Three-week closure of Boyer Avenue East: Nov. 30 – Dec. 21 Updated Nov. 13, 2026 Learn why this closure is needed, what work crews will complete and what neighbors can expect What’s happening at a glance Boyer Avenue East between East Roanoke Street and Everett Avenue East will be closed around the clock from 7 a.m. Monday, Nov. 30, through 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 21. During the closure, crews will build a temporary work platform needed to install drilled shafts for bridge pier 3, part of the permanent foundation for the new westbound Portage Bay bridge. Work at bridge pier 3 will start before the closure and continue after Boyer Avenue East reopens. Jump to: Closure details Why the closure is needed What neighbors can expect Schedule of work Benefits of the closure Upcoming opportunities to learn more Aerial photo (looking east) of Boyer Avenue East and construction progress of bridge pier 1 on the Boyer hillside. Bridge pier 3 will be built east of Boyer Avenue between Queen City Yacht Club and the SR 520 bridge. Why do we need to close Boyer Avenue East? Building bridge pier 3 has some unique challenges that require a different construction approach than the other bridge piers: First, unlike the other bridge piers, crews cannot work from the water because there’s not enough space between the work trestle and Queen City Yacht Club. Instead, crews need to build a standalone platform near Boyer Avenue. They’ll then load a crane – and eventually an oscillator – onto the platform to build the bridge pier for the new westbound bridge. Second, the slope of the Boyer hillside is too steep and cannot support the weight of the large equipment needed to build the platform and bridge pier. As a result, crews need space on Boyer Avenue to put the crane while they build the first section of the platform. Once that section is ready, they can move the crane onto the platform and finish building the platform. While this work is happening on the east side of Boyer Avenue East, crews will continue building bridge pier 1 on the Boyer hillside to the west of the street. Bottom line: Closing Boyer Avenue East for three weeks gives crews the space and access they need to build the platform and safely move equipment and materials into the work area. What neighbors can expect Access, detours and parking See the closure map below. A signed detour will be posted around the closure. People walking, rolling and biking will have access through the closure area along the west side of Boyer Avenue East. Local access is provided for Queen City Yacht Club and East Roanoke Street from the north, and homes between Everett Avenue East and SR 520 from the south. Parking restrictions will be in place in and around the work zone. Crews will also restrict parking at key locations along the haul route to ensure enough space for delivery trucks. Construction effects Impact piledriving hours: Weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. Impact piledriving hours may extend to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. when needed. Extending piledriving hours allows us to stay on schedule and reduce the number of days that we need to drive piles. Noise, vibration and lighting: Noise and vibration during the day while crews drive piles and construction lighting and noise at night while crews build the crane and the crane platform. Truck traffic: Increased truck traffic on Boyer Avenue East. Boyer Avenue East will remain the primary delivery route, with trucks entering and leaving the work zone from both the north and south. Truck deliveries: Deliveries day and night. When feasible, crews will use the recently completed southwest trestle connection to move equipment and materials into the work area. We anticipate fewer than 10 truck deliveries per day during this work. Mitigation for neighbors When possible, crews will pre-drill holes before installing piles to help reduce noise and vibration. Pre-drilling can reduce the amount of vibratory hammering needed. White noise machines and temporary hotel accommodations are available for eligible nearby neighbors. Boyer Avenue East closure – Work area map Boyer Avenue East closure – Detour map Schedule of work Expand the sections below for maps, graphics and details about each phase of work. Nov. 16–29: Site prep Crews will prepare the site for crane access and piledriving by grading soil, delivering crane mats, protecting and relocating utilities, and pre-drilling holes at pile locations to help reduce noise and vibration during piledriving. Nov. 30–Dec. 3: Crane assembly (Boyer closed) Boyer Avenue East will close at 7 a.m. Monday, Nov. 30. Crews will assemble a large crane on Boyer Avenue East, which may take up to three days of around-the-clock work. During daytime work hours, crews will begin piledriving near Boyer Avenue East and move east toward the shoreline. Trucks will make deliveries during the day and at night. Dec. 4–21: Piledriving (Boyer closed) Piledriving will continue during daytime work hours. Crews will build the work platform day and night. Once about half the platform is done, crews will move the crane onto it. Trucks will continue making deliveries during the day and at night. Dec. 14–21: Final work before reopening (Boyer closed) As crews prepare to reopen Boyer Avenue East, piledriving will continue during daytime hours and work on the platform will continue day and night. Crews will clear equipment so one lane can reopen by 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 21. Trucks will continue making deliveries during the day and at night. Dec. 21–early 2027: Boyer reopened and platform piledriving Crews will reopen Boyer Avenue East to traffic at 5 p.m. on Monday, December 21. Piledriving to build the crane platform will continue into early 2027. Once the crane platform is complete, crews will begin installing drilled shafts for bridge pier 3 within the platform area. Early 2027+: Drilled shaft installation for bridge pier 3 Once the crane platform is complete, crews will begin installing drilled shafts for bridge pier 3 within the platform area. Next steps after Boyer reopens One lane of Boyer Avenue East will reopen to traffic at 5 p.m. on Dec. 21. Daytime work and piledriving at bridge pier 3 will continue through early 2027. Crews will drill two shafts, set rebar cages and place concrete. People should expect continued truck traffic in the area. What are the benefits of this three-week closure? As with any construction method, there are always benefits and tradeoffs. We know that closing Boyer Avenue East for three weeks is challenging and disruptive for neighbors. However, we believe that completing this work during one extended closure offers benefits that outweigh the temporary disruption. Here are a few reasons: A single, three-week closure allows crews to complete this work more efficiently. Without an extended closure, crews would need to complete the work in stages, requiring multiple shorter closures over a longer period. That would mean more closures and repeated disruptions to neighbors as crews move the crane in and out of the area. We can avoid those repeated closures by doing the work all at once. Because of this full closure, crews can build bridge piers 1 and 3 at the same time instead of one after the other. This will allow us to maintain the overall construction schedule. Piledriving and drilled shaft work near Boyer Avenue East is a key step in building the new Portage Bay bridges. Work to construct the new westbound bridge will continue in the area through mid-2028, including construction of bridge columns, girders and decks. How can I learn more about this work? Online construction meeting: Join our next online monthly construction meeting at noon on Thursday, Nov. 19. You’ll hear from the construction team and have the opportunity to ask questions. Outreach event at Montlake Community Center: Come meet us for our last in-person event of the year! Our outreach team will be at the Montlake Community Center on Friday, Nov. 20, from 2 to 4 p.m. to share what’s coming up in construction for the rest of the year. 24-hour construction hotline: Call us anytime at 206-319-4520 or send an email to SR520bridge@wsdot.wa.gov. Questions about noise or vibration? Contact us. We monitor noise and vibration in real-time around the project area, and the outreach team is available 24 hours a day for neighbors to get in touch. We encourage neighbors to contact us if they have any questions or concerns about noise or vibration, particularly if it’s unexpected, severe, or occurring in a place where it’s not usually heard or felt. If you have any questions about the project or construction, please call our 24/7 hotline at 206-319-4520 or send an email to SR520bridge@wsdot.wa.gov. Looking for information on how we monitor vibrations? Check out our Vibration FAQ.
