Construction is under way on Rainier Avenue between South Grady Way and South Second Street in Renton as part of the two-year, $42 million Rainier Avenue improvement project.

Crews will remove trees and the median along Rainier Avenue to prepare for construction. Tree removal will occur nightly between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. weekdays for the next three to four weeks and some lane closures may be necessary.

During normal business hours, driveway access to businesses along Rainier Avenue will be maintained; signage was placed at driveway entrances to assist visitors with local access.

Businesses along Rainier Avenue will remain open during construction. The City of Renton is encouraging property owners along Rainier Avenue to remove all private property from the right of way along the Rainier Avenue construction zone to help the project move forward.

Rainier Avenue South is a major north-south thoroughfare through Renton  that carries about 50,000 vehicles a day.

When completed the Rainier Avenue Improvement Project will result in a safer, more aesthetically pleasing major north-south corridor to Renton. The project will improve transit mobility, upgrade traffic safety, and enhance pedestrian safety with new eight-foot wide-sidewalks, landscaped buffers, and improved street lighting.

The project is expected to continue through the spring of 2014.

To learn more, or to follow the progress of the project, visit www.rainierproject.com or contact the project team at 425-988-4104 or info@rainierproject.com.