The City’s response to the COVID-19 public health emergency is impacting City staff workload, including project update timeliness. We appreciate your patience as we focus communication resources on the health and safety of the community. Project updates will continue as staff is available.
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After a wee bit-o-planting last week, our leprechauns will be dancing about planting more "pinches" of green throughout the project for several weeks to come.
Planting has begun! |
See the updated project status map showing the current access status of each block within the project.
CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS LAST WEEK
Rucker
- Everett to California
- OPEN TO TRAFFIC
- Landscape planting began.
- California to Hewitt
- OPEN TO TRAFFIC
- Landscape planting began.
- Hewitt intersection
- Hewitt to Wall
- Puget Sound Energy (PSE) relocated natural gas service.
- Intermittent access delays at the Aero apartments.
- Wall to Pacific
- THE WALL TO PACIFIC BLOCK IS NOW FULLY CLOSED. The recently completed northbound portion of the roadway is now being used to position equipment for paving the southbound portion of the roadway.
- Concrete pavement pouring continued on the southbound portion of the roadway.
- The contractor completed demolition of the sidewalk and installing irrigation and electrical on the east side.
Wall
- The Wall Street crossing of Rucker is closed. Note: the Hewitt crossing of Rucker is open and available for use.
Hoyt
- OPEN TO TRAFFIC
- The contractor began demolition of the northwest and southwest corners and installing electrical and irrigation in them.
UPCOMING
Rucker
- Everett intersection
- The contractor is installing the new signal pole and arm for the new intersection configuration.
- Everett to California
- Previously OPEN TO TRAFFIC - The west side of Rucker is temporarily closed for installation of a new Everett Ave/Rucker intersection signal pole and wiring. Flaggers are in place on the east side, allowing traffic to pass in both directions.
- Landscape planting will continue.
- California to Hewitt
- OPEN TO TRAFFIC
- Landscape planting will continue.
- Hewitt intersection
- Hewitt to Wall
- Intermittent access delays at the Aero apartments will continue.
- Landscape planting is planned for mid to late March.
- Demolition of the sidewalks and installation of subsurface electrical and irrigation work on the west side will continue after relocation of natural gas service by Puget Sound Energy.
- Wall to Pacific
- THE WALL TO PACIFIC BLOCK IS FULLY CLOSED.
- Concrete pavement placing continues on the southbound portion of the roadway.
Wall
- Wall Street intersection
- The Wall Street intersection will continue to be closed to construct the road.
- Wall Street will be closed to the alley between Rucker and Hoyt.
- The contractor will begin concrete pavement placement, weather permitting.
Hoyt
- OPEN TO TRAFFIC
- The contractor will continue demolition and installation of irrigation in the northwest and southwest corners.
REMINDERS
Check out the photo gallery to see what’s been found under the roadway.
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 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 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 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
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 & 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.