Everything you want to know about street construction

Photos courtesy City of Shoreline

The City of Shoreline is in the process of completing the final phase of the Aurora Corridor Project.

The City hired contractor Gary Merlino Construction Company (GMCC) in late 2013 to construct improvements on the final section of Aurora Avenue between N 192nd Street and N 205th Street.

Minimizing the inconvenience to affected businesses, residences, bicyclists, pedestrians, and the motoring public while building a new roadway is a challenge. To minimize the inconvenience, 2014 work has been staged on the west side of Aurora, with travel shifted to the east.

When work on the west side is sufficiently completed in early 2015, GMCC plans to shift traffic to the west and work on the east side. During the summer of 2015, GMCC will shift traffic to both the east and west sides while working on the median. The project will be complete in early 2016, weather permitting.

The City has published a brochure with details about the various steps and stages in street construction. Travelers on Aurora have seen the ground-level effects of the various steps, but the photos show what is being done in the construction trenches.

There are a lot of processes that happen while the street is dug up:

1. Locating existing utilities under the street
2. Installing utility vaults
3. Excavating a utility trench and laying new conduit
4. Connecting utilities to vaults, access holes, inlets, etc. and the existing system

And all this is before sidewalks, curbs, retaining walls, lights and all the above ground work can begin.

Check out the brochure for more details.