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30

218th Avenue SE Roadway Preservation Project

Project construction is complete
Dec. 16, 2022 – A look at the permanent striping and new guardrail on the rebuilt road of 218th Ave. SE. Crews will return when the weather warms up to replace the orange barrels with a new curb which will help keep water off the road.

Status update

January 17, 2023

The 218th Avenue SE road reconstruction project is now complete. All lanes are open to traffic.

Crews will come back to put the finishing touches on the curb on the west side of 218th Ave. SE when warmer weather returns. The curb will help keep water off the road.

Thank you for your patience.

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Overview

There are three travel lanes on 218th Avenue SE, two lanes northbound and one lane southbound. This project removes and replaces 1.4 miles of 218th Avenue SE from SE Green Valley Road to SE Auburn Black-Diamond Road west of Black Diamond, WA. This road is a King County lifeline and evacuation route. Many travelers also use this section of road as an alternate access route to State Route 169 (Enumclaw-Black Diamond Road SE). The pavement has been repaired and patched many times. The road and the support system under the road are now in poor condition and must be replaced. Restoration of this well-traveled road ensures its usefulness for years to come.

King County will rebuild one side of the road at a time. Two-way traffic will be maintained throughout construction as much as possible. Construction work includes excavating, restoring, and repaving the roadway and shoulders from the ground up. The county also will replace guardrail and improve roadside drainage.


Project area map

What to expect during construction

Construction work will last through early January 2023. Our contractor will keep the road open to two-way traffic as much as possible throughout construction.

Work hours: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Our contractor has the option of working on Saturday as needed. Construction work will occur on one half of the road at a time. Two-way traffic will be shifted over to the available travel lane and shoulder to keep one lane in each direction open as often as possible. There will be times when one direction of traffic will be temporarily closed and a signed detour through Black Diamond will be used.

Driveway access: There are six driveways located with the project limits. We will maintain access to all driveways throughout most of the four (4)-month project. Advance notification will be provided to residents when crews need to temporarily restrict access to complete specific work.

Noise, odor, vibration: It is possible this work could be loud because the machinery used to break up pavement is noisy. Also, the equipment used to install and smooth out fresh asphalt may cause excess vibration and odor. That said, road reconstruction work is a moving operation. Any loud noise, odor or vibration should only be temporary as the machinery moves down the road.

218th Avenue SE is a critical lifeline route. Repairing the cracked surface helps maintain safe access for years to come. Large pavement cracks on 218th Avenue SE shown above could cause the road to break apart if not repaired.

Timeline

Construction starts: July 2022

Construction ends: January 2023

Funding

The estimated total project cost is $6.2 million. This project is funded by local and Federal funding sources.

Frequently asked questions

Road maintenance crews have patched up this section of 218th Avenue SE from SE Green Valley Road to SE Auburn Black Diamond Road over and over through the years, however there is still a lot of cracking throughout. Rebuilding the road from the bare ground up to the pavement will eliminate the need for patchwork fixes and ensure the life of the roadway for years to come.
No. The road will stay in the same configuration it is in today. There will be no road-widening, added lanes or shoulders. The only difference is that the road will be rebuilt from the ground up to preserve its use for years to come.
Contractor crews working for King County will be onsite Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day, and an occasional Saturday if needed. The entire project will take approximately four (4) months to complete.
The only way to shorten the construction period is to completely close off the entire road from end to end, with no pass-through access. Completing the work one half of the road at a time takes longer, but it also allows us to keep the road open to traffic during construction.
We will post the information on this website in the status box at the top of the page.
Yes, King County is working with the U.S Mail to make sure delivery remains active. Our construction contractor also will accommodate other delivery companies who need to access residences and businesses within the active work zone.
Yes. We will notify local Fire, Police and Sheriff departments about construction activity throughout the project. Our contractor will prioritize access to all emergency services and provide pass-through access to fire, police and aid vehicles as needed.
The project team originally thought we could temporarily shift traffic into the northbound lanes and have enough room to safely rebuild the southbound lane and shoulder. In some places along the roadway this is possible. However, some sections of the northbound roadway have shoulders that are not wide enough to temporarily accommodate two lanes of traffic along with the necessary excavation and paving equipment. In addition, once under construction, some sections of the full 1.4 mile southbound corridor will not be safe to drive on because they will have exposed rough rock and dirt surfaces that may vary in height.

Photos

A look at the permanent striping and new guardrail on the rebuilt road of 218th Ave SE. Crews will return when the weather warms up to replace the orange barrels with a new curb which will help keep water off the road. (Photo: Dec. 16, 2022)
Crews will install a permanent guardrail where the wooden posts are located in late November or early December 2022. (Photo: 11/14/2022)
Take a peek at the progress of the road rebuild on the northbound lanes and shoulder of 218th Ave SE. (Photo: 11/11/2022)
Contractor crews put down the top layer of asphalt before the vibratory roller smooths out the outer northbound lane of 218th Ave. SE. (Photo: 10/25/2022)
Crews are hard at work rebuilding the northbound lanes and shoulder on 218th Ave. SE. (Photo: 9/23/2022)
The County maintains two-way traffic while crews rebuild all lanes and shoulders on 218th Ave. SE. (Photo: 9/15/22)
Many sections of 218th Avenue SE have severe cracking, shown above. This project completely rebuilds the road to eliminate cracks and potholes.
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