City crews spent much of this week repaving part of the section of Beach Drive that has had enough pits and ruts to rattle you from scalp to sole, and shake up the inner workings of your car/truck/motorcycle/bicycle, too. So we drove it this evening to show you the transformation – of the actual repaired section, anyway. Our :43 clip starts with the non-repaired section beneath the slide-plagued slope that has sparked a court fight (with mediation ahead, the city says), and then you’ll see how it transitions to the repaved section, in the 6200 block and a bit further south. Didn’t have the tripod in the car, so we dubbed the result Bumpycam, but it’s an accurate representation – try for yourself. (“Before” photo in our original May 8th report.)

7:22 AM: Till 9 am, there’s a “commute station” on the west end of the low bridge, with Alki Bike and Board on hand (among others). Thanks to Shannon for the top photo; we’re on our way to check it out, along with new White Center B2W Day participants Caffé Delia and Dubsea Coffee, all with treats and more till 9.

(WSB photo by Patrick Sand, added 8:44 am)
ADDED 7:28 AM: Don Brubeck, a WS bicycle commuter whose photos have often appeared here, just called in from the station by the bridge. He told us, “Lots of bikers are going by; people are stopping at the Alki Bike and Board stop and getting their tires pumped up” – about 11 riders are there right now, and about half a dozen staffing the station. It’s cloudy, but no drizzle. We also talked for a moment to ABB’s Stu Hennessey, who says it’s been busy!

ADDED 9:04 AM: After finishing his bike commute, Don shared that shot from the road – actually, the bike/pedestrian path on the low bridge. His report (with a promise of a few more pix later):

Stu and Louie from Alki Bike and Board were helping people with air in tires, lube on chains, free tubes, and in one attached picture [below], Stu and Monica from SDOT’s bike program group were giving route advice to someone who wanted to know the best route to ride to Burien for her ride this morning.

Matt Johnson and Long Vo from BECU were there with schwag for riders and snagging potential customers. Matt is a West Seattleite.

Rob and Ray, who work at Nuun electrolyte drink company in the I.D., were giving out samples. They ride from West Seattle at least some of the time.

Car traffic was lighter than usual on the low level bridge. Could it be due to more people on bikes instead? Or, just Friday?

Our crew stopped at Caffé Delia in downtown WC – photos are on our partner site White Center Now.

ALASKAN WAY VIADUCT WEEKEND CLOSURE REMINDER: 11 pm Friday to 5 am Monday, so WSDOT can keep working on reinforcing the section of The Viaduct that the tunnel will go beneath.

SUNDAY CLOSURES/CHANGES ON ALKI: Sunday starts with the West Seattle 5K (co-sponsored by WSB) benefit run/walk at 9 am, and at 11 am, Seattle Summer Streets (aka “car-free day”) – here are the Alki traffic changes you can expect as a result – note that even though the car-free events are on a limited section of the street, the rest of it is ONLY open to residents. Here’s how SDOT explains the plan:

•From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.: Alki Avenue SW will be fully closed from 63rd Avenue SW to the Don Armeni Boat Launch Ramp for the West Seattle 5K Run/Walk. All parking will be restricted from 63rd to 56th and along the waterside from 56th to the boat ramp.

•From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Alki Avenue SW will be fully closed from 63rd to 56th Avenue SW for the Summer Streets event. Parking will be restricted on both sides of the street during this time.

Access exceptions will be made for emergency vehicles and people with disabilities. After 11 a.m. local access to condos will be allowed from 56th Avenue SW to the Don Armeni Boat Launch Ramp. As in the past, SPD will detour those who do not live in the vicinity from Alki on to California Ave SW until 5 p.m.

(Added Friday morning: The citywide weekend event alerts, here.)

NEXT WEEK AND BEYOND, SPOKANE STREET VIADUCT PLANS: A roundup of what’s ahead for the Spokane Street Viaduct section of the West Seattle Bridge includes two notes looking past next week, before next week’s closure schedule – the switch from eastbound 1st ramp open to eastbound 4th ramp open is not going to happen next week after all; plus, in early June there will be a full=weekend closure of the westbound SSV – read on for complete details from SDOT:

The eastbound off-ramp at Fourth Avenue S has been closed since mid-April, when eastbound traffic was temporarily shifted onto the new viaduct structure in order to make room for repairs and repaving of the bridge deck on the old structure. It had previously been reported that the Fourth Avenue off-ramp would reopen next week (May 22 or 23), however, this has now been delayed. SDOT now expects the Fourth Avenue off-ramp to be open for the morning commute on Wednesday, May 30, at which point the eastbound off-ramp at First Avenue S will close. The First Avenue off-ramp is expected to remain closed for about four weeks.

