Work on the changes to Nickerson Street will start on July 26 and last about a month. A contractor hired by the Seattle Department of Transportation will start the “diet” work between 13th Ave. West and Etruria to reduce the number of traffic lanes to one in each direction. A bike lane will be added on the uphill direction, bike sharrows will be added to the downhill direction, and a new two-way left turn lane will also be added.
Normal working hours will be between 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Grinding off the top layer of asphalt and repaving of the roadway is expected to occur at night and is scheduled to take a total of 3 days during the first and second weeks in August. Here is the tentative pan for the work:
- Last week of July thru the first week of August – New concrete panels at Etruria Street and new curb ramps in various locations
- Two days during the first week of August – Asphalt grinding (pavement removal)
- First and second weeks of August — Roadway base repairs and utility adjustments
- One day later in the week of August 9 thru 13 – Asphalt pavement overlay
- First three to four weeks of August – Remove and replace channelization/pavement striping
- Last part of August – Finalize work and clean up
The project has been the subject of spirited debate for the past few months. Our recent reader poll found the community almost evenly split on whether they support or oppose the diet.