FALL 2014

Season Two of the Elliott Bay Seawall Construction

The Elliott Bay Seawall (EBSP) construction has been ongoing since October 2013. Summer 2014 scope was limited to work under piers and south of Colman Dock. Work for Season 2 starts today (October 1st), with immediate impacts on utilities – SG3’s primary focus. The summer has seen design and installation of temporary water and sewer systems, as well as lots of coordination and design for private gas, steam and telecommunications facilities. We’re looking to accomplish a seamless cut over to the temporary systems. All the existing systems within our demolition zone must be abandoned or removed before old seawall removal begins. There is a fleet of small boats with mechanical and electrical trade crews building temporary systems.

The next two weeks will see all the private utilities finishing up and switching over. This is when the rubber meets the road. As utility coordinators, we make the meetings happen, track the activity and get work scheduled. We can’t see behind the scenes, though, on whether a utility or their contractor or subcontractor has ordered materials in a timely fashion or actually hired enough workers to finish on schedule. So, we’ll see how it goes and stay on top of everything, no doubt dealing with something that pops up every day.

We have participated in pull planning sessions that lay out each step required in the order needed. The result is a lot of colored notes on the wall. Everyone sees a little bit more of their peer specialists’ point of view. One person might seem to think only about storage, lay down space and equipment movement, while others focus on excavation and construction. We focus on utility service continuity to keep the lights on and the water flowing.

I think of this as surgery to replace the nervous (electrical) system, the circulatory (water and wastewater) system, the skeleton (seawall structure) and even the skin and hair (surfaces, roads and public features like benches). A full body transplant where we have to keep the patient alive with the temporary and restored utilities.



So, take a few deep breaths and get ready, get set… Go!

PS: Here is SDOT’s website post about Season 2 construction start.