Don’t forget that the intersection of NW 85th Street and 8th Avenue NW will be closed again this weekend, so Seattle Department of Transportation crews can rebuild it. Large signs sit by the side of the road, warning drivers from every direction as they approach the intersection.

The rebuilt intersection is part of SDOT’s nearly year-long repaving of N/NW 85th Street from Ballard to I-5. The intersection will be closed from 6 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. Work will continue around the clock, but noisy work (such as jack-hammering) will be limited between 10 p.m. and 9 a.m.

Detour routes will be posted, and nearby businesses will be open, just a little harder to get to. Eastbound detours will remain in place on NW 85th St between 15th Ave NW and 8th Ave NW as part of the work on that stretch of road.

Metro bus routes 28 and 48 will be detoured. Check Metro’s Alerts Center for more information and to sign up for Transit Alerts.

The Greenwood Market at NW 85th St and 3rd Avenue NW is closing its doors for good at 6 p.m. today. While many shelves are empty, Store Manager Patty Nolan says they still have a good variety of products, just not too much of any one thing, so customers can go on “a treasure hunt” for groceries.

Friday night, store employees held a low-key open house for regular customers, serving cupcakes…

And there was a goodbye book for customers to sign. (Thanks to Rae for the photos!)

Any groceries left at the end of the day will go to the Greenwood Food Bank.

Greenwood Market is closing to make way for an expanded Fred Meyer. The Greenwood Fred Meyer currently has clearance prices as it clears out its inventory before closing on Feb. 25 for remodeling. It will open sometime in the late fall.

Update 12:10 p.m.: At noon today, they started taking down the “Store Closing” signs on the outside.

Just a reminder that the intersection of NW 85th Street and 8th Avenue NW is closed all weekend so Seattle Department of Transportation crews can rebuild the intersection. The intersection closed last night, and is scheduled to reopen at 5 a.m. Monday.

Rob sent us this photo last night shortly after construction started. (Thanks, Rob!)

The work is part of the nearly year-long repaving project of North/NW 85th Street from Ballard to I-5.

Update 12:10 p.m.: NW 85th Street is closed to through traffic at both 3rd Avenuw NW…

…and 6th Avenue NW.

Seattle Department of Transportation will close the intersection of 8th Avenue NW and NW 85th Street to all traffic this weekend and next weekend, so it can rebuild the roadway as part of its year-long repaving of N/NW 85th Street from Ballard to I-5.

Here’s the latest from SDOT:

Work dates (weather dependent):

• Friday, February 3 to Monday, February 6*
• Friday, February 10 to Monday, February 13*
• These dates are tentative based on weather; visit our website, or sign up for email alerts to receive updates on schedule

Work hours:

• 6:00 p.m. Friday to 5:00 a.m. Monday (24-hour continuous work)
• Noisy work activities will be limited between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m.

Traffic:

• The intersection will be completely closed to traffic for two weekends
• Detour routes will be clearly posted; please follow signed detours and avoid cutting through neighborhood streets
• Eastbound detours will remain in place on NW 85th St between 15th Ave NW and 8th Ave NW

Transit, bicycles and pedestrians:

• Metro bus routes #28 and #48 will be affected by this work; sign up for Metro rider alerts for the latest information on route changes
• Bicycles should detour around the intersection during this work
• Pedestrian crossings will be maintained; flaggers and uniformed police officers will be present during this work to assist pedestrians

The city’s Department of Planning and Development has conditionally approved the proposed four-building development at 10201 Greenwood Ave. N. The developer proposes 263 residential units in three, four-story buildings, plus six live-work units, 212 enclosed parking spaces, and 3,900 square feet of commercial space.

Sketch courtesy of Grouparchitect.

The city determined there were no significant environmental impacts associated with the project. You can view the full decision. Appeals of the decision must be received by the hearing examiner by Jan. 31, 2012.

Update Jan. 19: The city has reissued its decision on the project, making it more specific with regard to issues of soil remediation. You can read the full decision here.

Earlier: The proposed development at 6010 Phinney Ave. N. has hit a new snag. The Department of Planning and Development had previously issued a Master Use Permit for the project, but then withdrew that decision after questions about soil remediation on the site.

The project would demolish the one-story building now housing Chef Liao, Phinney Ridge Cleaners, Daily Planet Antiques and the former Roosters Breakfast Club, and replace it with a four-story mixed-use building with 19 residential units, 2,708 square feet of commercial space, and below-grade parking for 23 vehicles.

We’ve got a message in to DPD for more specifics. We’ll update this post when we know more.

DPD Planner Shelley Bolser tells us that the city withdrew its decision and is drafting a new one because it wanted to be more clear about the Washington State Department of Ecology’s role in soil cleanup.

“We…wanted to make sure that we had properly described any of the soil contamination impacts,” Bolser said. “The Washington State Department of Ecology is actually the entity that reviews soil contamination and any cleanup program. So the applicant has applied with that state agency to go through their voluntary cleanup program. We also added a condition that prior to issuance of a building permit, the applicant will need to show the city proof of whatever Ecology has approved for a cleanup plan.”

