Portion of the original ‘Downtown Burien’ archway sign, pre-Feb. 2016 – back when it was still standing.[/caption] Construction to rebuild the Burien Downtown Gateway Arch on SW 152nd Street is slated to begin the week of May 8, at a cost of $390,000, which is being paid by an insurance claim. As many of our Readers may recall, the Gateway Arch was hit by a boom truck in Feb., 2016. The truck driver’s employer’s insurance company will be paying for the entire re-contruction. According to the driver, the collision actually caused the truck to “pop a wheelie.” He told The B-Town Blog that he had been working at the site of new construction near Burien Town Square, and that he had forgotten that his winch crane boom was still in the upright position when he hit the arch as he drove eastbound on SW 152nd towards 1st Ave South. Both the overhead arch and columns on each side of the street were knocked down. In addition to the large metal arch on the roadway, bricks, pieces of metal and broken cement littered the area, including the sidewalks. Luckily, there were no injuries. Here’s surveillance video of the actual crash courtesy Michael’s Collision, located at 134-1/2 SW 152nd Street: [youtube]https://youtu.be/TyFIKyoaKcA[/youtube] Here’s raw video of the aftermath: [youtube]https://youtu.be/Am3xKs0Zrrk[/youtube] This project will replace the original arch, columns and footings that were damaged in February 2016. Local businesses will remain open during construction. The contractor for the construction is Road Construction Northwest. Completion is expected in early July 2017.
RCNW will remove and replace the old footing and rebuild the columns on site. At the same time the arch will be fabricated off site and delivered as a single unit. Expect traffic to be reduced to one lane at times during footing and column construction. SW 152nd will be closed between 1st Ave S and 2nd Ave SW on the day the arch is delivered and set in place in late June. The exact date will be announced once the delivery date is confirmed.Here are some photos of the arch destruction as shot by Scott Schaefer: ]]>
To bad there’s not a loophole in the system that would allow the City to use the money more efficiently, like more Police funding.
I totally agree. That’s a sorry few blocks of 152nd, and the arch isn’t going to improve it. In a similar vein, how ’bout not repairing the water park in Town Square and using those funds for law enforcement?
The new archway should be more than a replacement for what we lost. I’d like it to be a landmark that creates a memory for visitors to Burien and a source of pride for those of us who call it home. This is a great opportunity to make a statement about our town to the region.
A design competition for the entry to our pedestrian friendly “Main Street” could help the entire Burien business community.