Looking ahead, all westbound lanes of the Spokane Street Viaduct from I-5 to SR 99 will be closed from 6 p.m. Saturday, June 9 until 5 a.m. Monday, June 11.

Other Upcoming Project Roadway Closures:

Thursday, May 17

· The westbound lanes of the Spokane Street Viaduct between I-5 and SR 99 will be closed overnight from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. on Friday morning. The SR 99 southbound off-ramp to West Seattle will remain open, providing the opportunity to avoid the closure.

· Eastbound traffic on the Spokane Street Viaduct will be reduced to one lane overnight from
9 p.m. until 5 a.m. on Friday morning.

· The intersection of Sixth Avenue S & S Spokane Street will be restricted to one lane in each direction, both for north/south and east/west traffic, from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. on Friday morning.

Monday, May 21 – Tuesday, May 22

· The westbound lanes of the Spokane Street Viaduct between I-5 and SR 99 will be closed nightly from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. the following morning. The SR 99 southbound off-ramp to West Seattle will remain open, providing the opportunity to avoid the closure.

· Eastbound traffic on the Spokane Street Viaduct will be reduced to one lane nightly from
9 p.m. until 5 a.m. the following morning.

Monday, May 21 – Wednesday, May 23

· Southbound traffic on East Marginal Way S at S Spokane Street will be detoured to the west nightly from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. the following morning.

Monday, May 21 – Friday, May 25

· The intersection of Sixth Avenue S & S Spokane Street will be restricted to one lane in each direction nightly, both for north/south and east/west traffic. On the nights of May 21, 22, 24, & 25, the southbound lane restrictions will run from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m. the following morning. On Wednesday, May 23, the southbound lane restriction will run from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. Thursday morning. The northbound lane restriction will begin at 9 p.m. each night and end at 5 a.m. the following morning.

Thursday, May 24

· Fourth Avenue S at S Spokane Street will be reduced to one lane in each direction overnight from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Friday morning.

Thursday, May 24 – Friday, May 25

· Northbound traffic on East Marginal Way S at S Spokane Street will be detoured to the east frontage roadway under SR 99 nightly from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. the following morning. Northbound traffic wishing to turn west at S Spokane Street will execute a U-turn at S Horton Street.

Friday, May 25

· First Avenue S at S Spokane Street will be reduced to one lane in each direction. The northbound restriction will run from 9 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Saturday. In order to accommodate Mariners fans leaving Safeco Field, the southbound lane restriction will not begin until 11 p.m. (and will continue until 5 a.m. Saturday morning).

Saturday, June 9 – Monday, June 11

· Westbound lanes of the Spokane Street Viaduct between I-5 and SR 99 will be closed from 6 p.m. Saturday, June 9 until 5 a.m. the morning of Monday, June 11. (The closure time is delayed until early evening on Saturday due to events at the stadiums in SODO earlier that day.)

About two blocks of the bumpiest stretch of Beach Drive, in the 6200 block and further south, will get fixed starting today. Our photo’s from about half an hour ago, when we went over to check that the crews were indeed getting going as announced last week by SDOT. The work is scheduled to continue daily, 7 am-7 pm, for the rest of this week, and SDOT says traffic will be allowed through the area (police are scheduled to be there to help). As first reported here a week ago, the stretch that’s being fixed does NOT include the also-rutted lanes alongside the disputed slide zone to the north; that’s been tied up in court for a year-plus, but the City Attorney’s Office tells WSB that mediation is scheduled later this month in hopes of resolving it.

Also coming up Friday – it’s Bike-to-Work Day, and in addition to the commute station on the west end of the “low bridge” here in West Seattle, two White Center spots participating this year – both marked on the map above with aqua markers – Caffe Delia (9622 16th SW) is inviting bike commuters to stop by for coffee, waffles, and Full Tilt Ice Cream (Caffe Delia and FT are both members of the Rat City Business Association, a WSB sponsor); and Dubsea Coffee (9910 8th SW), with free bike tune-ups as well as free coffee.

