Jason Sharpley of Seattle Public Utilities reviews the timeline of The Confluence work in 2014.

On Tuesday evening, January 13, 2015 a roomful of people at the Meadowbrook Community Center, 10517 35th Ave NE, listened intently as Seattle Public Utilities Project Engineer Jason Sharpley reviewed the work done at The Confluence from May to December of 2014.  Of primary concern was the question, when will the road open?

To finish the concrete and road-building on 35th Ave NE at NE 107th Street, workers need two more days with NO rain, and with temperatures at 45 degrees or above.  One day, Wednesday January 14, had these ideal conditions.  Rain was predicted for the following days.  Whenever another clear day occurs, then the road work can be finished.  Therefore, if conditions are favorable the road should be open by the end of the month of January.

Project Engineer Jason Sharpley reviewed the timeline and the work that has been successfully accomplished.  Delays and setbacks occurred with summer storms which flooded the project site.  In December 2014, freezing temperatures slowed the time needed for concrete to set.

A creek runs under it: a section of 35th Ave NE has been rebuilt with a bridge structure so that the South Branch of Thornton Creek is daylighted.

A new bridge structure has been built for 35th Ave NE at NE 107th Street, spanning the South Branch of Thornton Creek which has been “daylighted” to flow under the road.  The South Branch flows eastward into a newly created floodplain area, the site of The Confluence of the North and South Branches of Thornton Creek.  The creek flows into Meadowbrook Pond, a Seattle Public Utilities project created in 1996-98 for flood control and filtration of the water.  The pond is a wonderful urban amenity with habitat for wildlife.