Sound buffering wall under construction for Ship Canal Water Quality project

Meghan Walker Ballard

Construction is underway building a sound containment wall at 24th Ave NW and Shilshole Ave NW, one of the Ship Canal Water Quality Project sites in Ballard.

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) and King County Wastewater Treatment Division are building an underground storage tunnel to reduce the amount of polluted stormwater (from rain) and sewage that flows into the Lake Washington Ship Canal, Salmon Bay and Lake Union from our sewer system.

SPU says construction of the 12-foot-high sound containment wall will continue through April. Crews have also been removing curbs, mulch, temporary fencing and asphalt at the construction site. Expect crews between 7am and 5pm during the week, with possible evening and weekend work.

Nearby businesses and residents should expect the following:

  • Short interruptions on Shilshole Ave NW for trucks entering the site, and 24th Ave NW for trucks exiting the site; please pay attention to flaggers
  • Parking restrictions along the east side of 24th Ave NW so construction trucks can exit the work site
  • Noise and vibrations related to drilling sound containment wall beam piles

Construction will start on 11th Ave NW and NW 45th Streets (near Fred Meyer, see below map) as early as April 15 and is expected to last a few years, until early 2023. The first few months of work will include site preparation; setting up fences and removing trees, installing stormwater control and soil monitoring equipment, relocating an existing waterline, and stabilizing soils for underground construction work.

Map showing East Ballard construction zone on NW 45th St

Starting in mid-April, crews will be at the east Ballard site from 7am to 5pm Monday to Friday, with some evening and weekend work.

The Burke-Gilman Trail will be detoured to the north side of NW 45th St when construction starts. There will also be one-lane closures on 45th and 11th Ave NW from April to November during soil stabilization work. And, expect to see lane closures on 11th Ave NW between the Fred Meyer entrance on 11th Ave NW and NW 45th St for approximately six to nine months beginning January 2021.

There will eventually be a full closure of NW 45th between 9th and 11th for 15 months beginning in 2021 — we’ll update on that when it gets closer.

To learn more about the project and its various sites between Ballard and Wallingford, click here.

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