Alliance for Pioneer Square – Page 72 – The Alliance for Pioneer Square works to help preserve what makes Pioneer Square the most authentic, engaging and dynamic neighborhood in Seattle.

Sidewalk closure required for Pergola repair

Closure expected to last two days

The sidewalk under the Pergola in Pioneer Square will be closed on Thursday, Feb. 6, and Friday, Feb. 7, while workers repair broken glass and assess other damage to the structure.

Contractor Herzog Glass will be on site to replace the 28 glass panels that were broken or damaged after Super Bowl revelers climbed on the Pergola. During the sidewalk closure Seattle Parks and Recreation staff will make a closer inspection of the top of the structure to better understand any damage.

The cost of repairs is estimated to be between $15,000 and $25,000, which has all been donated by the community. Community members Amanda Gallagher Quinn and Shana Pennington-Baird started a crowd-funding campaign that raised more than $16,000 in less than 24 hours. The Western Washington Honda Dealers Association donated $10,000. The Seattle Parks Foundation is handling all the donations. Any money left after Pergola repairs are paid for will be used for Pioneer Square parks and green spaces.

The Pergola was commissioned for construction in 1909 to be the covering to an underground comfort station, said to be the most ornate west of the Mississippi River. When local media told the public about the $25,000 price tag, there was some community resistance. Then-Park Board Executive Ferdinand Schmitz was so certain of future popularity of the Pergola and underground restroom that he promised to repay the City in full if people objected to it. He never had to make good on his promise. The comfort station closed in the 1940s.

On Jan. 15, 2001, the Pergola was hit by a truck, and shattered. The thousands of shards of cast iron were painstakingly pieced together by the century-old, family owned Seidelhuber Iron & Bronze Works in South Park. The refurbished Pergola is now supported by an internal skeleton of 20 tons of structural steel.

The Pergola and the Tlingit Totem Pole in Pioneer Square Park, as well as the adjacent Pioneer Building are all National Historic Landmarks.

Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Project Update – February 2014

It’s been a busy start to 2014 with the opening of the South Atlantic Street overpass and crews working to get Bertha, the SR 99 tunneling machine, digging again. Here’s a recap of what we’ve been up to:

Milepost 31 Speaker Series: Learn about the South Atlantic Street overpass
On Monday, Jan. 27, we opened a new overpass to the west of Seattle’s stadiums, just south of Pioneer Square. The overpass allows traffic to bypass a busy railroad track that crosses South Atlantic Street. Before the overpass, train activity often blocked traffic for extended periods, which not only slowed truckers traveling to and from the Port of Seattle, but also created backups that stretched onto Seattle streets and Interstate 90. The overpass saves truckers as much as 20 minutes of travel time between the port and I-5 or I-90.

Visit Milepost 31 between 6 and 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 6 to talk to staff about how the structure is changing traffic patterns in the area. Read more about the overpass here.

Further evaluation required before tunneling can resume
On Tuesday, Jan. 28, Seattle Tunnel Partners (STP) pushed the SR 99 tunneling machine – which had been stopped since Dec. 6 – forward approximately 2 feet. Moving the machine forward allowed crews to further test the functionality of the machine and determine if they could resume full-production mining. It also created sufficient space to build the next concrete tunnel liner ring on Wednesday, Jan. 29.

When the machine moved forward, crews saw indications of above-normal temperature readings in part of the machinery, similar to readings encountered before crews initially decided to stop mining on Dec. 6. On Wednesday, STP made adjustments and mined an additional 2 feet. The above-normal temperatures persisted, and STP made the decision to stop and perform further evaluations.

STP crews and tunnel engineers are operating the world’s largest tunneling machine in complex conditions. Although their investigations to date have provided a great deal of information, we will not be able to definitively identify the issue or issues facing the machine until tunneling experts complete their review. We will provide additional information as it becomes available.

Please visit our webpage for regular updates.

ADA Ramps for Pioneer Square

To address the need to make Pioneer Square’s historic streets meet 21st century ADA standards, the International Sustainability Institute (ISI) and the Alliance for Pioneer Square are working to identify sidewalks in need of curb cuts and repair. Through this program, business owner Michael Lindsey applied for the construction of an ADA accessible ramp in front of his business, Laguna Pottery (pictured right) and is the first to do so. Thanks to the Neighborhood Park & Street Fund for funding these fixes. ISI’s Active Streets Report informed and guided this process with consultant Randy Earle, neighborhood resident and founder of We Will Find a Way.