The contractor working for the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will close both directions of Elliott Avenue West overnight between Fourth Avenue West and Western Avenue West tonight, Monday, November 28 until tomorrow morning. The closure will allow crews to set girders for the new West Thomas Street pedestrian and bicycle overpass.  

Crews will begin by closing one northbound lane on Elliott Avenue West starting at 6 p.m. tonight and will close additional lanes as the work progresses.  The full width of the street will be closed beginning at midnight. During this time, the road will be closed to all traffic, including vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians. Elliott Avenue West will reopen at 5 a.m. tomorrow, November 29. 

Detour routes are as follows (on SDOT’s Web site):

• Northbound drivers on Elliott Avenue West will turn right onto Western Avenue, then left onto First Avenue West, left onto West Harrison Street and right onto Elliott Avenue West to continue traveling northbound.
• Northbound drivers on Western Avenue will turn right onto Second Avenue West, then left onto West Harrison Street, and right onto Elliott Avenue West to continue traveling northbound.
• Southbound drivers on Elliott Avenue West will turn left onto West Harrison Street and then right onto Second Avenue West, left onto Western Avenue to continue travelling southbound.

 About the West Thomas Street Pedestrian and Bicycle Overpass Project

Construction of the West Thomas Street pedestrian and bicycle overpass began in August 2011 and is scheduled for completion in spring, 2012. The new structure will allow pedestrians and bicyclists to cross over Elliott Avenue West and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad tracks to Myrtle Edwards Park. The upgrades will improve safety and access for pedestrians and bicyclists traveling from the lower Queen Anne community to the park.  The new overpass will also connect the bicycle trail in Myrtle Edwards Park with the Lake Bay Loop, a proposed trail that would connect South Lake Union to Seattle Center.

Additional information may be found at: www.seattle.gov/transportation/thomasoverpass.htm or call Maribel Cruz, (206) 684-7963.

 Media contact: Marybeth Turner, (206) 684-8548