Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is on the hunt for a consultant team to tackle the design, permitting, and community outreach for a significant project in the Fauntleroy neighborhood—specifically, the replacement of the California Ave SW Culvert located at Fauntleroy Creek, southwest Seattle. As reported by SPU on their official consultants page, the chosen consultant team is expected to extend their expertise to engineering support during the advertisement, award, and construction phases, along with the project's closure which is expected to kick off as soon as 2027.
The current culvert, which has been under scrutiny for its deteriorating state, was placed in the rehabilitation queue following evaluations in SPU's 2019 Asset Management Plan. Spanning 376 feet with 24-inch clay and concrete pipes, it threads through both public and private property and its condition is deemed beyond repair, thus prompting the replacement. The decision comes after an Options Analysis and a 30% design scheme conducted in 2019 and 2021 respectively, to ascertain the most viable new alignment for the culvert.
Included in the plans are strategic restorations of the stream channel both upstream and downstream of the culvert, crucial for maintaining suitable gradients for fish navigation. Furthermore, the project weaves in an artistic element, anticipating the inclusion of SPU’s 1% for Art Program, adding a touch of aesthetic consideration to the utility infrastructure.
The project’s purse strings are tied to an estimated value of up to $7,000,000 with funding sources partially comprising the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Washington State Department of Ecology. However, neither the EPA nor the State of Washington, nor any of its agencies or employees, will be legally entangled with any resultant contracts or subcontracts from this announcement.
The length of the consultant services contract spans an intended 7 years, with an eye for possible extensions. Work Assignments are anticipated to be rolled out progressively for each project phase, aiming for a wrap by the end of 2031. Those interested in contributing their expertise to this confluence of structural necessity and environmental sensitivity are encouraged to heed SPU’s call to ensure a future where infrastructure symbiotically coexists with the natural ecology of Seattle’s waterways.
