West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
EDITOR’S NOTE: As mentioned in our just-published overview of where RapidRide-related parking/traffic changes stand after a series of recent meetings, the plan to ban morning parking on SW Avalon across from the heart of the Luna Park business district is not sitting well with business owners, particularly those whose businesses depend heavily on morning sales – Luna Park Café and Java Bean Coffee. As our story notes, they feel insult is being added to injury by the fact not only does the current plan take away parking across from their businesses, but also, RapidRide will not stop in the business district. Java Bean’s owner wrote a letter to various government addressees after the most recent Luna Park Merchants’ meeting, suggesting moving the station is a must. He asked WSB to “share it with the community”:
Subject: Rapid Ride along Avalon Way West Seattle (Java Bean) A little less Potter, a bit more George Bailey!
Joe, Michelle, Brian and Bill,As you are aware, quite a bit of discussion concerning the Rapid Ride parking issue in the Luna Park Business District of West Seattle has taken place over the past year. Many different options have surfaced, that would both accommodate the goals of Metro, the livelihood of the businesses and the retention of jobs in the Luna Park neighborhood. As the owner of Java Bean I am greatly concerned that the choices being proposed regarding the rapid ride program will put me out of business and cause 5 full time jobs to be lost in West Seattle. Given what’s in the balance I would guess most West Seattle residents would side with us – the business owners, our teammates and our fans if given the choice of either saving their neighborhood amenities or getting to work a bit quicker. Why can’t we do both?
During (last Wednesday’s) meeting I brought up a question concerning how the location of the bus stops were chosen for the C-line. One of the key factors: an average of 150 people board the bus on a daily basis up the street from our business district (the proposed Rapid Ride stop) vs. the 120 people who board the bus on a daily basis directly across the street from my Coffee Shop (Java Bean) and other businesses in our business district. Based on this as a factor, I was told, at least at this point, the plan is to remove surface street parking between the hours of 6-10 am M-F for the Rapid Ride bus line that will NOT stop in our business district. This will put me out of business, eliminate 5 full time jobs, and decrease the quality of life of the residents of West Seattle who frequent my business. Not to mention the adverse affects it will have on my associate business owners.
In fact, with the goal to get people out of their cars and on the bus, not only will my customers (who continue to drive) be unable to park from 6-10am, but my customers who do decide to use Rapid Ride will not be afforded the opportunity to jump off the bus to grab a cup of coffee since the bus won’t be stopping in our business district.
It’s a serious double whammy to the Java Bean. You take away the parking, put people on the bus and then those on the bus can’t get off.
(Click to view fullsize PDF of West Seattle RapidRide route map)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Few would dispute the observation that we are in a time of transportation transition – eventually toward more transit, fewer one-occupant cars.
The question of how to keep that transition balanced – without abruptly reducing the parking supply or constricting the traffic flow before transit services reach a true “we can get you there from here” status – is at the crux of a tug-of-war over how things will change along the route of the Metro RapidRide “C” Line in West Seattle. It’s not due to start rolling till fall 2012, but many details that must be finalized now, before stops, stations and other facilities are built – some as soon as this fall.
What does that mean to you, whether you’re a bus rider or not? We have a somewhat-clearer picture, after recent meetings in The Triangle and Luna Park, of how RapidRide will affect area business parking and overall traffic flow, particularly along a major east-west route to and through The Junction. The recent local discussion about RapidRide has concentrated on those elements, rather than on the service itself (which, according to a new study released last week by Metro, is earning high marks on its debut south-end route).
But at least two business owners aren’t happy with the results, and are vowing to keep fighting.
Just in case it slipped your mind … the latest round of “service changes” for Metro kicked in today, and that includes some noteworthy route changes downtown for buses serving West Seattle, to get around ongoing construction, among other reasons. Metro has it all laid out online – start here, then click the tab for “schedule and route revisions,” and click your route number to get a popup box detailing the changes.