And all week – tomorrow through Friday – Metro and Sound Transit are offering free rides to any bicyclist who loads a bike on one of their buses. Each bus, Metro notes, has three spaces, available first-come first-served. And if you’ve never used the bus bike rack before, remember that you can give the same equipment a try at Alki Bike and Board at 2606 California SW in the Admiral District (ABB is also participating in the Friday morning bike-to-work station by the low bridge, mentioned above).

Overnight closures of the westbound lanes of the Spokane Street Viaduct from SR 99, previously announced for tonight, Wednesday, May 9, and tomorrow, Thursday May 10, have been cancelled.  The contractor was able to complete planned work during closures Monday and Tuesday nights. 
 
Other overnight closures of the same westbound lanes are likely next week.  Information will be released once details have been finalized.

Heading back from checking out an unrelated story early this morning, we noticed these signs stretching along a couple blocks of Beach Drive SW immediately south of the disputed slide slope, creating a no-parking zone for “construction” later this week. Coincidentally, we had just inquired hours earlier with the City Attorney’s Office about the status of the legal fight over the slide site, and while we’re still awaiting that information, we asked SDOT if this is work related to that site. Answer: No, but it IS work to repair the rocky stretch of Beach Drive just south of there, replied spokesperson Marybeth Turner. She says the dates have changed, too – though the signs said May 9-11 when we checked them early today, according to Turner, the work is now set for next week.

2:34 PM UPDATE: We do now have that update on the legal fight over the slide-plagued slope that is now held behind a block wall (though water continues leaking onto the road, as we saw today, days after the last rain, with puddling right across from the semi-new BUMP warning sign):

The legal fight involves multiple parties that filed claims and counter-claims, including upslope homeowners, streetfront homeowners, and the city; its status isn’t available online, but City Attorney’s Office spokesperson Kimberly Mills told WSB today, “We have a mediation scheduled for the end of the month and hope the parties can resolve the issues.”

The Metropolitan King County Council today gave its unanimous approval to Metro Transit service changes that include the introduction this fall of faster service into downtown Seattle from two of the region’s heaviest transit corridors: Ballard and West Seattle.

“With this transit service change, King County will use existing resources to carry more riders to more destinations,” said Councilmember Larry Phillips, chair of the Council’s Transportation, Economy and Environment Committee, whose district includes Ballard. “By delivering RapidRide and restructuring the system to become more efficient, county leaders are continuing to carry out our commitment to make Metro service a better and more cost effective.”

“September will bring the largest set of service changes in Metro’s history. Many riders in Southwest Seattle will see faster, more reliable service,” said Councilmember Joe McDermott, who represents West Seattle on the County Council. “Rapid Ride C Line is an exciting part of that faster, more reliable service.”

“The Metro Transit service changes adopted today are well thought out and incorporate the goals of the strategic plan and the public,” said Councilmember Reagan Dunn, Chair of the Regional Transit Committee. “These new changes were crafted with the input of the public and will serve the passengers and the community in a more cost effective and efficient way. I thank the citizens who took the time to comment on these changes and I am confident these changes will be constructive changes for all involved.”

The arrival of two new RapidRide lines is part of a service package that includes 48 changes throughout the transit system starting September 29. RapidRide Line C will travel between West Seattle to downtown Seattle using Fauntleroy Way SW and California Avenue SW. Line D will come into downtown Seattle from Ballard along 15th Avenue NW.

Rapid Ride is part of the “Transit Now” initiative adopted by voters in 2006. Arriving every 10 minutes during the busiest morning and evening travel hours, the specially-designed buses have low floors and three doors, so people can get on and off quickly. A new fare payment system allows riders with passes to pay as they enter any door.

“In south King County, people have been waiting years for more transit service,” said Councilmember Julia Patterson. “These service changes—which are guided by the values of productivity, geographic value and social equity—will result in service to corridors that have never been touched by transit. That is why I am happy to support these changes and get service to the riders who have been waiting.”

“The changes to Metro Transit Services will increase its overall efficiency by reinvesting 100,000 hours of lower performing routes into higher-performing routes,” said Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer. “This will allow tax dollars going towards public transportation to serve a higher percentage of Metro riders.”

“As a bus commuter on the #41, I know how important transit service is for people who rely on it to get where they need to go,” said Councilmember Bob Ferguson. “These service changes are consistent with our ongoing efforts to make our transit system more efficient by focusing our limited resources on productive, well-used routes.”

