An 80-foot-tall, LED-lit pump station is coming to downtown Ballard.

Seattle Public Utilities has finalized design plans for the Ballard Pump Station at 24th Ave NW and Shilshole, which will pump sewage from the new wastewater storage tunnel to West Point Treatment Plant. The whole project is known as the Ship Canal Water Quality Project, and crews have been digging a tunnel alongside the Ship Canal from Ballard to Wallingford for the past year.

SPU says the tower design was inspired by Ballard’s shipyards and maritime industry and will be surrounded by a maintenance yard and tree nursery. Trees from the nursery will eventually be re-planted throughout the city as street trees.

Onsite will be artwork by Jeffrey Veregge from the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe “that celebrates the Coast Salish heritage and historical use of the area,” SPU says. The 24th Ave NW street-end and right-of-way will have green stormwater infrastructure with parking and pedestrian access.

Now that the project has reached 100% design, SPU is ready to advertise for bids and hire a contractor, with plans to start construction in 2023.

In the meantime, tunnel boring machine MudHoney is continuing to tunnel toward Wallingford. SPU says during tunneling activities you should expect the following:

Work happens six days a week, and the tunnel is expected to reach Wallingford by early 2023.

In East Ballard, SPU has finished excavation for the underground mechanical and electrical vault on NW 45th St. SPU says to expect the following:

Regular work hours are Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. with occasional night and weekend work.

In Fremont, lane reductions on Leary Way NW between 1st Ave NW and NW 39th St will continue through mid-May so crews can conduct utility work on Leary. SPU says to expect the following in Fremont:

You can learn more about the project timeline and history here.

Renderings courtesy Seattle Public Utilities