The colorful dots lining 9th Avenue between Pike and Pine streets are being covered up as work continues to restore a key downtown route after weeks of closure.
The colorful dots lining 9th Avenue between Pike and Pine streets are being covered up as work continues to restore a key downtown route after weeks of closure.
The closure 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.
According to the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), a permit had been issued to the Seattle Convention Center to close 9th Avenue between Pike and Pine streets downtown from July 28 - September 4 for the street activation. The artwork was installed as part of the Market at the Marquee.
KOMO News learned crews' attempts to strip the paint from the art installation damaged the road beneath, which now has to be repaired for safety.
Seattle Convention Center crews started covering the artwork with dark paint and adding an anti-skid coating Wednesday morning.
After the paint dries, crews need to add new lane markings before allowing vehicles to return, according to SDOT.
The possibility of rain is making the timeline for reopening unpredictable, and SDOT said it does not have an estimate for when drivers can use the street again.
"Our goal is to complete this as quickly as possible within the next several days," the department said Wednesday.
In the meantime, drivers must detour to 7th Avenue to access Pike Street and the Interstate 5 express lanes.
According to SDOT, the Seattle Convention Center received the permit earlier this summer for the block closure, which required restoring traffic lanes by Sept. 4. A spokesperson for the convention center told KOMO News the project was designed to create "safe, clean, secure and welcoming energy" along 9th Avenue. They said restoration "has taken longer than anticipated" because the street surface started to lift when paint was removed, creating damage that must be fixed before reopening.
SDOT said that after productive meetings with the Convention Center and its contractors, the short-term focus is on covering the existing artwork so lane markings can be applied. The longer-term plan will involve grinding off the underlying artwork and fully repairing and restriping the pavement.
Officials said the Convention Center has agreed to pay costs for any city crew work needed, and representatives said updates will continue to be shared throughout the restoration.
