Factoria Blvd Stormwater Improvements Project Online Open House

The Factoria Boulevard Stormwater Conveyance Improvements project will improve stormwater infrastructure to reduce the risks of flooding during heavy storms in the Factoria-Richards Creek drainage basin.

The city will replace a segment of stormwater pipe with a larger one along the northbound lanes of Factoria Boulevard Southeast, next to the Factoria Village commercial area. The city will also install a concrete box to hold stormwater, which will drain into a modified Richards Creek Inlet channel.

Please view the other articles in this section for key details about this project.

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.

The project is located along Factoria Boulevard between Southeast 38th and 36th streets, south of Interstate-90. Project work will also include a portion of Richards Creek, along the east side of Factoria Boulevard and south of Southeast 36th Street.

The city recognizes that project construction will affect those who live, work, and travel through the area. We are working to minimize disruption to the extent possible, including the measures outlined below.

Business access: Access to the businesses on both sides of Factoria Boulevard will be maintained throughout project construction. The city will provide clear signage to highlight business access locations.

Traffic impacts:

• The City will not fully close Factoria Boulevard for an extended period.
• Both northbound Factoria Boulevard lanes will be closed, and one of the current southbound lanes will become a northbound lane.
• There will be changes to normal traffic patterns and times. The City will share the results of a Traffic Impact Analysis soon that will have more detail on specific impacts and mitigation measures.

Pedestrian and bicycle access: The sidewalk on the east side of the road will be closed, but the sidewalk on the west side will remain open, along with safe and accessible detours.

Bus routes: The two King County Metro bus stops in the project area will be temporarily relocated. The City will coordinate with King County Metro to minimize impacts to transit service and determine the new temporary bus stop locations.

As the project nears construction, the city will share more detailed information about these impact areas to support businesses and residents and to help commuters plan travel routes.