If you only ride Metro on weekdays, you won’t notice till Monday, but today’s the day the latest round of “service changes” kicked in, as first mentioned last month. Several West Seattle runs have schedule changes, including deleted trips, as listed here. But the big news for Metro is the debut of RapidRide, with the A Line serving South King County, two years before we’ll see the RR branding on the C Line here in West Seattle (mostly along the current 54 route). Not all its features are in place, according to Metro’s announcement, but if you want to go take a look at the new buses (wi-fi!), rides are free all weekend.
As first reported here over the weekend (thanks again to Julie for the tip!), 16th SW is open again both ways after the completion of road-rebuilding work. SDOT just formally announced it and added that a bit of work remains – striping (tomorrow if the weather’s not too bad) and speed bumps. No more detours are planned, but flaggers might be used.
Metro‘s next “service revision” has some changes for West Seattle and White Center riders – including some trips being dropped entirely – and late tonight, the details came in. Read on for Metro’s full announcement of which routes will be affected:Read More
Starting to catch up on some of the other stories that have come in since mid-afternoon: SDOThas issued a traffic alert that takes effect in a few days – this is part of the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project (that’s the section of the West Seattle Bridge between 99 and I-5):
One northbound lane of E Marginal Way S will be closed at Spokane St for three weeks starting Monday morning, Sept 27. The restriction is necessary in order for crews to install column jackets for the seismic retrofit. During this work there will be three lanes northbound on E Marginal just north of westbound Spokane Street. No turning movements will be restricted.
NEIGHBORHOOD STREET FUND: As first reported here in early August, two West Seattle projects are getting money from the Neighborhood Street Fund “Large Projects” allotment – and tonight, those two were among 11 citywide formally announced by the mayor. In what the city calls the Southwest District – basically western West Seattle – crossing improvements are on the way for three California SW intersections: Othello, Frontenac, and Findlay. And in the Delridge Neighborhoods District – basically eastern West Seattle – 25th SW between Brandon and Juneau is in for improvements including curbs and street-widening.
MAYOR’S BUDGET-UNVEILING SCHEDULE: Next Monday is the day we’ll find out just what the mayor proposes to cut to make up for a big budget shortfall, and the schedule of events for the day is out. It’ll start with a “budget address” that is open to the public, noon Monday at the Rainier Beach Community Center. “Limited seating,” warns the mayor’s office, so they will stream it online at seattle.gov/mayor/budget. Then the mayor officially presents the budget to the City Council at 2 pm, and will answer media questions after that.
Two quick updates resulting from our check with SDOT today: The 16th SW rebuild north of South Seattle Community College is on schedule to be done by month’s end, as expected, provided the weather cooperates, according to Marybeth Turner. And if you’re wondering when crews will start striping Admiral Way north of the West Seattle Bridge, for the relatively minor changes that were announced instead of a “road diet,” that may happen later than announced: While SDOT had said “mid- to late September,” Turner says they’re only committing now to have it done by the end of October. (Project pages: 16th SW here, Admiral Way here.)
Two Seattle City Council votes today set up new ways the city can raise money for transportation projects directly from citizens: One bill creates a Transportation Benefit District – which could set up a “variety of revenue-generating options,” according to the council announcement. Some might go to voters – but the council also could enact a $20 vehicle-licensing fee without voter approval. They’ll be setting up an advisory committee to figure out what they want to raise and what it would be spent on. They also approved a bill raising the commercial-parking tax by 2.5 percent, to 12.5 percent. That’ll bring in $5 million more a year, which the council announcement says will go to projects including the Alaskan Way Seawall and Mercer West. One more council vote today creates a Freight Advisory Board to focus on “preserving and improving mobility and access” for freight transport – a big issue given the Port of Seattle’s presence in and adjacent to eastern West Seattle. Full announcement, with links to the bills, is here.
