If you haven’t visited the waterfront recently, you might notice some changes near Waterfront Park as the Seawall Project continues construction. Over the next few weeks, large sections of the new seawall will be installed in this location. This location is adjacent to Waterfront Park, which provides a unique opportunity to view seawall construction up close. Stop by and see this once-in-a-lifetime project unfold.
Face panels are in place at Waterfront Park
Last week, the seawall face panels were installed at Waterfront Park. The new face of the seawall includes different texture designs that provide a surface for algae and other marine organisms to attach, providing food for migrating salmon.
Marine mattress installation this week
Marine mattresses will be installed later this week in front of the new seawall adjacent to Waterfront Park. These rectangular, plastic mesh bags filled with stone provide an improved, shallow nearshore habitat for migrating salmon and other marine life. With light filtering down to the water through the new glass blocks in the sidewalk overhead, these marine mattresses will promote the growth of vegetation along this corridor as well.
Each marine mattress is constructed off-site, and the mesh bags include several compartments that are filled with various-sized rocks which provide a more favorable substrate for habitat growth. The plastic mesh is hand-braided together to close the bags, and then the marine mattresses are trucked to the site for installation.
Next up – Zee panels
After the face panels and marine mattresses are in place, the zee panels will be installed. These large, zee-shaped concrete panels will hold the sidewalks that contains the embedded glass blocks. Get a sneak peek at this work by watching this video of zee panel installation south of Colman Dock!
For more information about seawall construction, visit the Seawall Project website. If you have questions, email (seawall@waterfrontseattle.org) or call the 24-hour hotline 206-618-8584.