(WSDOT photo, December 2010)
The state’s next Kwa-di Tabil Class ferry, the Salish, will be visible off West Seattle shores on Monday, according to an announcement from Washington State Ferries. Under tow, the Salish will make its first trip out of Todd Pacific Shipyards starting around 8 am Monday, headed for Everett Shipyard, “for final outfitting and system testing prior to conducting dock and sea trials,” according to WSF. When it’s ready, the Salish will join the 1st ferry built in its class, the Chetzemoka, in serving the Port Townsend-Whidbey Island run.
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(Screengrab from clickable online simulation of south-end construction, step by step)
We’re at the Sound Transit board room on the south side of downtown, where the Alaskan Way Viaduct South Portal Working Group has just wrapped up its first meeting in 3 1/2 months. This is the group charged with keeping updated on what’s planned for, and happening in, the SODO-to-West Seattle area, as the various components of the project continue. West Seattle members of the working group (full roster here) who were at today’s meeting included Jerome Cohen and Vlad Oustimovitch.
Most WS-relevant part of today’s discussion: Updates on the progress of the “south-end replacement” project – aka Holgate to King Street – which is well under way, and not dependent on what happens with the ongoing tunnel controversy. The project is headed by WSDOT’s Matt Preedy (a West Seattleite), who briefed the working group. Key points ahead: A frontage road to take pressure off 1st Avenue South will be open “in about a week”; between Atlantic and Holgate, foundations are being built for the new southbound bridge – the replacement will be side-by-side elevated sections, not the current doubledecker style – that’s why you’re seeing several large cranes; Preedy says they’ll be there for months.
Biggest of all: Over the Presidents Day weekend, according to Preedy, the first actual piece of Alaskan Way Viaduct to be demolished – the northbound 1st Avenue onramp to 99 – will come down. All lanes of 1st Avenue South will be closed between Royal Brougham and King for that work. Then up to six weeks of work are ahead while a new northbound onramp is connected. Before that, WSDOT is also working to realign the southbound offramp from 99 to the stadium area; that will be done over Valentine’s Day weekend, and when it’s complete – by the morning of Monday, Feb. 14th – you’ll exit onto Royal Brougham instead of 1st Avenue South.
Preedy also asked the working group if they have advice on whether information about the project is getting out efficiently and promptly. He mentioned one key tool – the weekly construction update (see it here if you haven’t seen it before). One group member said it might be helpful for a billboard to be up along the route with key dates; the project team noted that 99 will soon have the Intelligent Transportation Systems messaging that you’ve been seeing elsewhere (the lighted boards). West Seattle rep Oustimovitch mentioned that he’s concerned GPS systems aren’t keeping up with all the detouring and rerouting that’s just begun – he mentioned an out-of-town visitor “going in circles” trying to figure out how to get from Point A to Point B. 99 project leader Ron Paananen said a “highway advisory” radio station might be helpful. Summarized Oustimovitch – “You almost need a sign that says, ‘Ignore your GPS’!”
Back to the construction timetable – you can see the latest version by going here.
The second half of the meeting featured a presentation by the company that has won the contract to continue designing – and then, if environmental reviews are passed, to build – the deep-bore tunnel that is the state’s “preferred alternative” for replacing the central waterfront section of The Viaduct. It was mostly a recap of what’s happened in the months since the working group last happened; during Q/A, the state team was asked, what if one or both of the two anti-tunnel initiatives makes it to the ballot? WSDOT’s Paananen said he’s been tasked with proceeding with the project, and noted that, even if there is a vote in November, assuming the tunnel passes environment review and becomes the official plan in August, “We’ll be under construction by then.”
The South End Working Group’s next meeting will be sometime this spring; you can watch this page in the next few days for materials from today’s meeting.
Another online upgrade from the City of Seattle: A map to track potholes. They’ve long had an online-reporting form, but now there’s a map to go along with it, just unveiled today. See the map here; see the accompanying information (including weekly status reports) here.
The city has just put up its brand-new info-page about a road project that’s been in the works for a while but hasn’t been discussed much lately: Seismic retrofitting for the Fauntleroy Expressway, which is the southwest end of the West Seattle Bridge. Some earthquake-safetyproofing work was done in 1994; 17 years later, this is the followup. (This section of the bridge itself was built in 1963.) SDOT says work will start this spring; here’s how it’ll affect traffic:
The project is expected to be advertised for competitive bids in the spring 2011. The seismic work will largely require occasional lane closures to traffic, bicycles, and pedestrians during construction.
