businesses will be maintained and traffic flaggers and police officers will be on site to assist with vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

From now through August, drivers should expect congestion on Stewart Street between Yale and Westlake Avenues. During this period, the Denny Network project will be installing electrical vaults and duct banks along Stewart Street.

City Light is constructing an underground electrical distribution network (Denny Network) in city streets throughout the South Lake Union and Denny Triangle neighborhoods. Together with the new Denny Substation being built at Stewart Street and Denny Way, the underground network will ensure reliable power for customers throughout City Light’s service area, including the fast-growing communities of South Lake Union, Cascade, Denny Triangle, Uptown, Belltown and First Hill. For further information, visit the project website at: http://www.seattle.gov/light/dennysub/.

 

Denny Substation Work Begins April 4 with One-Block Closure of Pontius Avenue North

Architects’ depiction of the future Denny Substation.

Seattle City Light will permanently close Pontius Avenue N. between Denny Way and John Street on Monday, April 4. The one-block closure marks the start of construction for the Denny Substation, which City Light is building to help keep pace with Seattle’s growing energy needs.

City Light received approval to close this stretch of Pontius from the Seattle City Council after going through the required street vacation process. City Light also will close two adjacent city-owned parking lots.

For drivers traveling north into South Lake Union or the Cascade neighborhood from Denny Way, Fairview Avenue N. is an alternative to Pontius. For drivers traveling south from John Street to Denny Way, either Fairview or Yale Avenue N. offer alternate routes.

A key requirement of approval to close a city street is based on public benefits provided to offset the loss of any right-of-way. To satisfy this requirement, City Light worked with the South Lake Union, Cascade and Denny Triangle neighborhoods to get their input on the types of benefits they would like to see included in the project. City Light responded by incorporating more than $10 million in public benefits in the substation’s design.

When the substation is completed in 2018, it will include a pet off-leash area, open spaces, an Energy Inspiration Center, a community event space, a quarter-mile elevated walkway and improved streetscapes and pedestrian connections between neighborhoods.

The new substation is part of the Denny Substation Program, which also includes construction of a new underground distribution network. The Denny Substation and network will ensure reliable power for some of the city’s fastest growing communities, including South Lake Union, Cascade, Denny Triangle, Uptown, Belltown and First Hill, in addition to customers throughout City Light’s service area.

More information on the Denny Substation Project can be found at: www.seattle.gov/light/dennysub

Seattle City Light is the 10th largest public electric utility in the United States. It has some of the lowest cost customer rates of any urban utility, providing reliable, renewable and environmentally responsible power to about 750,000 Seattle area residents. City Light has been greenhouse gas neutral since 2005, the first electric utility in the nation to achieve that distinction.

Drivers Urged to Consider Stewart Street Alternatives During Construction

Seattle City Light is urging drivers who typically use Exit 166 from Interstate 5 to Stewart Street to consider alternate routes through March 24 while construction of an underground network associated with the future Denny Substation reduces Stewart Street by two lanes between Yale and Boren.

Traffic congestion has delayed drivers using the Stewart Street exit by as much as 45 minutes. Other routes offer a faster alternative.

Work at the site involves a large excavation that would be unrealistic to cover with plating that would allow traffic when construction is not underway.

City Light’s contractor is working 12 hours a day to complete the project as quickly as possible. Night work is not currently permitted at the site.