With 2 1/2 of 3 1/2 blocks of the 1st stage of work open, the contractor is taking advantage of decent weather to work any day they can. See the updated project status map showing the California Street intersection, the block between Everett Avenue and California Street and Hoyt opened to all traffic.
Did you know…
- The decision to pour concrete has to be made the night before? The job superintendent has to consider if weather will allow work to continue and whether to deploy truck drivers and tradespeople to the project site the next day. No change to deployment can be made the day of.
- Pouring concrete in the rain is problematic? On a heavy rain day, you might be able to pour curbs, but you can’t pour roadway or sidewalks. Pouring concrete in the rain has a detrimental effect on the finished product.
- Sometimes only a handful of workers are on site at a time because that line of work is necessary before other work can proceed? It is not productive, but it is costly, to have additional trades on site waiting to work.
- Putting in new roads and sidewalks involves the work of many different trades? Having multiple trades working in a given project area simultaneously can create congestion and crew interference, and negatively affects productivity. This is called stacking trades, and it is best management practice to avoid it.
- There are many reasons why a concrete plant might not be open? Roadway construction involves an intricate supply chain, one example being concrete work. Concrete plants are usually closed during cold weather, weekends, nighttime and holidays. Pouring concrete depends upon the concrete plant being open, and if concrete isn’t being made that day, concrete can’t be poured.
- You find all kinds of things under a 100-year-old roadway? Three abandoned oil tanks, an abandoned and deteriorated wood stave water transmission line, voids or empty spaces, unsuitable soils (old dredge spoil soils and organic materials), under sidewalk areaways, and shallow conduits (positioned too close to the surface; required relocating) have all been found under the roadway in the Rucker project. Each discovery requires different solutions that take time. The unsuitable soils alone required more than a week dedicated to additional excavation and backfill with suitable soils.
CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS THIS WEEK
Rucker
- Everett to California
- The block between Everett Avenue and California Street OPENED TO ALL TRAFFIC on Friday, December 6 at 1:15 p.m.
- California to Hewitt
- The contractor continued to trench for electrical and poured new sidewalk, curbs and planter curbs on both sides of the street.
- Hewitt to Wall
- The contractor demolished the sidewalk and installed electrical and irrigation on the east side.
- Intermittent traffic delays at the Aero apartments will continue next month. These delays are expected to be of shorter duration than previous driveway access delays.
Wall
- The Wall Street crossing of Rucker was closed to vehicles for some storm drainage work. The contractor installed storm drainage and continued installing temporary lighting from Wall to Pacific.
Hoyt
- Hoyt remains fully OPEN TO TRAFFIC.
UPCOMING
Rucker
- Everett to California
- The block between Everett Avenue and California Street -- OPEN TO ALL TRAFFIC.
- California to Hewitt
- The contractor will continue placing new sidewalk, curbs and planter curbs along the east side of the street.
- The contractor will pave the west side of Hewitt and driveways from Hewitt to California.
- Hewitt intersection
- The contractor will be working over the weekend to put in ramps at the corners of the intersection and will pave the west side of the Hewitt intersection next week.
- Hewitt to Wall
- The contractor will continue demolition of the existing sidewalk and install electrical and irrigation on the east side.
- Intermittent traffic delays at the Aero apartments will continue next month. These delays are expected to be of shorter duration than previous driveway access delays.
Wall
- Wall Street intersection
- Wall Street will be closed to east-west through traffic across Rucker. The contractor will focus on roadway demolition, grading, installing storm drainage, irrigation and electrical crossings.
Hoyt
- OPEN TO TRAFFIC
- Finishing the sidewalk corners at the northeast corner of the Hoyt/Pacific intersection. New signals poles will be installed later; the contractor is awaiting delivery of signal poles and equipment. Landscaping the planters will occur in spring 2020.
CONSTRUCTION CONSTRAINTS
Every streetscape project has two primary competing priorities: access during construction vs. construction duration/cost. If road impacts are lessened, construction time and cost increase. If construction time is reduced, severity of road impacts must increase proportionately. For the Rucker Renewal streetscape project, the staging and pacing of the work is designed to allow as much access to businesses as possible while allowing construction to progress as quickly as possible. In this urban environment, pedestrian access and safety has been prioritized over vehicular access.
