Why is this construction needed?

Flooding is a recurrent event in the Factoria-Richards Creek drainage basin during major storms. In August 2014, a heavy storm inundated Factoria Boulevard with nearly 4 feet of water. Businesses were flooded, streets were impassible and the community was significantly disrupted.

These kinds of storms have increased in frequency in the last decade and may continue to increase as a result of climate change. If the city does not expand and improve the capacity of the existing storm drainage system, more flooding events on Factoria Boulevard may occur, causing significant disruption to traffic flow in the region and economic impacts to the many businesses in this area.

The city is committed to improving the stormwater system to make sure another large flooding event does not disrupt the area again.