Construction crews to do nighttime work in December and January
This graphic shows the elements of a ferry terminal. In December and January, crews will be constructing wingwalls at the new Mukilteo terminal and will need to weld in areas that are accessible only during extremely low tides.
From WSDOT: In-water work began on the Mukilteo Multimodal Terminal Project in mid October. And now Manson Construction, our marine contractor, will begin work on the wingwalls. Crews need extremely low tides for extended periods of time so they can weld in locations that are normally below the water line. These extreme low tides occur between the hours of 9:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. Consequently, crews must do this welding work for 16 nonconsecutive nights starting Dec. 9 and running through Jan. 25, 2020. The City of Mukilteo has approved a noise variance for this work.
The graphic to the left shows what the wingwalls are and how they fit into the terminal’s berthing structures.
What to expect during nighttime work:
- Neighbors nearby may see and hear welding operations, hand tools, small power tools, and the engine of the derrick crane. Sound will dissipate as it moves away from the terminal. Also, the terminal sits between the working location and the homes that overlook the new terminal.
- Noise is 70-80 decibels at the source (equivalent to a passing car or bus) and will dissipate to 7-25 decibels (equivalent to rustling leaves) for neighbors 600 to 1500 feet away.
- Crews will shut off equipment when not in use to minimize noise.
- There will be no work on Sundays or holidays.
New First Street is paved; pedestrian path is next
The new First Street comes into view (looking east). The sidewalk along it will be the new pedestrian path.
Crews are currently working in all corners of the site right now — building walls, sidewalks, First Street, installing utilities and drainage along with building the new passenger and maintenance buildings and toll plaza. Because of all this activity, it’s not safe to re-open the pedestrian path until early December. We apologize for the delay. We were aiming to reopen the path in October, but crews encountered an extensive amount of buried debris (old wood pilings) when installing the water and storm pipes. This meant we had to make multiple changes to the area under the new holding lanes. Plus heavy rains in October caused their own delays.
We know this popular path is important to residents (and their dogs) who used the temporary path near the work zone until we closed it in March to begin work on First Street. When it opens, the new path will be a paved sidewalk running along First Street, shown above. It will provide a safer way to access the waterfront and from which to watch the construction as it moves toward our goal of opening the new terminal in fall 2020.
Stay in touch with WSDOT
Project website: www.bit.ly/MukilteoMultimodal
email: MukilteoProject@wsdot.wa.gov | phone: 206-462-8866
Twitter: @WSFerries
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) information: If you would like to learn more about accessibility and the tools we have available, visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/Accessibility
