The Aurora Bridge will be closed tonight while crews work to raise the bridge a 3/4 of an inch. The work is part of a project to help the 80-year-old bridge better withstand an earthquake. The bridge will be closed from midnight tonight until 5 a.m. tomorrow (Wednesday, May 30) morning. Northbound drivers will be detoured off SR 99 at Denny Way and onto Dexter Avenue and/or I-5. Southbound drivers will be detoured off at 39th and onto Fremont Avenue.

The retrofitting has been underway since April 2011, as crews have been under the bridge reinforcing the steel and concrete on the north and south ends. The project includes, “adding steel to the skeleton, thickening concrete girders and covering existing columns with fiber designed for shaking,” according to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). During the daytime closure, crews will work on 6th Avenue North underneath the Aurora Avenue Bridge. They are building a skeletal system for the extra steel that will be attached to the existing girders

Please note: this work was canceled for today due to an unfavorable weather forecast and will be rescheduled

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EARLIER-The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is performing road repair work on N 34th Street tomorrow, May 22:

N 34th Street will be closed to westbound vehicle traffic for one block between Woodland Park Avenue N and Albion Place N from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The detour will be posted and will utilize Woodland Park Avenue N, N 35th Street and Albion Place N. Albion Place N will be a one-way street, southbound only, between N 35th Street and N 34th Street. Eastbound traffic on N 34th Street will not be affected. Local access, pedestrian access, and access to businesses will be maintained during this work.

Work may be rescheduled in case of bad weather.

Here’s how it works: prominent artists donate unheard songs to a playlist held exclusively by Protosong, which Protosong advertises on its website during one of its month-long events. During the event, music fans can donate whatever they want to access this playlist through Protosong’s website. In essence, a user can pay one dollar for access to a collection of exclusive songs. When the event ends, Protosong releases its playlist to anyone who donated, and gives 100 percent of the money raised to causes that work against human trafficking in Seattle and to the artists who contributed to the playlist.

Wednesday’s acts include Wayfarer, The Cellar Door, Ethan Jennings, Josh Montoya and Edmund Wayne. Doors open at 6:30 at Nectar (412 North 36th Street) on May 23. Tickets are $10 at the door, and proceeds from the show benefit Protosong. The show is open to all ages. For more information email Megan: megan@protosong.com.

The Small and Simple Projects Fund, one of three funds managed by Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, provides cash awards of up to $20,000 in matching funds to neighborhood organizations committed to fostering and building a better community. The 2012 awards ranged from $4,200 to $20,000, and the organizations have pledged to match the City’s $534,666 contribution with resources valued at nearly $760,123. Recipients of the Neighborhood Matching Fund match their awards through a combination of locally raised money, donated materials and volunteer labor.

“These awards recognize the dedication and hard work of community members working together to improve their neighborhood,” says Mayor Mike McGinn. “Whether the projects are for physical improvements or a community celebration, the benefit of this program is the connection and engagement of neighbors and the broader community.”

The City figures on average, volunteers give $1.45 of donations and sweat equity for every $1 of taxpayer support: “There’s a reason why the Neighborhood Matching Fund is being replicated by other cities the country. This fund provides another reason for neighbors to get together and it allows them to create a vision to improve their neighborhood and it helps implement that vision. It’s the building block for community projects,” says Seattle City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw. Bernie Matsuno, director of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, says “The Neighborhood Matching Fund has been emulated by cities all over the world. And what makes it so successful is the connection and engagement that happens when neighbors work together to make improvements in their community.”

The Neighborhood Matching Fund has awarded more than $49 million with a community match of more than $71 million, since its inception 24 years ago. During that time, more than 85,600 volunteers have donated over 573,000 work hours. .

Fremont Projects to receive matching funds:

B.F. Day School Playground - Design Development

Based on the results from a community planning process, fund design development for the exterior grounds of B.F. Day Elementary School to
include the west play area and enhancements to the north slope. The project will include community meetings, events, and opportunities for neighborhood involvement.

