For the next few years, King County will be working to replace four and a half miles of sewer pipeline that serves parts of the Redmond community.
The Lake Hills/Lake Sammamish Sewer Upgrade Project will entail replacing 21,000 feet of pipeline installed 45-60 years ago, to protect public health and water quality by ensuring reliable service, according to a King County press release.
The portion to be replaced begins just past the Bellevue border in King County’s Lake Hills area near John James Audubon Elementary School in Redmond’s Idylwood neighborhood. The pipe runs up West Lake Sammamish Parkway Northeast, under the Sammamish River Trail and the portion to be replaced ends just behind Redmond City Hall.
Initial work on the project began May 2 and ran through Monday as King County employees performed sewer utility survey work on a portion of the Sammamish River Trail in Redmond.
According to the press release, the project will entail replacing aging pipelines and adding new capacity to support population growth in the Redmond area.
Monica Van der Vieren, community relations planner for the county, said the pipelines are decades old.
“It’s very old,” she said. “(Some of) it’s from the 1950s.”
Younger portions of the pipes, Van der Vieren said, are from the 1970s and the materials are becoming brittle.
In addition, Van der Vieren said the surrounding areas above the pipelines have grown up around them and “Redmond also needs more capacity.”
The project is still in its early stages.
Van der Vieren said they are still in the design phase with the county still figuring out the kind of work that needs to be done. The county still hasn’t applied for permits, she said. Other work that needs to be done includes geotechnical, survey and engineer work as well as public outreach.
The latter will be a big part of the county’s work on the project as Van der Vieren said parts of the pipeline runs under people’s back yards in addition to running along the trail and crossing seven creeks.
Construction is expected to begin in mid-2018 and run through 2021.
Annie Kolb-Nelson, communications specialist for King County, said they have budgeted $47.1 million for the project, with about $4 million for this year. Though she and Van der Vieren added that they are still refining the project so the numbers may change.
Van der Vieren said the county will work closely with various groups and agencies such as the county’s parks department, local bicycle groups, including Microsoft’s bicycle club, the Sammamish Rowing Association and the City of Redmond to inform people about what is happening with the project.
“This approach helps us understand how people use the park, how people use the trail,” added Kolb-Nelson on the importance of communicating with the community.
She said knowing how people use the trail will also help the county minimize disruptions as the project work will result in some detours, adding that the work will be done in segments. This summer and fall, the county will be conducting field investigations.
Van der Vieren said some of this initial work does not necessarily need to be done right where the pipelines are so in some cases, county employees will be noticeable but they shouldn’t be disrupting traffic, adding that they don’t expect any road closures for this geotechnical work.
People can get project updates by texting KING REDMONDSEWER to 468-311. For more information, visit www.king county.gov/KCRedmond Sewer or contact Van der Vieren at (206) 477-5502.
