Seattle Department of Transportation will begin its “microsurfacing” preventative maintenance program in three neighborhoods beginning next week, including Bitter Lake, just north of Greenwood.
SDOT contractors will apply a seal-coat to non-arterial city streets. The work is weather dependent and could be rescheduled if it rains.
The work in Bitter Lake will happen on Aug. 19 and Aug. 21-24. Click here to see which streets will be microsurfaced and when.
To prepare these streets for the microsurfacing seal-coat, it’s essential that any structural damage is repaired prior to the microsurfacing process. Therefore, SDOT crews have patched deteriorated areas of the selected roads well in advance of the microsurfacing operation. In addition, low hanging branches and overgrowth needs to be trimmed to allow for the microsurfacing equipment to navigate the roads. Pre-sweeping will be done by SDOT crews days in advance of the work, and the contractor will perform a final sweep on the day of microsurfacing.
What to expect:
• Microsurfacing work will take place between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. On the day of microsurfacing, all personal items, including vehicles, will need to be removed from the roadway.
• Residents will need to park their cars on a nearby block not being microsurfaced. During the microsurfacing process, large equipment will apply a thin layer of seal coat onto the pavement. While some streets may remain closed after 5 p.m. to allow for drying time of the street surface, crews will re-open all streets the same day the work is done.
• A sealed street will be closed to vehicular traffic for up to 8 hours to allow the seal coat to set. Residents, pedestrians, and even pets should be kept off the emulsion until it has dried. The microsurfacing emulsion will be sticky and difficult to remove from clothing or pet fur. Please do not wash cars or water lawns as this may delay the microsurfacing curing process. Please do not drive, walk, run, play or ride bikes on the street until it has been re-opened.
Microsurfacing is a protective seal coat which extends the life of pavement. This is a cost-effective method to renew the road surface and seal minor cracks and other irregularities. Like painting a house, microsurfacing creates a protective layer which preserves the underlying structure and minimizes the need for more expensive repairs in the future.
If you have questions about microsurfacing work in your neighborhood, please email: [email protected] or call (206) 643-6304.
