The King County Road Services Division will close a section of Northeast 133rd Street east of Redmond in July for an extensive five-week repair project.

An aging culvert underneath the roadway is failing and must be replaced. Starting Tuesday, July 6, the county will close Northeast 133rd Street at 198th Avenue Northeast. The work is expected to be completed by Aug. 12.

Currently, there is an undersized 48-inch concrete pipe that conveys Seidel Creek underneath the roadway. During the road closure, county crews will remove the old pipe and install a new box culvert that is 8 feet tall and 5.5 feet wide. The new culvert will reduce localized flooding and protect the road above it from cracking, buckling, or developing voids under the pavement.

The Northeast 133rd Street project is challenging because there are major utilities located under the road that need to be relocated to accommodate the new culvert. The utility companies will have to remove and relocate a gas main, a water main, a fiber optic communication line, and electrical lines before the county can begin on the culvert replacement and install new rockery walls to support the road shoulder.

Seidel Creek – a tributary of Bear Creek – will be diverted into a new temporary drainage system to bypass the work zone during construction. When the installation is complete, fish will be able to swim upstream through the new culvert.

The lengthy, full closure of the roadway is necessary because of the complexity of the project. During the closure, motorists can detour via Trilogy Parkway Northeast, Northeast Novelty Hill Road, Avondale Road Northeast and Northeast 132nd Street.

For information about the project, contact the Community Relations planner at (206) 263-3792.