Get ready for more traffic congestion around Seattle’s South Lake Union area. The city’s transportation department announced new details Tuesday about its effort to re-make Mercer Street.
On May 17, parts of Mercer and Aurora will be completely closed for the weekend. And when those streets re-open on May 20, they will have fewer lanes open for traffic.
The lane restrictions will allow for construction of a project called Mercer West, which is the city’s effort to convert Mercer into a two-way street from Dexter all the way west to Elliot Bay. It’s scheduled to be completed by the fall of 2015.
In the meantime, SDOT Project Manager Eric Tweit said people are going to want to find other routes.
“We’ve identified, depending on where you are, some good ways to get around the construction zone,” he said. “The other thing is to give yourself more time if you’re using Mercer.”
The city has almost finished work on a portion of the project, Mercer East, which is the section between Dexter and Interstate 5.
The city says this will help link neighborhoods together, namely Queen Anne and South Lake Union, to the interstate.
When it’s finished, officials say lanes and sidewalks will be wider and there will be a new bike path in some places, among other things.
LINKS:
SDOT's map of suggested detours around the construction zone
SDOT's map of detours and road closure