The two new routes will mean four of the six proposed RapidRide routes will be operating. Lines C and D will join the “A Line,” which travels between Tukwila and Federal Way, and the “B Line,” with operates from the Bellevue Transit Center to Redmond Transit Center via N.E. 8th Street, Crossroads, and Overlake Transit Center.

Along with the introduction of RapidRide lines C and D, Metro is restructuring other bus routes and continuing its reallocation of lower-performing service hours. The September shift of approximately 65,000 service hours is the largest in the history of the transit system.

The reallocation will allow Metro to reinvest service hours from lower-performing bus routes throughout the system, and is anticipated to increase ridership by more than three quarters of a million rides per year for a net investment of less than 16,000 service hours. The shift bolsters service on crowded routes, will improve schedule reliability and give county residents greater opportunities to choose public transportation over their cars.

The changes continue the shift of at least 100,000 service hours to address high priority needs in the transit system. This goal is part of the approach called for by the Council in the ordinance adopting the temporary Congestion Reduction Charge, and is carried out consistent with the Strategic Plan for Public Transportation 2011-2021 and King County Metro Service Guidelines, adopted by the Council in June 2011.

The adopted service changes are the culmination of a public process that included public meetings hosted by the Council and Metro Transit and over 10,000 public comments. Proposed changes revised after input from riders:

Route 156 will serve the temporary home of Aviation High School and the Highline School District’s Home Schooling Resource Center;
Route 125 will continue to see Saturday service addressing South Seattle Community College needs;
The new Route 50 was slated to stop going to the VA Medical Center drive on Beacon Hill, but the buses will maintain service to this location. Another change to the Route 50 gives the North Delridge neighborhood badly needed access to basic services.
Route 24, which was slated to stop running along Viewmont Avenue in Magnolia, will continue to serve that area;
Route 2, will continue to connect the Central Area, Downtown, and Queen Anne, rather than be split as proposed;
Plans for two other routes serving the Central Area, Routes 4 and 27, were altered in response to concerns raised by the community.

To see all of the changes adopted by the Council, visit: http://www.kingcounty.gov/haveasay

(Photos by Preston Poythress)
Thanks to Astrid Klopsch, a Westside School (WSB sponsor) parent who along with fellow parent Carmel Schimmel led a Bike Month workshop at the school today, for sharing this report on how it went:

Today from 10 am – 12:00 pm, Westside School, with the support of the Cascade Bicycle Club, hosted a Bike Month Kick-off where children of all ages received assistance with bike adjustments, practiced skills and rode through obstacle courses.

More than 35 students participated – everyone showed improvements and one student even was able to get rid of their training wheels. It was a big success and everyone is looking forward to more great biking.

Bike Month includes Bike to Work Day, coming up on May 18th, a week from Friday; once again this year, there’ll be a commute station by the west end of the “low bridge,” co-sponsored by Alki Bike and Board (here’s a list of the commute stations around the region).

SPOKANE STREET VIADUCT WIDENING PROJECT:

*Approaching 90 percent completion, says SDOT project manager Stuart Goldsmith. The project is now expected to be done in “early September.” The new westbound 1st Avenue South ramp won’t fully open till then.

*May 22nd is the date expected for reopening the 4th Avenue eastbound exit, and then closing the 1st Avenue South eastbound ramp for another 6 to 8 weeks.

*Exit confusion where the bridge meets 99 (and truckers going rogue): They’re still working on signage – covering the ones that point them to the Spokane St. Viaduct for I-5.

NEW HIGHWAY 99 BRIDGE (ELEVATED STRUCTURE) WHERE THE VIADUCT USED TO BE:

*WSDOT’s Matt Preedy says the first set of girders for the northbound bridge was set last night – right now both directions are running on the semi-recently-completed bridge that will eventually carry southbound traffic. They have met the milestone of “100 percent up out of the ground,” said Preedy, and are on track to complete the bridge and shift traffic onto it by fall of this year – earlier than what they thought last year.

SOUTH ATLANTIC STREET OVERCROSSING FOR 99

*Bids will be opened later this month; this overpass bridge is to be complete by end of next year. How will bicycles get along? Preedy was asked. The path back to West Seattle will be “detoured a little further to the west” during construction.

EAST MARGINAL WAY SOUTH REBUILD

*On track for completion by June.

AIRPORT WAY SOUTH BRIDGE

*Still expected to reopen by the end of the year.

HOW WOULD SODO BASKETBALL/HOCKEY ARENA AFFECT TRAFFIC?

