The Seattle Department of Transportation is hosting a public open house on the Elliott Bay Seawall Project from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. today, Wednesday, January 19, at the Seattle Aquarium, located at 1483 Alaskan Way.
Attendees will have the opportunity to take a virtual tour of options for the seawall, meet the project team and learn how the Seawall Project is coordinating with other waterfront projects.
Officials say attendees will be able to “help design a seawall that supports and protects Seattle’s waterfront, including critical utilities, transportation corridors, recreation and tourist destinations, and thousands of businesses and homes,” meet the project team, and learn more about the intersection of the Seawall project, the Central Waterfront planning process, and the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Project.
Input from the public will be used to define alternatives to the project. Officials ask that community members submit comments by February 1, so that the Mayor, City Council, and project team may identify preferred alternatives to the seawall project, which they expect to do by April. Construction is currently scheduled to begin in late 2012.
The seawall protects Seattle’s waterfront from wind driven storm waves and the erosive tidal forces of Elliott Bay. Major utilities, Alaskan Way and SR 99, the ferry terminal, and rail lines also are supported by the seawall. Since its construction between 1916 and 1934, the seawall has deteriorated significantly; it does not meet current earthquake standards and must be replaced. The Seattle Department of Transportation is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on this shoreline protection project.
More information on the project can be found here, at SDOT’s seawall project website.