SEATTLE — The closure along 9th Avenue between Pike and Pine was meant to be temporary. It cleared the way for a neighborhood street activation with weekly mar
The closure along 9th Avenue between Pike and Pine was meant to be temporary. It cleared the way for a neighborhood street activation with weekly markets and other special events.
But those events are long over, and the street has remained closed since late July, affecting drivers trying to reach the express lanes onto the highway.
“I think the event is already done, and it's still being blocked, so I really do not know why,” said Rozay Chen, who lives nearby.
KOMO News has learned crews are having difficulties removing paint from the street after the permitted events. Crews have been trying to remove paint from an art installation covering the road but say the removal is causing damage that needs to be repaired.
Nicholas DeLaughter, who also lives nearby, said the closure has been a daily annoyance.
“It's just kind of like a big eyesore for me; I'm seeing this through the whole summer closed up,” he said, noting the inconvenience for drivers trying to access the express lanes onto I-5 from 9th Avenue. “I have to go down another two blocks, take a left and take another left. It's an inconvenience and also an eyesore.”
Permit called for street to be restored by Sept. 4
The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) says it issued the closure permit to the Seattle Convention Center. According to the permit, the event organizer was supposed to return the street to normal by Sept. 4. SDOT says crews are having challenges removing the paint from the pavement.
Convention Center representatives told KOMO News in a statement:
Market at the Marquee was created as an operational test-and-learn to bring safe, clean, secure, and welcoming energy to 9th Avenue, support local businesses and pilot how a more active public space could contribute to a safer, more welcoming connection between Seattle Convention Center’s buildings and the neighborhood.
The program achieved many of those goals, but restoration of the roadway has taken longer than anticipated. The immediate issue is not the paint itself. During removal, portions of the roadway surface began to lift, creating conditions that SDOT determined must be repaired before the street can safely reopen.
Representatives for the convention center added they met with SDOT and their contractors Friday about the restoration process. Their full statement on the issue can be read here.
"I just wonder why it's taken so long, this shouldn't be that hard to do. It's just paint," Marcus Handler, who works nearby, said. "The streets are closed; we need access. As the public, we need access to the streets."
SDOT provided the following statement:
SDOT and the Seattle Convention Center had a productive meeting today on reopening 9th Ave. Next steps include both near-term and long-term solutions. Near-term, the artwork will be covered up – most likely with paint. Then lane markings can be applied on top so the street is ready for traffic. We will be able to give an update on progress next week. Longer-term, the artwork will most likely be ground off and the street surface repaired and restriped. In the meantime, drivers are asked to detour to 7th Ave to access Pike St and the I-5 express lanes.
No word on fines or penalties
KOMO News asked SDOT whether there will be fines or penalties for the road not reopening on time.
The department did not address the issue directly, saying only that they are in daily communication with the Convention Center to get the road reopened as soon as possible.
Representatives for the convention center said they will be sharing updates on the restoration process here as they become available.
