Both eastbound lanes and one westbound lane of Union Avenue in Olympia, between Capitol Way and Columbia Street, will be closed August 30-31, Sept. 1-2 and Sept. 27-28 for underground utility work related to the new state office building being constructed on the block bordered by Capitol Way, 11th Avenue, Union Avenue and Columbia Street.

The other westbound lane of Union Avenue, nearest to the sidewalk, will remain open, as will the entrances to the Columbia Street parking garage and the sandwich shop located at Capitol Way and Union Avenue. Parking stalls along the westbound lane of Union Avenue will also remain open.

The utility work will also require the closure of the southbound lane of Columbia Street, between 10th Avenue and Union Avenue, during those same dates. Columbia Street, between Union Avenue and 11th Avenue, is already closed and will likely remain so for the duration of the project, which is scheduled for completion around September 1, 2017.

There will also be a one-day closure of 11th Avenue, between Capitol Way and Water St. SW, on Wednesday, Aug. 31 from about 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for a concrete pour on the fifth floor level of the new building.

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

Flaggers will be on site to help manage traffic during the lane closures.

Topping off

The office building construction project will reach a major milestone the week of September 5 when the last concrete pour takes place on the roof deck of the new structure. Once this concrete pour is finished, the framework of the new building will be complete.

The project will now move into the next phase of work, which includes the installation of the fire protection, electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems, the stone cladding on the building envelope, and other tasks. Some of the interior work is already underway, but it will gain new momentum with the completion of the building frame.

The $82 million project remains on schedule and on budget.

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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