Back in July, we reported that the King County Water Taxihad found enough money to continue its West Seattle run through December, but money for the first few months of the year hadn’t been secured yet. Now, it has. Just announced in King County Councilmember Jan Drago‘s e-mail newsletter, the Water Taxi will continue uninterrupted – though the months of November through March will be morning/evening commute hours only. More details here. 4:05 PM UPDATE: Drago staffer Jodie Vice explains that the funding for this winter was freed up when the county got a Puget Sound Regional Council grant for maintenance work; since the maintenance already was in the budget, the money could be moved to operations. For at least the two following winters, she says, it’ll be covered by state funding given to the county for mitigation of Alaskan Way Viaduct construction effects. P.S. Speaking of maintenance – don’t do a doubletake if you see a different Water Taxi next Friday through Wednesday – the Rachel Marieis going in for some work, and the Spirit of Kingston will replace it, no schedule changes.
It’s been the hottest topic before the Fauntleroy Community Association board for months – the originally proposed design of the RapidRide bus stops by the Fauntleroy ferry dock, and concern the design could choke traffic — and it looks like there’s finally some progress. Tonight at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, FCA saw a new proposal presented by Metro’s Paul Roybal and Jack Lattemann, incorporating some of the group’s counterproposals. This one only has a curb bulb on the water side, only affecting northbound traffic – but it would also remove some of the parking in the park-and-ride lot. The revised plan would try to preserve the existing artwork at the bus stops, add a bike locker, and try to keep the traffic lanes more open. In discussion after an hourlong presentation, the FCA board decided they’ll draft a letter to Metro and King County Executive Dow Constantine saying they’re in favor of the revision and against the original plan (which was thoroughly explained on page 2 of FCA’s summer newsletter). FCA’s Susan Lantz-Dey got props for taking on a traffic study to make sure the county was dealing with accurate numbers – board members including Vlad Oustimovitch and president Bruce Butterfield thought that had helped move toward the changes.
The meeting also included an update on another long-thorny topic, a disputed path to lower Laurentide, and ongoing struggles over right-of-way access; a South Brace Point rep said their lawyer had found a 1945 easement filed by Ken Colman that covers the path, so the two sides are now in talks. Last but by no means least, the Fauntleroy Fall Festival is just one month away, 2-6 pm October 17th (with a fundraising pasta dinner this Friday); in addition to food, fun and festivities, nurses from Swedish will be there offering flu shots.
We’d heard a bit about West Seattle’s “Green Bikes” but hadn’t come across one for a WSB photo-op till Jason Grotelueschen photographed the one shown in our photos – then today, they got a citywide spotlight on Slog (read the story here; thanks to Max for the link). They’re donated and fixed-up bikes you can borrow (if you come across one); Guy Olson is leading the West Seattle Green Bikes effort and has a Facebook group for it here if you want to find out more.
(Click graphic to enlarge – sketch of new Admiral plan)
Less than four months after we first reported the city was looking at “rechannelization” – also known as a “road diet” – on Admiral Way north of The Bridge, the decision is in. Just arrived via news release, this announcement – no lane reductions:
After hearing from the community and conducting additional analysis, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) today announced changes to SW Admiral Way to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety without impacting existing vehicle travel lanes.
SW Admiral Way will be restriped between SW City View St and SW Manning St in September 2010. After the work is complete, the 0.7 mile stretch will feature the existing two travel lanes for each direction along with a bike lane with a striped buffer on the northbound (uphill) side of the roadway and shared lane markings in the outside southbound (downhill) lane. A pedestrian crossing island will be constructed at SW City View St to accommodate pedestrians crossing SW Admiral Way to the Metro transit stop on the west side of the roadway. On-street parking will remain on the east side of the roadway north of City View, while underutilized parking will be removed south of City View to accommodate the two travel lanes and the buffered bike lane.
This decision is based on current and future traffic conditions on the corridor, recommendations in the Pedestrian and Bicycle Master plans, and community input received via letters, phone calls and the July 13 open house [WSB coverage here]. The final roadway layout carefully reflects the needs of motorists, freight, transit, bicycles, pedestrians and emergency response. Additional information about the changes, to include frequently asked questions and plans for the project, can be found on the project’s Web site at: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/bikeprojects/sw_admiral_way.htm
That page says the work will start “mid-to-late September.” If that still leaves you wondering, so what’s really going to change? here’s the bottom line from the project website:
WHAT WE PLAN TO DO
* Maintain the existing 4 vehicle travel lanes
* Install a pedestrian median crossing island at SW City View
* Install a 5 foot wide uphill bike lane with a 2 foot wide painted buffer
* Add shared lane markings (sharrows) to the outside, downhill lane.
