The Ave. to get a nip and tuck

The City of Seattle has found a contractor to give the Ave., the visage of the U-District, more than a needed facelift: full reconstructive surgery.

Although store facades, bus shelters and the like occasionally get a fresh new look occasionally, the utilities under the Ave. have been untouched for decades, and the Ave. Project will involve a massive replacement and rehab of water and sewer mains.

After a month of collecting bids, the City of Seattle has determined Merlino Construction will be the contractor for the Ave. Project, predicted to begin within a month, after the UW graduation ceremony.

Merlino Construction, a 39-year-old construction firm, has also been the project contractor for the Tacoma Light Rail system and for repaving Sea-Tac International Airport. This new contract takes on the task of what Seattle Transportation has termed "upgrading the street character through urban design and art enhancements."

"The community is going to be left with a brand-new street," said Rob Gorman, Ave. Project manager for Seattle Transportation.

The Ave. Project is a collaboration of the Greater U-District Chamber of Commerce and the City of Seattle, with the primary goal of making the most used section of University Way Northeast safer and nicer for pedestrians.

Seattle Transportation predicts construction for the project will take 15 months -- that includes widening the sidewalks, replacing the street light and signal system, and creating art installments.

Public transportation will also benefit from the improvements to the Ave. as the contract also provides the installment of "bus bulbs" -- extensions of the sidewalk that allow the bus to travel without having to pull over to the sidewalk in order to receive passengers.

According to Seattle Transportation, the city, along with King County Metro Transit, tested the bulbs in 1998 and found they minimize the delay buses experience when entering the stream of traffic after picking up pedestrians. According to Gorman, the bus bulbs caused no noticeable impact on non-bus traffic.

Construction for the project will not shut down the Ave. completely; the contractor will work on the Ave. one block at a time. Vehicles will not be able to use parts of the Ave., but pedestrians will be able to access storefronts and restaurants. Keeping the Ave.'s businesses accessible was a term of the contract with Merlino Construction, even though a full sidewalk will not be available.

Construction will be put on hold on the days of Husky home football games and from December 14 to January 1, which was determined by the group of businesses on the Ave. as their busiest time.

According to Gorman, the city agreed stopping construction during that period would make it "a little less disruptive," and that "the least disruption is better" for businesses and tenants.

"There will be a new attitude to what the Ave. is all about," said Ave. Project community liaison Art Brochet. "It will have the same spirit but will be a lot more pleasant."