Construction Blog

Live in the Laurelhurst neighborhood and have a concern? Please contact us by telephone at 206-987-8000.

If this is a construction emergency, please page 206-469-5860.

In downtown Seattle, for Building Cure-related issues or emergencies, please call 206-219-3157.

Starting Wednesday, July 5, a private geotechnical company will drill six large holes at different locations on the west side of the Seattle Children’s campus to take soil samples. Each drilling will take about a day to complete. They will bring in a large drill rig to complete the work, and there will be some noise and possible vibration. If you have questions or concerns, please email construction@seattlechildrens.org.

Building Cure will get its first tower crane on Sunday, June 18. A noise variance was issued for work to begin at 3 a.m., when large excavators and heavy equipment will be removed. Beginning at 7 a.m., tower crane segments will be laid out and stacked into place. Two police officers will be onsite directing traffic. We do not anticipate impacts to pedestrian or vehicular traffic while the tower crane is erected, aside from brief stops to allow loads to enter the jobsite.

The tower crane will be in place for about 14 months and will be used to move materials like formwork for the structure, reinforcing steel, equipment, job boxes for the crews, and other construction support items and activities.

The Building Cure team is making big progress in our excavation activities for the below-grade spaces. About 75% of the total material has been removed. We anticipate a mid-June “bottoming out,” where we reach the elevation for the top of foundations. We’ll then begin excavation activities for each of the foundations. Given the lower volume of material removed for structural excavation work, we’ll be able to transition from night hauling to intermittent day hauling. During day hauling, flaggers will be posted at the entrance and exit to the job site to ensure pedestrian safety as trucks enter and exit the job site. Please follow all sidewalk closure signs and periodic instructions by the flaggers. They are there for your safety!

System upgrade work continues on the Seattle Children’s campus. On Saturday, April 22, between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., work will take place in the middle of campus; normal construction noise levels are expected. Large vehicles will enter and exit the Seattle Children’s campus along Sand Point Way; we do not anticipate impacts to traffic. For questions or concerns, please call the construction pager at 206-469-5860. Thank you for your patience.

Through Friday, March 24, concrete trucks will enter and exit the Building Cure construction site from Terry Avenue. This allows shoring activities along the west wall to continue. Work should have minimal impact to Terry Avenue as it is a no-parking zone, and the sidewalk along this street currently is closed for construction activities.

We anticipate approximately 20 trucks per day will drive down Terry Avenue during this timeframe. We will run street sweepers to keep Terry Avenue clean and will ensure a flagger is stationed at the corner of Terry and Virginia to assist with safe crossings for the Spruce Street School children during school arrival and departure times.

For concerns or emergency issues regarding this planned work or future construction, please call the Building Cure construction line at 206-219-3157.

Now you can follow construction progress at Building Cure from your desktop or mobile device. A time-lapse camera takes four photos of the site every 20 minutes. View the construction site. Click on the panoramic view icon to see the entire construction site. For a time-lapse video of the construction progress, select one of the views and click on the “Play time-lapse sequence” button near the bottom of the screen.

Several Seattle Children’s Research Institute Building Cure construction-related activities that will interrupt traffic and sidewalk flow are slated to take place through the month of March:

• Week of March 6: Toward the end of this week, the construction crew will be delivering heavy equipment and material onsite to prepare for shoring and mass excavation activities, scheduled to begin on Monday, March 13. Expect increased truck traffic and activity onsite going forward. Flaggers will be stationed at the site entrance on Stewart and Virginia to ensure pedestrian safety as traffic enters and leaves the jobsite.
• March 13 through March 24: The Virginia Avenue sidewalk will be closed 24 hours a day until Century Link relocation work is complete. Signage and barriers will be provided to ensure pedestrians are diverted from this sidewalk closure.
• Through March 15: Concrete trucks and pumps will be intermittently stationed on Terry Avenue which could impact sidewalk flow. A flagger will be stationed on Terry Avenue to ensure pedestrian safety during these activities.
• Beginning March 20: Excavated soils will be removed at night in accordance with City of Seattle Night-Haul Standards. Trucks will be entering and leaving the jobsite from the alley. Flaggers will be stationed at entrances and exits to ensure safe pathway for pedestrians. There should be minimal impact to traffic and sidewalks.

We have received a Noise Variance from the City of Seattle for loading and hauling of the excavated materials. If you have any concerns or emergency issues regarding this planned work or future construction, please call our Building Cure construction contact line at 206-219-3157.

Several Building Cure construction-related activities that will interrupt traffic and sidewalk flow are slated to take place now through the beginning of March:

• Feb. 22 through March 3: Contractors will trench for electrical work near the north end of Terry Avenue between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Expect short, intermittent closures of Terry Avenue while work is in progress.
• Feb. 27 through March 6: Demolition of a small building on the Building Cure property (1920 Terry Ave.) will take place. Intermittent sidewalk closures should be anticipated between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Flaggers will be stationed on the Terry Avenue sidewalk to ensure pedestrian safety during demolition.
• Feb. 27 through March 10: The Virginia Avenue sidewalk will be closed 24 hours a day until Century Link relocation work is complete. Signage and barriers will be provided to ensure pedestrians are diverted from this sidewalk closure
• Feb. 28 through March 15: Concrete trucks and pumps will be intermittently stationed on Terry Avenue supporting the electrical installation from Feb. 28 through sidewalk restoration on March 15. A flagger will be stationed on Terry Avenue to ensure pedestrian safety during these activities.

For your safety, please obey signage and barriers during the sidewalk closures.

System upgrade work continues on the Seattle Children’s campus. On Saturday. Feb. 18, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., work will take place in the middle of campus; normal construction noise levels are expected. Large vehicles will enter and exit the Seattle Children’s campus along Sand Point Way; we do not anticipate impacts to traffic. For questions or concerns, please call the construction pager at 206-469-5860. Thank you for your patience.

More than 1,200 community members, students, and faculty and staff attended the Feb. 2 groundbreaking celebration for Seattle Children’s Research Institute’s future Building Cure. Guests also succeeded in a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ attempt for “Most people conducting a DNA isolation experiment simultaneously.” Watch the video.

Located in Seattle’s biotech corridor at 1920 Terry Ave., Building Cure will house a new therapeutic cell processing core called the Cure Factory that will translate lab discoveries into patient treatments, with a focus on cancer immunotherapy and cell therapies for immune conditions such as type 1 diabetes and sickle cell disease.