Steilacoom Boulevard Sewer Repair Progressing, Will Reopen In Feb

LAKEWOOD, WA — Good news for drivers and businesses that have been put out by the Steilacoom Boulevard sewer repair project: construction is progressing on schedule, and the road is expected to reopen in early February.

According to an update from the city Friday, work has been advancing along the road about 15' per day, as crews approach the sewer main for reconnection.

Once the main is reconnected, they'' remove the bypass, refill, repair and reopen the roadway. But until that's done, the detour will remain intact. The sidewalks along the north side of Steilacoom Boulevard remain open, and, despite the closure, many businesses along the roadway remain open as well.

The construction is necessary to fix the damage caused by a July 20 sewer main break underneath Steilacoom Boulevard. The main break had the city warning residents not to flush their toilets for the night, though investigators have since determined that there were no service disruptions due to the break, and no impact on nearby drinking water or toilets.

However, the break did cause wastewater to spill out onto the road. From there, some of the sewage seeped into nearby Flett Creek, which carried the waste out into Chambers Bay. As a result, beaches at Sunnyside Beach Park, Chambers Creek Regional Park, Kobayashi Park, Chamber Bay Park, and the public access points at Chambers Creek Canyon have been closed to the public.

The City of Lakewood says the repair project aims to prevent similar spillages from happening again.