80-foot-tall illuminated tower planned for Ballard Pump Station along the Ship Canal

Meghan Walker Ballard

An 80-foot-tall, LED-lit pump station is coming to downtown Ballard.

Seattle Public Utilities has finalized design plans for the Ballard Pump Station at 24th Ave NW and Shilshole, which will pump sewage from the new wastewater storage tunnel to West Point Treatment Plant. The whole project is known as the Ship Canal Water Quality Project, and crews have been digging a tunnel alongside the Ship Canal from Ballard to Wallingford for the past year.

SPU says the tower design was inspired by Ballard’s shipyards and maritime industry and will be surrounded by a maintenance yard and tree nursery. Trees from the nursery will eventually be re-planted throughout the city as street trees.

Onsite will be artwork by Jeffrey Veregge from the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe “that celebrates the Coast Salish heritage and historical use of the area,” SPU says. The 24th Ave NW street-end and right-of-way will have green stormwater infrastructure with parking and pedestrian access.

Now that the project has reached 100% design, SPU is ready to advertise for bids and hire a contractor, with plans to start construction in 2023.

In the meantime, tunnel boring machine MudHoney is continuing to tunnel toward Wallingford. SPU says during tunneling activities you should expect the following:

  • Truck deliveries of concrete segments and MudHoney equipment
  • Nighttime segment deliveries and tunnel spoils being hauled off
  • Noise and vibrations typical of a construction site

Work happens six days a week, and the tunnel is expected to reach Wallingford by early 2023.

In East Ballard, SPU has finished excavation for the underground mechanical and electrical vault on NW 45th St. SPU says to expect the following:

  • Starting as soon as June, one-lane closure on 11th Ave NW through November 2022. Flaggers will direct northbound and southbound traffic, and additional directional signage will be in place.
  • Heavy equipment in the area
  • NW 45th St closed to traffic; vehicles must detour onto NW 46th St
  • Burke-Gilman Trail users remain detoured to the north side of NW 45th St
  • Flaggers will help direct traffic during daytime working hours. Please follow all detour guidance on site. For safety, bicyclists should either dismount or cross train tracks at a 90-degree angle. Please use extra caution in wet weather as ramps may be slippery.
  • Noise and vibrations typical of a construction site

Regular work hours are Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. with occasional night and weekend work.

In Fremont, lane reductions on Leary Way NW between 1st Ave NW and NW 39th St will continue through mid-May so crews can conduct utility work on Leary. SPU says to expect the following in Fremont:

  • Dust and grinding noise
  • Lane reductions on Leary Way NW
  • Excavators working on-site for utility installation work
  • Truck traffic on Leary Way NW as trucks bring and remove materials to and from the site
  • NW 36th St between Leary Way NW and 3rd Ave NW closed (through the remainder of the project)
  • Pedestrian detours on Leary Way NW; please follow all detour guidance on site
  • Generators running during work hours to power equipment
  • 2nd Ave NW, between Leary Way NW and NW Canal St, closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic for sewer and diversion structure work at least through the end of 2022
  • NW Canal St open to two-way traffic to allow access during this closure. Please do not park at the west end of NW Canal St so two-way traffic may turn around at the closure.
  • Noise and vibrations typical of a construction site

You can learn more about the project timeline and history here.

Renderings courtesy Seattle Public Utilities