The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is planning a big overhaul of one of Seattle's biggest streets, State Route 99. The plan is to repave SR-99/Aurora Avenue from the lower Queen Anne area all the way to the city limits.
SR-99 hasn’t been paved since 1999 and the roadway is showing its age with potholes, cracks, and ruts. Workers will grind down the existing asphalt off and put down a new layer.
The ambitious project is 7.58 miles running from Roy street to N 145th Street. The plan includes improvements to sidewalk ramps for pedestrians.
Many business owners had not heard about the project, including Melissa Pittman Fischer at Tenzan Aikido in north Seattle.
“We will be affected. We will be negatively affected. There's no question about it," Fischer explained.
WSDOT says it's still waiting for the final construction calendar, but the work will mean numerous lane closures. Some of the work can be done overnight, but there's no doubt it will impact drivers and businesses.
Some businesses are glad the neglected roadway will be a better drive, but others worry a project this big could drag on. The work is dependent on dry weather and will take more than a year to complete.
If things get too tough, those at the dojo say they'll try to find the bright side.
"Part of the martial arts training is when the going gets rough, you hang in there and you keep going. And we accept challenges like this as a way to get stronger," said Fischer.
WSDOT is waiting to hear from the contractor on an exact start date but hopes it will come early in the summer. The projected completion date is fall 2019, although progress will be dependent on the weather.