During the installation of the new bearing pads, traffic is expected to be impacted on some nights and weekends. Closure of the Expressway will occur intermittently and detour routes around the work will go into effect. For traffic going Fauntleroy Way SW to West Seattle the detour will be to SW Avalon Way either by the Delridge Way SW ramp or Harbor Ave SW/SW Avalon Way ramp. Traffic from SW Admiral Way is expected to be detoured either thru 38th Ave SW or further north.
The project cost is estimated at $2.7 million.
West Seattle bus riders have been on notice since our first report back in October: Metro has some notable West Seattle changes starting on February 5th. They’re sharing a detailed reminder tonight – read on for the details:Read More
Beach Drive resident Mike Winter, who lives across the street from the repeat-slide zone that was discussed by the City Council Transportation Committee on Tuesday, kept his promise to summarize last night’s closed meeting between city officials and neighbors. He just sent the summary – including word that the neighbors, disappointed, are looking into hiring a lawyer. Full report after the jump:Read More
Just in from SDOT: It’s a downtown alert, but if you take The Viaduct home and use Columbia Street to get to it, these might affect you – both delays today, and permanent changes – read on:Read More
To “educate our membership,” as board chair Dave Montoure put it, the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce invited them to come learn about the potential benefits of the Highway 99 tunnel – a project the Chamber has officially endorsed. Dozens of members filled a community room at The Kenney to hear from a pro-tunnel panel – Port Commissioner John Creighton, Manufacturing Industry Council‘s Dave Gering, and South End Advisory Group member Vlad Oustimovitch, who also was a member of the original Stakeholders’ Advisory Group that reviewed multiple alternatives before the tunnel became the “preferred alternative.” Above, our video of the first half-hour of their remarks and Q/A. Each panelist listed what they considered the most appealing aspects of the tunnel; a common theme was the fact it can be built without shutting down the existing viaduct. They fielded a variety of questions, including concerns about the tunnel’s capacity, which they contended tends to be underestimated.
The audience included more than just curious lunchgoers; it also included WSDOT‘s project leader Ron Paananen and tunnel opponent Elizabeth Campbell, whose group Seattle Citizens Against the Tunnel plans to submit its initiative petitions to the city next week. As for the tunnel’s official status, it’s still under environmental review.
(WSB photo from 12/12/2010)
With two major slides in the past year (January 2010 and December 2010) and a constantly wet, rutted road – with side effects like this recent ice sheet – the 6000-6200 block of Beach Drive has yet to find a permanent solution to the slope-vs.-street problem. Two city departments are involved, along with homeowners, and we’ll get the city’s latest take on it Tuesday – SDOT director Peter Hahn and DPD director Diane Sugimura are scheduled to brief the City Council’s Transportation Committee (chaired by West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen) on the Beach Drive slide situation. The meeting is set for 9:30 am Tuesday at City Hall; if you can’t be there, you can watch live online at seattlechannel.org, or on cable channel 21.
(1/3/11 High Point-area photo by Deanie Schwarz)
As evidenced in discussions like this and this, potholes are on almost everyone’s mind as we roll down the rutted roads of West Seattle. After hearing the subject came up during the City Council Transportation Committee‘s meeting the other day, we asked the committee’s chair, West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, about his take on the holes we love to hate (and wish would get filled). He wrote this reply for WSB (in other words, for you):
All about Potholes and Road Maintenance
Tom Rasmussen
Seattle City CouncilWhen he first became Mayor, Greg Nickels made potholes a priority. His goal was to have them filled within 48 hours of a complaint.
While his goal was laudable, and helped in the short term, the reality is that potholes are a symptom of a much greater problem which is that our roads are deteriorating and the City is not able to keep up with the need to properly maintain them.
On Tuesday, at the City Council Transportation Committee meeting, I asked Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) director Peter Hahn to tell us what the department is doing to repair potholes. You can view the meeting here:
We were told that SDOT has a backlog of about 500 pothole reports compared to the average of 200. Today the new goal of SDOT is to fill potholes within 72 hours.
