Greenwood Ave construction north of 105th

If you travel on Greenwood Avenue north of Holman Road, you’ll notice a lot of construction from 105th to 112th through at least October. That’s because Seattle Department of Transportation is widening Greenwood Avenue to a five-lane roadway with a center left-hand turn lane.

SDOT also will add new sidewalks and curb ramps, street trees and new street lights. Speaking of street lights, Ross emailed us a few days ago, asking what these asphalt mounds with yellow paint were for:

Turns out the six-foot by six-foot asphalt pads are temporary platforms for new power poles. “Seattle City Light (SCL) crews will be out working for the next few months installing/relocating new utility poles – so some of these asphalt blocks may be there for several weeks,” SDOT spokesman George Frost tells us.
At least one lane of traffic in each direction on Greenwood Avenue will remain open at all times. But during peak commute times, two southbound lanes will remain open from 6-9 a.m. and two northbound lanes will stay open from 3-6 p.m.
Keep an eye out for pedestrian and vehicle detours and parking and loading restrictions. Some parking areas will be permanently removed along Greenwood Avenue to accommodate the wider roadway and new sidewalks.
Crews are now finishing upgrading catch basins and inlets at the northeast corner of N. 105th St. and Greenwood Ave. They’re also working on installing 12-inch storm drain lines on the west and east sides of Greenwood Ave. That work should be done by mid-May.
Here’s SDOT’s preliminary construction schedule:
• Storm drainage work and tree removal – April and May 2009
• Work related to street improvements on the west side of Greenwood Avenue N – May thru August 2009
• Work related to street improvements on the east side of Greenwood Avenue N – July thru September 2009
• Traffic signal work – May/June/September/October 2009
• Work on center medians – August thru September 2009
• Final work to complete project – September thru October 2009