The Seattle Department of Transportation will have crews working at the intersection of Greenwood Avenue North and North 80th Street tonight to finish up a few minor items after the intersection was completely rebuilt last October. Crews may also have to work on Thursday night if the work isn’t finished tonight.

From SDOT:

• Work hours: 8:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. – noisy work activities will end by 10:00 p.m.
• Traffic: traffic lanes will remain open in all directions but will be shifted around the work areas
• A uniformed police officer will be present during this work to help direct traffic
• Bicycles should merge with traffic and follow posted signs
• Pedestrian access will be maintained through the intersection

Want to stay up-to-date with the latest construction information?

• Sign up to receive email updates by emailing pave_85th@seattle.gov
• Visit the project website, updated weekly: www.seattle.gov/transportation/pave_85th.htm
• Call the 24-hour project line at (206) 496-9993
• Look for construction flyers, distributed regularly to homes and businesses near the work area

Road crews will work this weekend on NW 85th Street between 12th and 13th Avenues NW, as part of the massive, nearly year-long repaving project of N/NW 85th Street from Ballard to I-5.

SDOT began work on Wednesday with eastbound NW 85th Street being closed between 8th and 15th Avenues NW, and traffic was detoured to NW 80th Street.

The latest from SDOT about this weekend’s work:

Residents, businesses and commuters should expect:

Construction activities:

• Breaking apart the existing pavement on NW 85th St between 13th Ave NW and 12th Ave NW (this work will be noisy)

Traffic routing:

• Eastbound lanes will continue to be closed and traffic detoured to NW 80th St
• Westbound traffic will be maintained

Weekend work hours:

• 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information:

• Call the 24-hour project line: (206) 496-9993
• Email: pave_85th@seattle.gov
• Visit: www.seattle.gov/transportation/pave_85th.htm

The Greenwood Fred Meyer will close at 11 p.m. on Feb. 25 for extensive renovation and expansion. Work on the site begins March 1. The company hopes to reopen the store sometime in the late fall. Melinda Merrill, Director of Public Affairs, tells us that all Greenwood employees will work at other nearby Fred Meyers during construction.

Customers of the Fred Meyer pharmacy won’t have to drive far to get their prescriptions filled. Fred Meyer is opening a temporary pharmacy just across the street to the east, in an empty retail space in Piper Village on First Avenue, near the Mud Bay pet store. The temporary pharmacy opens on Feb. 27.

The Greenwood Market will be demolished to make way for the expansion. The Market’s tentative last day is Feb. 4, and the lease is up Feb. 29.

Fred Meyer is adding approximately 55,000 square feet to its Greenwood store, and will add groceries.

The major NW 85th Street repaving project began today and so far there are no major traffic disruptions. Eastbound traffic, including Metro buses, is being detoured between 15th Avenue NW and 8th Avenue NW to NW 80th Street. The detour route was put in place after this morning’s commute.

SDOT workers cover up the left turn signal from southbound 15th Avenue NW onto eastbound NW 85th Street.

One of the employees of MidMountain Contractors Inc., who was stationed at the intersection of NW 85th Street and Mary Avenue NW, told me at 9:20 a.m. that traffic was flowing smoothly so far.

The intersection of NW 85th Street and Mary Avenue NW.

A Seattle Police Officer stationed at NW 80th Street and 15th Avenue NW told me at 9:30 a.m. that traffic was flowing normally.

The intersection of 15th Avenue NW and NW 80th Street.

The real test comes this afternoon during rush hour. The project to pave N/NW 85th Street from 15th Avenue NW all the way to I-5 will last until October. The work will be done in phases. Stay tuned to PhinneyWood for updates.

Here’s the official word from Metro for riders of the eastbound 48 and 81:

Eastbound bus routes (#48 and #81) detoured to NW 80th St

• Catch eastbound route #48 at 15th Ave NW just south of NW 85th St, or at 8th Ave NW and NW 85th St
• Catch southbound route #81 at 15th Ave NW just south of NW 85th St, or at 8th Ave NW and NW 80th St
• No temporary bus stops will be added to NW 80th St in an effort to keep traffic moving along the detour route
• Metro will post rider alerts to notify transit riders of detours and/or temporary bus stop closures

As we told you two days ago, the repaving of N/NW 85th Street from Ballard to I-5 begins Wednesday morning. Eastbound lanes on NW 85th Street will be closed from 15th Avenue NW to 8th Avenue NW, and traffic will be detoured to NW 80th Street.

The intersection of NW 85th Street and 15th Avenue NW. Construction begins on the east side of the intersection Wednesday morning.

The detour route will be put in place after Wednesday morning’s commute (this is a change from our earlier post, when the contractor had originally planned to put the detour in place early in the morning). However, eastbound Metro buses WILL be on the detour route from the first bus out of the base around 4 or 5 a.m., because Metro doesn’t change routes mid-shift. Rider alerts are posted at bus stops, and you can sign up for alerts online.

Westbound NW 85th Street will remain open for now, but may be narrowed to one lane at times.

SDOT Project Manager Jessica Murphy has told us that NW 80th Street is their best option for a detour route, but it won’t be able to handle all of the cars that would normally travel on NW 85th Street. So she encourages people to plan ahead and leave extra time, or switch to transit or walking.

