Light Rail Construction Will Impact Bellevue City Hall

From the City of Bellevue: City Hall is preparing for the start of East Link construction at its campus. Beginning sometime in May, Sound Transit's contractor will fence the vacant lot by City Hall to establish it as a work zone.

Construction-related impacts at and near City Hall will include:

• Temporary closure of the west driveway entrance to visitor parking at City Hall;
• Construction of a mid-block pedestrian crossing on 110th Avenue Northeast;
• Extended full closure of a portion of 110th Avenue Northeast near Northeast Sixth Street; and
• Lane closures on Northeast Sixth Street to build the station and aerial guideway over 112th Avenue Northeast and Interstate 405.

As part of the city's preparation, the Parks and Community Services Department is relocating approximately 40 trees and plants from City Hall in the coming weeks. The city will replant these trees and plants at parks throughout Bellevue including Bellevue Youth Theatre at Ivanhoe, Hidden Valley Sports Park, Newport Hills Community Park and Wilburton Hill Community Park.

"Bellevue has never experienced a construction project quite like East Link light rail due to its magnitude and impact," notes Dave Berg, Transportation Director. "It is a multi-year, complex project in which construction schedules will often change. The city and Sound Transit are committed to communicating road, traffic and construction impacts to help prepare the public who are traveling to, from and around Bellevue."

Residents and businesses are encouraged to subscribe to receive East Link construction updates from Sound Transit.

The temporary closure for the reconfiguration of the west driveway into the City Hall visitor parking in the North Garage is anticipated to begin this summer in order to widen the driveway for two-way access. City Hall visitors will need to enter from Northeast Sixth Street during the closure. The driveway is expected to reopen within two to three months. During this construction phase, a new ADA-compliant pathway will be built to provide pedestrian access from the second-level entrance to City Hall.

Construction of the Bellevue Downtown Station will also significantly impact City Hall visitor parking. Less than half of the existing parking will be available during construction. Parking will be prioritized to customers who are conducting business with the city and/or attending city meetings that require public attendance and solicit resident feedback including City Council meetings, public hearings, advisory boards and commission meetings. Free evening parking for the public will be available after 4:30 p.m. in the East Garage (P2 level). The city's parking management services will be enhanced to assist daytime visitors.

In addition to the driveway enhancement, a permanent mid-block crossing will be built on 110th Avenue between the City Hall plaza and City Center Plaza that will allow for pedestrian access during construction. The Bellevue Transit Center will remain open during construction.

Once the west driveway is reopened and the mid-block crossing is complete, a portion of 110th Avenue will be closed for approximately nine months for crews to build the infrastructure beneath the roadway to connect the tunnel to the station. At this time, the access from Northeast Sixth Street to the City Hall driveway will be permanently closed, around early fall, as construction of the station continues in the lower level of the North Garage.

Also in the fall, construction will take place on the Plaza, including the removal of the Pavilion. During construction, the public art currently on display will be stored and reintegrated into the redesigned plaza

Image via Pixabay