*One group member pointed out that the possibility completely tousles what’s been under discussion here for a very long time – 4 extra “events” a week – and wondered if it had been adequately discussed among transportation managers.

*The arena came up, by the way, in a new “what’s on your mind?” section of the meeting. Some members including West Seattle’s Pete Spalding had suggested the group’s meetings needed more time to listen to actual concerns regarding the south end traffic situation, and less on presentations that might or might not directly affect them.

ALASKAN WAY – NOW, FUTURE

*Wednesday or Thursday of next week, the detour announced last week – with the demonsration video repeated above – will take effect, and will be in effect until at least early 2014, “possibly longer, depending on the city’s seawall-replacement schedule,” Preedy says. Traffic will be under the Viaduct all the way to Madison. If continuing north, you veer over, and by Spring Street, you’re back in the current Alaskan Way lans. Through traffic will be southbound one lane; northbound, part two, part one. They will implement “bumper to bumper” ferry queueing on the dock, which means 100 more cars, with the help of an on-dock supervisor. There’s 100 extra potential spaces using some street/curb space.

*East/west, they will feed people directly off the dock with more options including going straight through and accessing 2nd Avenue Extension. The bike path will be on the east side of the viaduct path from Jackson to Yesler, but north of that, the bike path will cross the detoured Yesler then cross again at Madison. West Seattle group member Vlad Oustimovitch worried that would be creating a lot of “bicycle/vehicle conflicts” in the short run. He called the detour-and-detour again plan “convoluted.” WSDOT says they’re most concerned about safety. The sidewalk on the west side of Alaskan Way will remain open, but it’s not wide enough to be the primary route.

ALASKAN WAY WIDENED FOR STREET PARKING

*About 66 on-street metered parking spots are being created between Spring and Pike along Alaskan Way. That’s about a third of the 200 lost under The Viaduct.

Some big transit improvements are coming to the Fauntleroy Ferry Dock in West Seattle.

Beginning May 11, King County Metro Transit will begin a month-long project to install a variety of improvements to accompany the start of the RapidRide C Line this fall. Those improvements will include two new RapidRide stations, lighting, information kiosks displaying real-time bus arrival times and 5 electric charging stations for vanpool and public use.

Improvements will also make boarding the bus easier. An additional bus bulb will be added at the northbound RapidRide station to provide for a larger boarding platform. Other amenities will provide better access to and from the ferry terminal area for pedestrians and people with disabilities.

Construction work is expected to occur weekdays between the hours of 6:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. and may cause periodic traffic disruptions. During intensive construction periods, flaggers or police officers will be on hand to keep traffic moving, especially during peak travel times.

While construction is underway, bus riders will be directed to a temporary southbound bus stop on Southwest Wildwood Place. While the northbound bus stop will be less affected, riders will occasionally need to use the bus stop just to the north on Fauntleroy Way Southwest at Southwest Trenton Street.

New features, such as shelters, benches and lighting, will be available for immediate public use when construction is complete. Other improvements, such as electric vehicle plug-ins and real time bus arrival information, will be phased in over the next several months.

The RapidRide C Line begins operation Saturday, Sept. 29.

WSDOT has just gone public with that new video showing a reroute of Alaskan Way that kicks in during the second week of May, preparing for Highway 99 tunnel work, and it’s likely to be of particular interest to people who use the downtown ferry terminal as well as pedestrian/bicycle path users. Here’s the detailed explanation.

At the end of our last update on the “rechannelization” proposed for a stretch of Delridge Way SW, in connection with changes along Metro Route 120, we mentioned having asked SDOT for clearer graphics, since the ones linked from Metro’s website weren’t optimal. Jeff Bender, who had represented the city at last Tuesday’s open house at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (WSB coverage here), has provided a few that do seem much clearer, which might be helpful if you haven’t commented on the proposal yet. Above, the cross-section; he also provided PDFs that show the entire stretch of the proposed rechannelization from Delridge/Andover to Delridge/Oregon – here they are in simple black/white, or here, as an aerial-photo overlay. Though the reconfiguration discussion has been bundled into the bus-route discussion so far, Bender told us there is a separate SDOT review process under way right now – here’s how to get your comments to them. He did not indicate a deadline, but we’d say “ASAP,” since Metro had set this past Friday for its deadline to receive overall comments on the proposed Route 120 changes, including removal of some stops.