For more information on the project, or if you have questions or concerns, check out the project’s website; email pave_85th@seattle.gov; or call the 24-hour project line (answered by a live person) at 206-496-9993.

Beginning this week, driving through Ballard and Greenwood is going to get a whole lot trickier.

The Seattle Department of Transportation’s major repaving project of North/NW 85th Street, from 15th Avenue NW in Ballard all the way to I-5, is scheduled to start on Wednesday morning. The two-mile long project will be done in five phases, moving from west to east.

Phase 1 is from 15th Avenue NW to 8th Avenue NW. Beginning Wednesday, the eastbound lanes of that seven-block stretch will be closed, and traffic will be detoured to 80th Street.

Construction will begin on the eastbound lanes 0f NW 85th St. on the east side of the intersection with 15th Avenue NW.

SDOT Project Manager Jessica Murphy said the plan is to set up the detour route in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, so that it’s all ready to go before the morning commute. after the morning commute on Wednesday (this is updated information as of 1-3-12).

However, “The detour is not able to accommodate all the displaced traffic. We don’t expect the detour to perform very well even when optimized,” Murphy explained. “We estimate that to keep the detour route functioning at a moderately decent pace, actually about 50 percent of the cars need to choose something else other than the detour.”

Eastbound traffic will be detoured from NW 85th Street to NW 80th Street.

And that becomes even more pressing during Phases 2 and 3, so Murphy said this is a good time to learn what your other options are, from your own detour route to carpooling, taking transit or walking.

“But that doesn’t include you cutting through our neighborhood streets,” she said, adding that drivers should stick to arterial streets, but if they must cut through, drive slowly. “We ask people to drive through their neighborhood streets as if it was their street and their children.”

Barriers recently installed on 15th Avenue NW at NW 83rd Street will keep cars from turning from southbound 15th to eastbound 83rd.

Murphy expects a transition period of about a week for traffic to level out to the “new normal.” Then SDOT will make traffic signal timing adjustments based on what that new normal is. SDOT crews will be observing traffic patterns and intersections all day on that first day, and uniformed police officers will be stationed at all of the affected intersections for the first few days.

“The detour will only function worse and worse from here, so we really need people to plan ahead,” she said. “With the beginning of any new traffic control change there’s an adjustment period. So, traffic is expected to get very bad at first.”

SDOT has done extensive outreach on the project, from mass mailings to emails, variable message signs on the roadway, and door-to-door hand delivery of 800 flyers to a one-block radius of the Phase 1 work.

Pedestrian access to homes and businesses on 85th will be maintained at all times, but driveways may be closed up to three times during the project, up to 48 hours at a time. On-street parking will be eliminated from 15th to 8th during the first phase, so expect more cars parking on side streets.

No parking signs on NW 85th Street.

Typical work hours will be 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, but evening and weekend work will occur periodically. No jack hammering is allowed between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m.

Phase 2 will be from 8th Avenue NW to Greenwood Avenue North. SDOT will do some spot work in Phase 2 at the same time as Phase 1. It won’t require detours, but there will be intermittent lane closures in both directions. Both phases are scheduled to be done sometime in May.

Transit also will be detoured. Metro will have temporary stops for eastbound buses on 80th. Westbound buses will stay on 85th. Be sure and check Metro rider alerts.

There are two fewer empty storefronts in the neighborhood thanks to the project. SDOT has taken over the old Playmatters space at 7720 Greenwood Ave. N. for the duration of the project, and the contractor’s office is right next door in the old Lemon Meringue boutique space.

The project contractor’s office is on the bottom left, and SDOT’s office is on the bottom right.

Murphy said if people have concerns or issues, they can stop into the SDOT office if someone is there. (But please don’t go to the contractor’s office.) But the best way to contact someone with questions or problems is to call the 24-hour hotline: 206-496-9993. A live person will answer that phone any hour of the day or night.

Murphy said she knows it will be a real hassle for people to deal with the construction until October, but it will be fantastic when it’s finished. The new concrete roadways will last 40-60 years.

“There will not need to be a project of this magnitude on this corridor pretty much for as long as we all here will live,” Murphy said.

A note to bicyclists: SDOT has decided not to put bike sharrows on 85th between 8th and 15th as originally planned.

The $12 million project is funded by the taxpayer-approved 2006 Bridging the Gap Levy. SDOT estimates that 30,000 vehicles use North/NW 85th Street every day.

Phase 3 will work on 85th Street from Greenwood Avenue North to Aurora Avenue North. Phase 4 is from Aurora Avenue North to Wallingford Avenue North. And Phase 5 is from Wallingford Avenue North to the I-5 entrance.

Greenwood Avenue North is also getting a paving makeover as part of the project. That work will be mostly concurrent with Phase 2 work on 85th Street, but Murphy promises that it will be done before the Greenwood Car Show at the end of June. More information on that phase will come closer to the start date.

For more information on the project:

• Call the 24-hour project line: 206-496-9993
• Email: pave_85th@seattle.gov
• Check out the project website: www.seattle.gov/transportation/pave_85th.htm