Get ready for major road construction this spring and summer on the East Hill along Southeast Kent-Kangley Road, aka State Route 516.
State Department of Transportation (DOT) crews will grind and repave the street for about a 2.3 mile section between 102nd Place Southeast and 132nd Avenue Southeast. Crews from Puyallup-based Miles Resources also will make improvements to curb ramps to make sidewalks more easily accessible. The state estimates the cost of the project at $3 million.
This section of SR 516 was last paved in 2000, according to the DOT. About 36,000 vehicles a day use the highway. After more than 16 years of heavy traffic, it has cracks, ruts and potholes. Grinding off the surface layer and repaving it with asphalt will extend the life of the roadway and will reduce maintenance costs.
In order to avoid daytime traffic congestion along the busy highway, the city of Kent granted the state a noise exemption to do most of the work at night from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. The city normally prohibits nighttime work. Crews plan to start work Monday, April 24, and continue through July. Some daytime work will occur, mainly where crews build new curb ramps, according to a DOT spokesman.
Residents living near the work zone along SR 516 will hear noise from construction equipment and vehicles, grinding, jackhammers, paving, generators and backup alarms, according to the DOT. The state sent letters to people who live within 500 feet of the work zone to advise them about the nighttime construction.
Crews will take the following steps to limit noise:
• Use ambient back-up warning alarms on vehicles when possible
• Use approved bed liners in trucks
• Provide ear plugs upon request
• Avoid excessive tailgate banging
Residents with noise complaints can call the state’s noise toll-free hotline at 1-888-808-4DOT (4368).
For more information, check the project website at wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR516/102ndto132ndpave/ for an updated work schedule.
Residents also can sign up for DOT South King County email updates: http://bit.ly/2kaxcpR.
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