Topping out – the point in a construction project when the last beam is placed atop a structure – is drawing near at the new state office building being built on the block bordered by Capitol Way, 11th Avenue, Union Avenue and Columbia Street.

As construction of the exterior framework of the new building nears completion, a transition begins that will bring even more activity to the construction site. There are currently about 150 workers at the 1063 Project construction site on an average workday. In the coming weeks, the number of workers will increase to about 400 on the site each day as interior work picks up.

Some of the interior build-out work, which includes the installation of the fire protection, electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems, is already underway on the ground floor. This work will continue over the next few months moving up the building as the exterior form work is completed.

Extended 11th Avenue closure

The section of 11th Avenue between Capitol Way and Water Street SW, in front of the GA Building, will be closed from Aug. 1- 24 for construction of underground utilities and backfilling the space between the shoring and fountain walls on the south side of the construction site.

As with previous 11th Avenue closures, this extended one will cause a temporary change to the route used by the Dash shuttle, the free bus that runs through the heart of downtown Olympia from the Capitol Campus to the Olympia Farmers Market. Go to the Intercity Transit webpage for more information.

Power switchover

There are power switchovers taking place on Saturday, August 13 and Saturday, August 27 that will cause outages at the GA building and Plaza Garage. The switchovers are needed as part of the work to connect the new building to the campus electrical system. The now-demolished 1063 building was not connected to campus grid and the GA parking garage, also gone, was powered through the General Administration Building.

Watch the project

A camera mounted on the roof of the General Administration Building is pointed at the work site allowing viewers to watch the progress of the construction on the project website. The camera image is refreshed every 15 minutes.

Send written comments and questions about the project to: EASmail@des.wa.gov.

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