* Remove parking south of SW City View St to maintain existing travel lanes and add the uphill bicycle lane
Two months and one day after the shutdown of the old South Park Bridge (WSB video coverage here), the first major part of the demolition work has begun – King County Department of Transportation confirms that one of its “leaves” (the actual drawbridge sections) will “be detached and lowered onto a barge sometime this afternoon.” The KCDOT announcement continues:
Prior to removal, nine steel cuts will be required to separate the leaf from the remainder of the bridge. Once the cuts have been made, the leaf will slowly be lowered onto the barge. This work is extremely complicated and may take a few hours to complete.
This process will be repeated when the second leaf is removed over the next few days. Both leaves will then be barged to another site for salvage and recycling.
During this first demolition phase, crews have also been demolishing vacant structures on county-owned property adjacent to the bridge to accommodate future construction staging. The work will set the stage for future construction of a new South Park Bridge when a funding package is in place.
UPDATE 4:40 PM: As of this afternoon there is still not a whole lot of movement as work progresses slowly. Jason Grotelueschen staked out the bridge this afternoon, reporting only an occasional drizzle and a few showers of sparks, as workers continued to make cuts in the steel. Here’s one more photo from Jason, with a closer view of workers on aerial lifts:
6:30 AM (Wed) UPDATE: According to eyewitness reports and the YourSouthPark newsgroup, the “South Park side of the bridge” was finally dismantled and lowered safely onto a barge below, at around 7 pm last night (see photos from SeattlePI.com). The other side of the bridge should be removed by later this week.
(Photographed Saturday, August 28th by Christopher Boffoli)
We had reported last week that some of the leaves of the now-closed South Park Bridge might be removed this week, as the process of taking apart the bridge begins.
We asked Linda Thielke, spokesperson for the King County Department of Transportation, if that might be happening today, and the answer is “no.”
From Thielke:
They are still doing prep work. Looks like the earliest it could be dismantled is mid-afternoon on Tuesday, but that is still a bit tentative.
1:42 PM UPDATE: Another update from Thielke, with the caveat that this plan could certainly change by tomorrow:
Looks like the barge with the crane will move in tomorrow morning. Then, there’s the work to hook the crane with the leaf. So, the lift is looking more like happening late afternoon Tuesday.
When the Aurora Bridge Fence Projectaffected traffic on northbound 99 last Sunday, we heard from West Seattleites who got stuck in backups – so we’re passing along the advisory that just came in for THIS Sunday, in case you were planning to use 99 – which will have closures in both directions that day – read on:Read More
Three South Park notes tonight, 2 related to the closure of its old bridge almost two months ago: First, the official application has been sent off in hopes of a federal grant to complete funding of a new bridge. King County is asking for $36 million in the TIGER II grant process; the first TIGER process is the one in which its $95 million request was denied, but the county says it’s done many things differently this time; read more here. Meantime, the process of taking apart the existing, permanently-out-of-commission bridge enters a new phase next week, and the county wants to be sure you’re not startled to see the bridge’s leaves moving for the first time since the June 30 closure – they’ll be raised and lowered as part of the process of getting ready for their dismantling within the next few weeks.Last but not least, you’re invited to a big event at Duwamish Waterway Park in South Park tomorrow – a community garage sale and barbecue, 11 am-3 pm, also featuring kids’ craft activities, entertainment, and kayaking. It’s a fundraiser to establish Wi-Fi access along South Park’s 14th Avenue South retail corridor. Here’s a map to the park (7900 10th Ave. S.)
