Construction begins for roundabout at 145th and I-5: look for seven month road closure and removal of significant number of trees
Saturday, March 16, 2024
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| Map of 145th road closure |
Expect delays near N 145th Street (State Route 523) and I-5: Seven-month closure of N 145th Street begins April 1
SHORELINE – Travelers who use N 145th Street near Interstate 5 in Shoreline should plan for additional travel time beginning Monday, April 1, 2024.
Contractor crews working for the City of Shoreline and its partners will implement a seven-month closure of N 145th St (SR 523) between 1st Ave NE and I-5.
The I-5 interchange will remain open throughout construction; however, the traffic on the overpass will be reduced to one lane in each direction.
The closure allows construction crews to install, build and/or relocate critical utility infrastructure to accommodate construction of the new roundabouts. This section of the street will remain closed until fall 2024.
The closure allows construction crews to install, build and/or relocate critical utility infrastructure to accommodate construction of the new roundabouts. This section of the street will remain closed until fall 2024.
The closure is part of the City of Shoreline’s 145th Street Corridor and 145th Street and I-5 Interchange projects.
Getting around the closure
Plan ahead for detours! This closure will have a significant effect on traffic flow and access in the area. Southbound I-5 on- and off-ramps will be open, but only accessible from the east side of the closure. We expect some occasional overnight closures of these ramps, but they will mostly remain open.
Travelers wanting to head east and west between 1st Ave N and I-5 will need to detour and use N 155th St or N 130th St.
Plan ahead for detours! This closure will have a significant effect on traffic flow and access in the area. Southbound I-5 on- and off-ramps will be open, but only accessible from the east side of the closure. We expect some occasional overnight closures of these ramps, but they will mostly remain open.
Travelers wanting to head east and west between 1st Ave N and I-5 will need to detour and use N 155th St or N 130th St.
Bicyclists and pedestrians will use a detour along N 147th St.
Detour signage will be in place during the closure, and we will continue to coordinate work with our transit partners, the Washington State Department of Transportation, and the Seattle Department of Transportation.
Travelers are also encouraged to sign up for email updates for the 145th Improvements Projects.
Map of 145th Closure Area
Map of 145th Closure Area
Questions and Concerns
If you have questions or concerns about construction or the project, you can call the 24-hour construction hotline or send an email.
We have designed these projects to affect as few trees as possible. However, the project involves widening the footprint of 145th St, which will require the removal of a significant number of trees. This removal will begin around April 1, 2024.
We will plant new trees once the project is complete. We will plant trees in medians and along sidewalks to expand the square footage of the total tree canopy in the area. This aligns with the City’s goals for the corridor and the recommendations found in our Urban Tree Canopy Assessment. By planting medians or along sidewalks, the City can grow the tree canopy in an area that otherwise would be bare.
Removing trees is a balance between short-term effects and the long-term benefits of a more sustainable transportation system. By carefully selecting which trees to remove and planting new trees at a high rate, we can build toward the future in a responsible way.
If you have questions or concerns about construction or the project, you can call the 24-hour construction hotline or send an email.
- 24-hour construction hotline: 206-899-5127
- Project email: 145thProject@shorelinewa.gov
We have designed these projects to affect as few trees as possible. However, the project involves widening the footprint of 145th St, which will require the removal of a significant number of trees. This removal will begin around April 1, 2024.
We will plant new trees once the project is complete. We will plant trees in medians and along sidewalks to expand the square footage of the total tree canopy in the area. This aligns with the City’s goals for the corridor and the recommendations found in our Urban Tree Canopy Assessment. By planting medians or along sidewalks, the City can grow the tree canopy in an area that otherwise would be bare.
Removing trees is a balance between short-term effects and the long-term benefits of a more sustainable transportation system. By carefully selecting which trees to remove and planting new trees at a high rate, we can build toward the future in a responsible way.
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11 comments:
I wonder if the author of this article has ever walked on a very hot summer day (because they had to) on a busy noisy street without shade for a long period of time. This unbalanced approach will have consequences.
What is marked as N 147th on the map is actually NE 147—streets east of 1st NE are NE rather than N. Also, in the 30+ years I’ve lived in Shoreline, there’s never been a street (3rd NE or 4th NE) that connected NE 147th to NE 145th. Will the City create a new street segment?
5th Ave is still closed from 130th to 145th. How is anyone on the west side of I5 supposed to get to the NB I5 on- ramp at 145th? Poor planning!
Putting a roundabout is a pretty stupid idea on a busy street with 4 lanes of traffic plus I-5 entrance on a narrow road. Watch how many accidents will happen.
any chance the city will monitor speeding on 155th? They could write enough tickets to fund the city coffers for months - and I don't care if you call it a "speed trap" Is the speed limit a law? or a random suggestion that people can take or leave? How about the 5 or so cars that will make left turns after the lights turn red?
The roundabouts being installed by our city are so visually boring. How about some native plantings in the middle of the roundabout? A big asphalt circle is not only visually boring but also not water-wise. With all the money being spent, it's really surprising to see more asphalt.
Whether you like roundabouts or not, you have to admit that installing one on a steep hill is a pretty dumb idea.....which of course is exactly what WSDOT is doing on the west side of the freeway. Expect the project to go long as they discover this for themselves.
Do you remember the outreach meetings, the planning, the public comment in preparation for this project? You don't, because they didn't happen. The state decided from on high that this was how they would "fix" 145th & I-5, and they didn't bother to solicit the opinions of us peons. Good government in Washington is illusory.
There will be no pedestrian signals with the roundabout system. No walk signs, no signals - just crosswalks away from the circle. As a visually impaired pedestrian, this is a nightmare! Studies have proven these systems are unsafe. It's already very dangerous crossing with left turn on green drivers and right turn on red drivers who aren't looking in the crosswalk before they turn. That's WITH the signals and walk/don't walk technology. Three times in one day's travel last week in Shoreline at Ballinger intersections, I was almost roadkill for the crows.
Also, surely I'm not the only one thinking of all the songbirds that are making nests in those trees as we speak. So utterly sad.
It will be interesting to see how the roundabout works out, but I trust that the traffic engineers did the proper traffic flow studies. Hopefully the efficiency added is worth the 6 months of hinderance the construction causes.
"Significant number of trees" turns out to be, I believe, 317. Seems crazy to me when we need trees for climate change resilience: they benefit stormwater adsorption in several ways, shade those hot sidewalks (how many people do you see strolling down the Aurora "park"/transmisison line corridor?), adsorb pollution and help to remove pollutents from our air. The last thing Shoreline needs is more hardscape; it may cost more, but doing a better job of protecting our large trees while upgrading roads and sidewalks is doable and urgent.
It will be interesting to see how far backed up the off ramps from the freeway get during peak hours. Also from a pedestrian safety’s view it’s crazy to not have a signal to stop traffic at these busy locations. Time will tell for sure
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