Existing state and local legal requirements also impact the contractor's working conditions.
- Per the contract provisions, there cannot be construction outside of the City's noise ordinance, which limits the amount of time each day that the contractor can conduct noise producing work.
- The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) standard specifications specify days of the year that can be counted as "working days" in transportation contracts. Among others, federal holidays and days that are deemed unworkable due to weather are defined as "nonworking days." The days between Christmas and New Year's Day are designated as nonworking days.
Maximizing efficiency, minimizing impacts
City staff work closely with the contractor to get the work done as quickly as possible and minimize disruption to business and the traveling public. Some examples of the agile project management employed on Rucker Renewal include:
- Full block traffic closures only occur within one stage at a time.
- The contract allows the contractor to work within multiple stages, but full block closures are limited to one stage at a time.
- The contractor works many Saturdays, weather permitting.
- To allow traffic to remain open through the work zone and shorten the time needed for a full closure of the Stage 2 work later, the contractor performed the waterline portion of the Stage 2 work early, maintaining traffic through this area.
- Single-direction, local vehicle access has been allowed for specific business needs that cannot be otherwise accommodated.
- Single-lane, two-way traffic permitted in areas where construction is not actively occurring but for which dedicated construction vehicle access is necessary.
- Pedestrian access and safety is prioritized over vehicle access during construction; full pedestrian business access to Rucker street frontages at all times.
- Old sidewalks are left in place during street paving.
- Pedestrian routes moved to street on new street pavement.
- New sidewalks constructed
Access
- A pedestrian detour route will be available through the area.
- Rucker Avenue between Everett and California - OPEN TO TRAFFIC
- Rucker Avenue between California and Hewitt - FULL BLOCK CLOSURE
- Rucker Avenue between Wall and Hewitt - vehicular access will remain open with one-way access northbound.
- Rucker Avenue from Wall to Pacific – vehicular access will remain open to southbound travel only.
- A flagger will be present at the Hewitt/Rucker and the Wall/Rucker intersection during work hours.
- The signed detour that has been in place will remain.
REMINDERS
3 Parts. One full closure at a time.
The project is broken into three parts. Each part is referred to as a stage. Full block closures may only occur within a single stage at a time, but work tasks may overlap.
- Stage One - Rucker between Everett and Hewitt; Hoyt between Wall and Pacific; California west of Rucker (3.5 blocks)
- Stage Two - Rucker between Hewitt and up to and including Wall; Wall Street from Hoyt to west of Rucker (2.5 blocks)
- Stage Three - Rucker between Wall and Pacific (1 block)
Future closures of the Rucker and Everett Avenue intersection will occur later in the project in support of the traffic signal work at that intersection.
Work-zone vandalism has occurred outside of construction hours. To report suspicious activity, please call Everett Police's non-emergency line: 425-407-3999.
Business support
The City’s tourism channels (VisitEverett.com, facebook.com/visiteverett, instagram.com/visiteverett) are highlighting stakeholders impacted by the Rucker Renewal project, and yours could be next. If you're interested in your business being featured, please contact Julio Cortes at 425-257-7110.
Construction liaison info
Pedestrian access
The contract provides for an ADA compliant, 6-foot protected and lighted pedestrian path, and any pedestrian detours will be signed. Pedestrians are discouraged from traveling in the work zone, but when necessary, the contractor is required to provide escorts during work hours.
Business entrances
Business entrances will always be accessible either via an existing sidewalk or a temporary asphalt sidewalk, except during short periods of concrete placement and curing.
Work hours
Project work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with possible evening work. Everett’s noise ordinance prohibits work between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. during the week and between 10 p.m. and 9 a.m. on weekends, unless a variance has been issued. Please note that Everett's noise ordinance allows work until 10 p.m. on Saturdays.
Historical findings
See images of historical finds from the Rucker Renewal project in the photo gallery.