Because of the backlog, the number of pothole crews was increased from three to nine in December. SDOT has a permanent street maintenance crew based in Lincoln Park that repairs potholes everyday in West Seattle. For this season’s emphasis, one of the added crews will go to West Seattle three to four times a week. The additional crews will continue their work at least through January.
Mr. Hahn stated that “potholes are a symptom” of deferred maintenance. When maintenance is deferred the deteriorating surface allows water to undermine the roadbed. Freeze and thaw conditions create breaks resulting in potholes. This winter has had such conditions.
Mr. Hahn pointed out that spot repairs don’t last very long and will have to be redone multiple times. SDOT is looking at a more enduring way of filling potholes with new equipment which it has tested last year.
Seattle does not have sufficient funds to maintain and repair its streets adequately. In 2006 with the passage of the nine-year, Bridging the Gap levy an additional $365 million became available for transportation maintenance and repairs.
However, since 2008, because of the recession, SDOT has experienced a significant drop in its traditional revenues sources. State Gas Tax revenue has declined by 2% and the General Fund (comprised of sales tax, property taxes, B&O taxes and utility taxes) has declined 21% and Real Estate Excise Tax has declined by 60%.
SDOT’s non-Bridging the Gap revenues (adjusted for inflation) have declined from $81 million in 2008 to $59.7 million in 2010. A decline of 26%.
To help meet the need to maintain our streets the City Council last fall approved the creation of a Transportation Benefit District and approved a $20 vehicle license fee. The vehicle license fee will go into effect this spring and will raise about $6.5 million annually for street repairs and maintenance and other transportation needs.
Please report any potholes or other street maintenance needs you may see by calling the ROAD line at (206) 684-ROAD (7623) or by using the online form at seattle.gov/transportation/potholereport.htm. Those contact methods get the information to Street Maintenance dispatch more directly than other methods.
If you have questions or comments, please write me at tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov
(King County rendering of new South Park Bridge design)
Three months after government and community leaders gathered by the west end of the old South Park Bridge to announce funding was in place for a new one, another milestone – the project has gone out to bid. It was officially advertised today. The bidding documents list the “engineer’s estimate” cost at $98 million to $108 million, with this included:
Scope of Work: This project provides for the replacement of South Park Bridge over the Duwamish Waterway in King County by constructing a new drawbridge (bascule) downriver and approximately parallel to the existing South Park Bridge, intersection improvements, roadway, drainage, and utility construction, approach spans and retaining wall construction, riverbank mitigation, incorporation of historic and art elements, illumination with decorative luminaires, demolition of the remaining portion of the existing bridge, and other work …
Bids are to be opened March 8th.
This Tuesday night, three West Seattle groups will meet jointly, with one hot topic on the agenda: The forthcoming West Seattle RapidRide “C Line” service. The groups are Junction Neighborhood Organization, Fairmount Community Association, and the West Seattle Junction Association, but you don’t have to be a member of one (or more) to attend, all are welcome. Reps from Metro and the city will be there to talk about routing, traffic, parking, and other effects of the new bus route. It doesn’t start running until fall 2012, but construction work for its stations/stops and other changes will start soon, and the planning work is about to hit a key phase. The meeting starts at 6:30 pm Tuesday at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon).
(WSDOT photo via Flickr: Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond signs tunnel contract Thursday)
Even as the Alaskan Way Viaduct Central Waterfront Project marked a milestone – signing the tunnel design-build contract – a team from the AWV front lines debunked some misperceptions in Q/A during an appearance before the Southwest District Council Wednesday night, hours before the signing. First and foremost: No, this does NOT mean the tunnel is “no going back” final, and it does NOT mean construction is about to start, as some may believe. The construction that’s starting now is a separate phase of the project, its Holgate-to-King-Street segment (formerly known as South End Replacement Project). After the jump, the Q/A/myth-debunking on that:Read More
Several traffic notes this afternoon: First, SDOT is sounding the alarm about Saturday’s Seahawks playoff game, since construction on the Spokane Street Viaduct and the south end of the Alaskan Way Viaduct are already causing some challenges in the area. Here’s some of what’s planned for that day:
To keep traffic moving, SDOT will re-open all lanes on Sixth Avenue S at S Spokane Street and also provide traffic control at the intersection of Fourth Avenue S and S Spokane Street. WSDOT is opening up a temporary crosswalk at First Avenue S and Railroad Way S and adding police officers to assist pedestrians. Motorists should, however, anticipate delays on First Avenue S between S King Street (on the north side of Qwest) and Royal Brougham Way (on the south side of Qwest) where the street is reduced to one lane of traffic in each direction to accommodate pile driving in the SR 99 construction zone.
