Dayton Street Improvements in Downtown Edmonds
Maybe you’ve seen the signs along Dayton Street or have noticed the beginning stages of the project: significant road construction is coming to the Dayton Street corridor from now until the fall of 2020.
Yes, that sounds like a long time and with so many businesses and residences along this main east/west route into downtown, it may seem overwhelming! However, the project will be broken down into phases with the aim to keep disruptions to traffic flow and foot traffic to a minimum as much as possible.
What is the construction for?
The project will replace the old drain, sewer and storm water pipes to improve the drainage system in the city. You know how some parts of downtown become alarmingly flooded during heavy storms? This aims to remedy that.
Other improvements include replacing the road surface, adding a stretch of missing sidewalk up near 7th Avenue and adding ADA curb ramps at several intersections, increasing pedestrian safety and access.
What to expect
As of May 13th, the first phase began which initially involves surveying and exploratory work on the block near 3rd and Dayton. Westbound traffic toward the waterfront has been detoured while eastbound traffic is open as normal.
Over the coming weeks and months, this first phase will stretch eastward toward 5th Avenue. You’ll notice that off-street parking is limited and bus stops have been temporarily changed during construction. Phase One is expected to wrap up in October 2019.
After a bit of a break during the winter months, Phase Two will ramp up in the spring of 2020 where the project will move further east to replace the pipes and finish improvements from 5th Avenue up to 9th Avenue. Phase Two is expected to be complete in the fall of 2020.
The city plans to only have one lane of traffic detoured through the project at any given time, driveways to residences and businesses will be accessible, and sidewalks will remain open to foot traffic so you can still get around downtown. However, as with any road construction, you should expect some delays.
After Hours Parking
With regard to parking, Edmonds Downtown Alliance does have agreements with three downtown businesses to allow free after-hours parking in their customer lots.
One lot is located at Sound Credit (near 5th and Dayton), a second after-hours lot is at US Bank (near 4th and Dayton), and the third is located at Washington Federal (at 3rd and Main). Look for the circular blue Ed! after-hours parking signs.
Supporting our Dayton Street merchants
As reported during the roundabout construction at Five Corners a few years ago and the long road work improvements along 76th and 212th, and just recently when we were hit with snow, some businesses were impacted with slower sales.
At Ed! we love our small businesses and recognize the vital impact they make on our economy. It’s certainly tempting to avoid construction whenever possible and find alternate shops and restaurants, however, it’s important to remember that our downtown businesses are mainly comprised of independent-business owners who rely on a steady stream of customers. They don’t have other locations that can absorb losses.
Businesses likely impacted during Phase One of the project include: Beresford Booth PLLC, Twist Yoga, Mosaic Salon, Dayton Dental, US Bank, Caliber Home Loans, D.A. Davidson, Red Twig, Faye’s Shear Delight, Pacific Flower Farms, McDevitt & Duffy CPAs, Albert Cohen Architect, Bennett and Bennett Law, Whale’s Nest Guest House, and Farmer’s Insurance – Wynn Ayers.
Businesses that will likely be impacted during Phase Two of the project later this year are many. They include: Slate Salon + Spa, Anchor Chic, California Concept, Salish Sea Brewing Co., Edmonds Vision Center, Las Brisas, and among many others listed here.
With such close quarters in our downtown Edmonds core, these impacts will possibly be felt beyond just Dayton Street so keep in mind businesses one, two, or even three blocks away may feel some effects of such a long construction project.
We encourage you to continue to Live Local and support our Dayton Street and nearby downtown merchants during this project as often as possible. Utilize the after-hours lots and other public parking, park a few blocks away and walk to your destination (use our bright green Ed! umbrellas if it’s raining) or use rideshare apps like Uber or Lyft to get in and out of downtown.
You can learn all of the details about the Dayton Street project on the city website at http://www.edmondswa.gov/dayton-street-utility-improvements.html.
To learn more about all the great businesses in downtown Edmonds, check out http://edmondsdowntown.org/.
By Kelsey Foster, photos by Matt Hulbert
