Followup: 47th/Admiral signal work to start tomorrow

Work will start tomorrow on the 47th/Admiral traffic signal and other pedestrian-safety components.

A week and a half ago, SDOT announced the project could start “as soon as” this week, and now we have the alert with details of what’s ahead:

The Seattle Department of Transportation will begin work to install a new traffic signal, new crosswalks and upgraded curb ramps at the five-leg intersection of 47th Avenue SW and SW Admiral Way at SW Waite Street. Crews will work at this location for up to four months.

Residents, businesses and travelers can expect to see crews and equipment in the area beginning tomorrow, March 10. Construction will begin with survey work and site preparation. Crews will begin saw cutting at the northeast corner of 47th Avenue SW and SW Admiral Way as soon as Wednesday, March 11, with demolition of the northeast corner to follow on Thursday, March 12. “No park” signs will be placed around the work zones prior to the start of work. We will notify adjacent properties prior to the start of work at a given corner.

Crews will begin work to demolish the existing curbs and prepare to set the foundation for new signal equipment. Crews will continue to work in preparation for installation of the signal but there may be a lull of activity between the corner work and installation of the new signal. The existing overhead pedestrian signal will remain in place until the new signal is operational and the crosswalks are marked. No impacts are expected to adjacent Metro bus stops.

During construction you can expect:
· Construction activity from 7 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday to Friday
· Pedestrian and bicycle detours around work areas
· Temporary lane and parking restrictions during off-peak travel times on 47th Avenue SW, SW Admiral Way and SW Waite Street
· Noise, dust and vibration associated with concrete removal and paving

If you have questions or concerns during construction, contact Rachel McCaffrey, construction outreach lead, at rachel.mccaffrey@seattle.gov or 206-615-0925.

According to the city website, the contractor is CA Carey of Issaquah, awarded the contract for $352,026. That’s close to the projected $350,000 cost, but considerably less than expected when the City Council decided in 2013 to fully fund the signal. SDOT says the work will last about three months.

17 Replies to "Followup: 47th/Admiral signal work to start tomorrow"

  • MSW March 9, 2015 (8:59 pm)

    Well, I hope this $352,026.00 project won’t mess up the traffic on Admiral.

  • Delay March 9, 2015 (9:53 pm)

    Wow. 3 months to install a traffic light. That’s nuts. I think we need a committee to discuss this timeline

  • Abbott March 9, 2015 (10:16 pm)

    I know it sounds a bit pricey MSW but I live right at that crosswalk and it is a death trap. Literally. Someone was killed in that crosswalk about a decade ago, and there are numerous wrecks and crashes there frequently. I feel like I am taking my life in my hands just turning off of my street some days. One of my middle school-age kids crosses that street on their way home from school and it frightens me. I guess the costs seems reasonable to me.

  • K'lo March 9, 2015 (10:20 pm)

    better a small disruption in traffic than the loss of a life.

  • KM March 9, 2015 (10:30 pm)

    Nice to see this intersection getting some love. The slope of Waite street make is hard to turn off of, and the traffic of Admiral doesn’t help much either. Great addition for a busy area.

  • WSEA March 10, 2015 (9:16 am)

    I just saw an accident occur at the same intersection last week. Can’t wait for this to be complete. I usually dont even cross at this intersection but go up or down a couple blocks since its safer.

  • Chris March 10, 2015 (10:15 am)

    I wish that a roundabout had been chosen instead of a stop light, the current crosswalk closed, the new crosswalks to include a pedestrian-demand stoplight across Admiral.

  • Joeb March 10, 2015 (10:58 am)

    Glad something is finally being done. I’m a native and something I’ve noticed Seattle doesn’t do well is, following through on changes. Seattle likes to put up new lights, curbs, etc but then call it good. What we need here, imo, is police to monitor/enforce changes at this intersection.

  • Chad March 10, 2015 (11:37 am)

    I am happy to see this finally going in. I would also like to see a stop sign at Oregon and Glenn. People drive much to fast through this intersection. It’s an accident waiting to happen.

  • MSW March 10, 2015 (12:18 pm)

    I know how dangerous Admiral can be, I use the cross walk near 49th often. When I cross Admiral, I try to make eye contact with the driver and if it’s really busy, I generally wait until the cars have passed before crossing. Using common sense doesn’t cost $352,026.00.

  • jj March 10, 2015 (7:54 pm)

    Give me $20 I can do it with a flashlight and a broom handle!

  • Mike March 10, 2015 (8:38 pm)

    I still don’t think this light will work as intended. Just last week a lady was texting and swerved into the parking lane to avoid hitting me while I was waiting for a family to cross. If she can’t see the big vehicle with bright red lights at eye level in front of her, why would she stop for this?

  • MSW March 10, 2015 (9:21 pm)

    Sorry, but it seems SDOT likes to spend a lot of money on these type of project. They spent $100,000.00 on the Admiral bike lanes. It would have made more sense to put the lanes on the downhill side. It frustrates me to see such expensive waste of tax payer’s money. Meanwhile our roads are being neglected and still full of potholes.

  • norad pedestrian March 10, 2015 (9:26 pm)

    I don’t understand why drivers don’t stop when there are pedestrians in the crosswalk.

  • alki_2008 March 10, 2015 (9:32 pm)

    I foresee more traffic accidents at that traffic light…particularly for westbound traffic.

    The big issue with that intersection is the combination of speed, slope of the road, and curve of the street. Drivers will get rear-ended when sitting at a red traffic light (in the westbound direction). Cars driving westbound won’t see that the light is red and that cars are stopped in the lane until they crest the hill and start heading downhill, and that will be too late. They’ll end up rear-ending cars that are parked at the red light.

    We’ll see what happens.

  • miws March 11, 2015 (7:58 am)

    Well, even tough it is alluded to above, it looks like the people that are so adamantly against this, because of the cost involved, or the “inconvenience” to drivers, or because there’s going to be constant rear-end collisions because of this, need a little reminder (or an education, if they were not around when this happened) of why this is much needed, and long overdue:

    https://westseattleblog.com/2007/11/1-year-ago-today-47th-admiral/

    .

    Be sure to enter the name of the driver that killed Tatsuo Nakata, in the WSB search box, to see follow-up reports, and the (lack of, IMHO, punishment. Be sure to take special note of that driver’s driving history.

    .

    Mike

  • jj March 11, 2015 (8:30 am)

    50% of the commenters on WSB are against change of any kind, against any tax dollars being spent on anything, opposed to anything that might reduce car speeds or cause the smallest inconvenience for them regardless of the benefit to others, and woe befall the poor soul who suggests something that might remove a single parking space. It is impossible to convince them of anything using reasoned argument, impassioned rhetoric, or any other tool.
    .
    I use this intersection daily, as a driver, and I’m all for it. Waite street is an arterial for all those folks on the slope above Alki. Especially on nice days, Admiral backs up well beyond this intersection. For those that claim it will cause accidents, do you run red lights on a regular basis? I’d say the general concept of street lights is pretty well proven out at this point in history.

Sorry, comment time is over.