October 22, 2009
Noise abatement study to cause some noise near SR 520 starting Oct. 26
The Washington State Department of Transportation will be conducting a test pile noise abatement study starting on Oct. 26 along the west end of SR 520. The study will occur on 25 working days through the end of the year.
A total of nine steel test piles will be driven at three locations north of the highway in Portage Bay and Lake Washington and west of the western high-rise.
Installation methods will include a combination of vibratory and impact hammers. Actual pile driving at each location will last for two or three days, followed by several days of load testing and monitoring. Residents and others nearby may hear a hammering sound as test piles are being installed. Work will take place during daylight hours only.
Once the testing and monitoring work is complete, the test piles will be removed using a vibratory hammer. If they cannot be removed they will be cut off a minimum of two feet below the mud line.
The information obtained through the noise abatement study will help identify the best methods for minimizing noise that could affect people, fish and wildlife during construction of a replacement bridge.
More information is available here. The SR 52 construction hotline is 206-708-4657.
