Urban Forestry Arborists of the Seattle Department of Transportation will begin a large tree pruning project targeting street trees along Fifth Avenue from Denny Way to Seneca Street beginning Tuesday, April 2. Sidewalks will remain open and parking restrictions will be advanced in front of the work, one to two blocks at a time. No work will occur on Mondays. The arborists expect to complete the entire project by the end of April. The schedule may change, however, in the event they are called to handle an unexpected emergency at another location.

Phase 1: Denny Way to Virginia Street
The work between Denny Way and Virginia Street is primarily focused on providing safe clearances for Monorail operations. The work will begin at Denny Way, on the west side of Fifth Avenue heading southbound to Virginia Street. The majority of Monorail clearance pruning is on the west side of Fifth Avenue. Once Virginia Street is reached, the work will move back to Denny Way and proceed southbound along the east side of Fifth Avenue. SDOT will be working closely with Monorail Operations to ensure the safety of the Arborists. Train services will be reduced during the project.

Phase 2: Virginia to Seneca streets
The work from Virginia to Seneca streets is focused on providing clearance pruning to buildings, signs and other transportation infrastructure while promoting healthy trees and supporting tree canopy growth. The work will begin at Virginia Street and head south along the west side of the street. The east side of the street will then be pruned in the same direction, from Virginia to Seneca streets.