SDOT‘s out with another one of those big-event traffic-alert roundups – including the SW Webster shutdown (west of Delridge) on Saturday afternoon for Picnic at the (Southwest) Precinct – read on to see what’s happening where this weekend around the city:Read More
Six weeks after the South Park Bridge closed for good – by opening the drawbridge leaves and keeping them that way – demolition is about to begin, according to a news release from King County, though the leaves won’t be the first thing to go. Read on for details:Read More
As of very early this morning, the downtown transit tunnel was still closed because of a “malfunction” — affecting buses, light rail, and drivers/bike riders on the streets that carry more buses when needed. To get the latest on its status, go here.8:59 AM: As you probably know by now, all’s well again, and has been for most of the commute. The link, however, is a good resource for all Metro riders – it’s a blog-format website where they track the commute status daily, even when nothing extraordinary’s happening.
The most impassioned campaign speech at tonight’s 34th District Democrats meeting came from a semi-surprise visitor – and he wasn’t even speaking on his own behalf, though he’s on the ballot for next Tuesday’s primary. Our clip includes most of what U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott had to say, mostly on behalf of U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, and why McDermott believes this may be the most important election of his lifetime. Also campaigning, State Sen. Joe McDermott (no relation), making one more pre-primary pitch for his King County Council District 8 campaign (vs. three opponents). And there was a mini-fundraiser for Reps. Eileen Cody (running for re-election against Republican Ray Carter) and Sharon Nelson (running unopposed for State Senate) before the meeting. But the hottest race on the ballot – 34th District State House, Position 2 (for which the 34th DDs have endorsed Marcee Stone, one of 4 candidates) – did not come up at all, and we didn’t spot any of the candidates in attendance. That may be a different story this Friday, when the group throws its annual fundraiser Garden Party at West Seattle Nursery – Chris Porter, who’s heading the effort, got up to talk about it twice. But the heart of the evening’s program was a panel on transportation – from current projects, to future possibilities – with a trio of panelists, including WS-residing City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, chair of the council’s Transportation Committee. In addition to the Spokane Street Viaduct offramp-opening announcement we published as a separate bulletin earlier, they talked tolls, taxes, transit, and more – read on:Read More
The RapidRide bus-stop plans for the Fauntleroy ferry terminal remained the top topic for the Fauntleroy Community Association as its board met Tuesday night. While board members continue to meet with Metro rep Paul Roybal – who also is scheduled to attend the next meeting (Sept. 14) – they don’t believe their concerns about a potential traffic bottleneck are being addressed. As reiterated at last month’s meeting, they’re worried that will be a result of the current design, which brings traffic past the terminal down to one lane each way. And they’re concerned that many people don’t realize that – nor the potential for more traffic to divert onto 45th SW to avoid it – so time was spent Tuesday night discussing how to raise awareness – possibly via a mailing or door-to-door campaign. FCA also believes Metro is working with inaccurate traffic-flow numbers; while they say the county numbers show 400 cars an hour in the area during peak ferry-traffic hours, FCA’s Susan Lantz-Dey did a car count the past two days, and said she counted at least twice that – even without school in session (there’s dock traffic from West Seattle parents picking up Vashon-school-attending kids). She and FCA president Bruce Butterfield plan to push for a new traffic study. Also discussed: The ongoing discussions about how the county will control Combined Sewer Overflows from the basins that feed Barton (Fauntleroy) and Murray (Lowman Beach) pump stations, with the Barton “green stormwater” meeting last week and ongoing Murray citizens advisory group meetings (FCA board member Vlad Oustimovitch is a Murray group member).
We’ve received several notes asking about this in recent days – so in case you were wondering too: The project that is starting to resembling a ramp to connect The Bridge and Highway 99 southbound in this area is something entirely different: It’s the East Marginal Way Grade Separation Project, which is being handled by the Port of Seattle and hasn’t gotten nearly as much publicity as the Alaskan Way and Spokane Street Viaducts. (We mentioned the start of construction back in January.) Here’s a fact sheet explaining it, rendering included, and a little more info here. It’s supposed to be done in about a year.
Several West Seattle runs have schedule changes, including deleted trips, 
Three South Park notes tonight, 2 related to the
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