Hey everyone: the Montlake Project is complete*: finally!

By Steve Peer

After six years of construction, we’ve finally reached a major milestone for the SR 520 Program’s Montlake Project. This project has reached substantial completion (more on what that means below).

Constructing a project of this size isn’t easy in any circumstances. In this case, there was also a worldwide pandemic, a concrete worker strike, stormy weather and a bunch of other unexpected challenges. We couldn’t have built this project without the support and patience of hundreds of partners, lawmakers, advocates, businesses, and, of course, neighbors.

We want to share this video with you to celebrate all we’ve accomplished and thank everyone who helped us get to this point.

*The Project is actually “substantially” complete, not 100% done

Substantial completion is a term we use when a project has completed all the major construction elements. Substantial completion is different from “physical completion”. To get to physical completion, we need to cross off all the remaining tasks on our punch list. And by punch list, we don’t mean juice.

What’s a punch list?

A punch list (a.k.a. to-do list) is our final checklist. This is how we make sure the contractor has met all the project requirements and obligations. Here are some examples of items on the punch list:

• Installing a pole on Hamlin Street
• Planting missing vegetation
• Rebuilding or adjusting a few things that were not quite right (like ADA ramps and wayfinding signs for pedestrians and bicyclists)

We expect the Montlake Project to reach physical completion in the coming months. After that, our contractor, Graham, will maintain plants and landscaping for three years. That way we know they are healthy and okay. Also, just like a warranty you have on your car or an appliance, all constructed elements on the project are under warranty for one year. Our contractor would be on the hook to replace those items if they faltered or malfunctioned.

Bottom Line: all major work is done but some minor work still remains. We’ve (*substantially) delivered a project that has improved all modes of transportation in the area. We've also: 

• added green space 
• increased mobility 
• connected neighborhoods that were previously severed by the highway.

Thank you to everyone who helped us get to the finish line!