Upcoming Route 40 online open house to discuss Fremont and Westlake construction

Early next month you’ll have a chance to learn more about Route 40 construction in Fremont and Westlake.

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), and King County Metro are planning an online open house on Jan. 7 to discuss the upcoming Route 40 — Transit-Plus Multimodal Corridor project work in Fremont and Westlake Ave N that they say will be ongoing through 2025.

The Route 40 project is aimed at improving bus travel in Seattle—a large portion of the work is in Ballard along Leary and NW Market St.

SDOT says the project will involve significant infrastructure upgrades in the Fremont and the Westlake neighborhoods, including replacing a 100-year-old waterline under Fremont Ave N, between N 34th St and N 35th St.

The online open house will be Tuesday, Jan. 7 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. To access the open house, visit the project webpage.

Here’s what’s currently happening in Ballard on Leary Ave NW between 20th Ave NW and NW Market St:

  • Paving has been substantially completed at Leary Ave NW, NW Vernon Pl, and 20th Ave NW.
  • Crews finished pouring the upgraded sidewalks and curb ramps on the northeast corner of Leary Ave NW and 20th Ave NW.
    • Crews plan to do limited sidewalk work in 2025 to finish these upgrades.

Between NW Dock Pl and NW Ione Pl:

  • Sidewalk work is nearly complete through this stretch of Leary Ave NW.
    • Minor sidewalk replacements are planned to be completed in early 2025.

In Westlake, from SDOT:

  • As early as January 2025, we will be starting construction on Westlake Ave N and Halladay St. Crews plan to survey, trench, and install conduit for the new pedestrian crossing.
  • Construction impacts neighbors can expect are parking restrictions, lane reductions, detours, noise, dust, and debris.
  • The Halladay St parking entrance will be closed frequently during construction. Please follow all posted detours and signage.

And finally, in Fremont:

  • Construction is scheduled to start in Fremont in February 2025 but neighbors might see crews do some preliminary work earlier in preparation for construction. This could include potholing and surveying select areas. You might notice temporary parking and lane restriction during this time.

SDOT says to expect the following during construction:

  • Temporary lane reductions
  • Temporary driveway closures
  • Temporary bus stop closures
  • Temporary parking restrictions
  • Temporary sidewalk detours
  • Temporary storage of construction supplies in the street  
  • Temporary noise, dust and vibrations
  • Bus stop relocations
  • Drainage work: This involves digging trenches to help manage water flow
  • Signal pole foundation excavation: This work involves digging for the pole foundations prior to when we order custom signal poles which takes a while to build and to make sure we know there are no underground obstructions  
  • Trenching for conduit: This involves digging trenches to lay down pipes or cables underground
  • Sidewalk curb bulb out: This involves making the curbs stick outward for safety or accessibility
  • Mill and fill overlay: This is when the top layer of the road gets removed and replaced with new asphalt

Photo: Watermain trenching and installation during the Rapid Ride G-Line project on E Madison St (SDOT)