Factoria Boulevard Stormwater Conveyance

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.

For the project, jointly funded by the city and the King County Flood Control District, the city is replacing a segment of stormwater pipe with a larger concrete storm box conveyance system under the northbound lanes of Factoria Boulevard Southeast, next to the Factoria Village commercial area. This conveyance system will continue to drain into Richards Creek, which will have channel improvements as part of the project.

Lane Closures

Lane closures are in place 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to accommodate the construction of the stormwater infrastructure improvements. Access to the businesses on both sides of Factoria Boulevard will be maintained throughout project construction. Please follow signs on site and obey flaggers' directions.

 Need for Construction

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 four 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.

Timing

We realize the project's construction schedule overlaps with other projects in the area, and this causes travel delays. It is never an ideal time to disrupt traffic and we appreciate the community's patience and understanding. Measures are in place to mitigate the disruption. These mitigation measures and the negative impacts if the project is delayed beyond this year were presented at the City Council meeting on Monday, Jan. 8.  

Project Location

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.

Timeline

• Second week of January 2024: Alternating lane closures for initial construction activities. 
• February 25 – May 2024: Two northbound lanes will close completely, and one southbound lane will convert to a northbound lane, resulting in two southbound lanes and one northbound lane.
• May 2024 - July 2024: The curbside northbound lane is closed.
• August to November 2024: Intermittent northbound and southbound lane closures.

Construction Challenges

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 extended work hours of up to 20 hours a day, six days per week. Please keep in mind that there may be heavy truck traffic, noise from construction machinery and heavy traffic delays.

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: Updated July 2024
The curbside northbound lane is closed. There will be intermittent alternating lane closures through Nov. 2024. 

Access for people walking and rolling: 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 have been temporarily relocated just south of SE 38th Street. The city will continue to coordinate with King County Metro to minimize impacts to transit service.

Public engagement

The city is engaging with residents, businesses, and commuters who may be impacted by this project in multiple ways, including this project website, mailed notices, pop-up events, and online forums.

The City provides the following video overview of the project purpose, benefits, and potential impacts — PDF of the presentation is available. We want to understand and support the needs of the community, so please share feedback and input. You can contact the project manager, Jay Hummel (jhummel@bellevuewa.gov; 425-452-4160), or the Utilities Public Information Officer, Michaelene Fowler (mfowler@bellevuewa.gov; 425-452-6145)