Organization: B.F. Day PTSA

Awarded Amount: $18,300

Match Amount: $9,270

The Community Cinema Project

Involving the Fremont and Wallingford neighborhoods, produce a community group showcase that will include an outdoor showing of the movie “Goonies” at Gasworks Park.

Organization: Community Cinema Group

Awarded Amount: $14,286

Match Amount : $21,873

Fremont - Bridging the Gap

Create a living history video and historical exhibits, as well as create the Fremont Community Youth Action Committee that will allow
local youth the opportunity to work with adults to help shape the future of Fremont. Project will involve current and past residents, neighborhood organizations, and schools.

Organization: History House

Awarded Amount: $19,550

Match Amount: $35,620

To learn more about the Fund, click here

You can sign up for the public team, or start your own team of friends and colleagues. Team sizes range from 5 to 250+ members. After an afternoon of doing good, volunteers are invited to meet up at Seattle Center for the after party hosted by Seattle Works.

Bevin Wong of Seattle Works says “Last year, 81% of participants said they were inspired to do more in the community as a result of Seattle Works Day. It may just be one day, but it does make an impact – and you can be part of that!” Seattle Works is still accepting teams and individual volunteers. Please visit www.seattleworks.com/signup or contact Bevin Wong (206.324.0808 x6 or bevin@seattleworks.org) to get involved!

Fremont Abbey Community Work Party

9a – 1p, Fremont Abbey (4272 Fremont Ave N)

Help clean and organize inside the building, and bring your gardening gloves for some weeding/gardening outside the Abbey. Afterwards, the work party will head over to Pecado Bueno for lunch.

Open to all, bring cleaning equipment or just show up!

Solstice Parade-Prep, Float Move & Clean

Noon – 4p, Powerhouse (3940 Fremont Ave N)

Donate your time and hands to help move the float bodies for the 2012 Solstice Parade from storage to the parade studio.

Fremont Rotary Shred-it Event

1p – 4p, corner of Evanston and N 34th (by the Red Door)

Bring your personal documents that need to be shredded- give a small donation to Rotary and watch all those old tax documents go away!!

The Healing Reign Music Benefit & Auction

Phoenix and Purple have made an undeniable impact on the streets of Seattle where the victims of crime know they have someone looking out for them. Now victims of domestic violence can count on Seattle’s Superheroes as well. (This event will…) raise funds and give resources to victims of abuse. Purple Reign, a survivor of domestic violence, has launched the first and largest campaign of its kind among costumed activists through her non-profit The Purple Reign Campaign. All of the funds raised in the current campaign are being donated to Northwest Family Life, a local non-profit that for over twenty years, has been providing education programs, advocacy, counseling and treatment for people whose lives have been impacted by domestic violence.

7p, Nectar Lounge (412 N 36th St) Ghost Town Riot and more, $7, 21+

From SDOT:

Bicyclists will be detoured during sidewalk closures. Bicyclists may use the Fremont Bridge or may cross the ship canal at the Ballard Locks. (The sidewalks are too narrow to accommodate bicycle traffic in two directions on the same sidewalk.)

Last year, SDOT painted the Ballard Bridge approaches (the raised roadways at each end of the bridge). This year SDOT is painting the bascule part of the bridge, which is the portion of the bridge that opens and closes for marine traffic. SDOT’s annual bridge painting program provides for the periodic painting of each of the city’s 20 structural steel bridges. The painting helps protect the steel surfaces on the bridges from corrosion and other weather deterioration.

The Fremont Siphon pipelines, which are located beneath the Lake Washington Ship Canal in a concrete tunnel west of the Fremont Bridge, are almost 100 years old and at the end of their service life. The project is now in early design, with construction expected to start around mid-2014. King County also operates the Ballard and Montlake Siphons, which also run beneath the Ship Canal and convey wastewater from North Seattle to the West Point Treatment Plant in Discovery Park.

For more information about the Fremont Siphon Replacement Project, click here.

*ST Express routes included are: 540, 542, 545, 550, 554, 555, 556 and 560.