Reminder: Sewer Project to Close 108th, Major Houghton Arterial

A sewer manhole made of brick more than 50 years ago and 850 feet of sewer main will be replaced starting Aug. 14, requiring a 10-day closure of an intersection on Houghton’s major north-south thoroughfare, 108th Avenue NE.

The work is sure to be a major disruption in traffic, since 108th Avenue is a main arterial just north of state Route 520 and the and just west of Interstate 405.

The 25-foot deep manhole is at the intersection of 108th Avenue and NE 53rd Street, near in Central Houghton.

The City of Kirkland is replacing the manhole because it is beyond its expected life, is narrower than most and difficult to access and maintain. The 6-inch diameter sewer line is also hard to maintain and subject to groundwater and root intrusion.

“It’s a very old manhole that needs to be replaced,” said Kari Page, Kirkland Public Works Department spokeswoman. “It’s kind of a safety situation for our crews.”

The city has just sent out bids on the project, which will be paid for through Kirkland’s Capital Improvement Program budget, and the exact dates for the work and intersection closure have not been set yet.

The closure will likely last 10 days, and possibly two weeks. Detours will be established along 111th Avenue NE and NE 48th Street, and the city will suggest alternate routes along already busy Lake Washington Boulevard and I-405, via NE 68th Street and NE 38th Street.

The work on 108th Avenue is expected to be finished by Aug. 31.

The project will include the replacement or rehabilitation of four other manholes along NE 53rd. That second phase in the work will will reopen 108th Avenue NE and close two lanes on NE 53rd Street, with flaggers allowing east-west traffic through the work zones.

For more details, see the city’s Public Works Department web pages here.