For those who have asked – no, there will NOT be special Water Taxi service that day; it remains on a Monday-Friday schedule.
Second alert: The weekly regional construction update is out – and it just keeps getting longer. One item of note, heads-up for later this month – six more nighttime closures of the westbound Spokane Street Viaduct (meaning you won’t be able to get to the West Seattle Bridge from I-5 or Columbian Way on those nights) are ahead: Jan 19-21 and 24-26, all scheduled for 10 pm-5 am. (P.S. We had checked earlier today about a sign seen yesterday on the eastbound bridge exit to 99, about overnight ramp closures next week; SDOT tells us those have been postponed, so never mind for now.)
(Bremerton ferries passing in front of Bainbridge, photographed 12/2010 by JayDee)
First, King County created its own ferry district — now, Governor Gregoire is suggesting that the state have one too. She is proposing that Washington State Ferries be taken out of the state Transportation Department and instead run by a regional ferry district. Here’s the story from the Kitsap Sun; here’s the governor’s news release. Announcing the proposal today, she said the proposed Puget Sound Regional Ferry District would have its own taxing authority. But this idea will have to be proposed in, and approved by, the State Legislature before becoming reality.
ADDED 4:30 PM: It’s been pointed out, the state ferries are considered part of the state highway system, raising issues about the separation proposal. Some legislators already are speaking out – we received this:
The following statement was released by:
Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, chair of the Senate Transportation
Committee
Sen. Jim Hargrove, D-Hoquiam
Sen. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor
Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-San Juan Island
Sen. Tim Sheldon, D-Potlatch“Our ferries are part of our state highway system, just like roads, rail and transit. “Isolating the needs in our ferry system and creating another layer of government to address them is not the solution. Users of ferries already pay into the highway system just like everybody else when they pay gas taxes, in addition to ferry fares.
“The state’s not asking Seattle residents to pay special taxes for the tunnel or the 520 bridge. It’s not asking Spokane residents to pay special taxes for the North-South Corridor. It’s not asking Vancouver residents to pay special taxes to pay for the Vancouver-Portland Bridge. Our ferries are no less a part of the state highway system than these projects.
“We need to prioritize the dollars we have. We need to continue working on the efficiencies that we’ve started in the ferry system. And we need a transportation package to meet the needs of our entire highway system as a whole, including ferries, roads, rail and transit.”
In addition to the pothole-repair crews that have been out in West Seattle this morning (see our update here), SDOT tells us deicing work is under way on three major trouble spots from this morning. First, Highland Park Way – SDOT’s Marybeth Turner says they’re using brine and salt to work on ice that she says resulted from water that flowed down the hill when a nearby business’s sump pump broke. They’re hoping to reopen the lane as soon as possible. De-icing crews also have hit the dangerous patches on West Marginal Way. And they’re tackling the ugly patch on Beach Drive SW that we showed here yesterday – Turner says, “It will take several applications.” P.S. If you encounter a serious road hazard, whether it’s major ice, deep pothole, or something else, the city hotline is 206-684-ROAD.
(UPDATED 11:56 AM – scroll down for photos of pothole crew in the area)
If you’ll be driving Sylvan Way/Orchard between High Point and Delridge today – Gary sent that photo to warn you about the potholes by Home Depot‘s north entrance: “Watch out as this caused damage to my vehicle over the weekend.” That area’s apparently been rut city for awhile; this WSB Forums thread started by mentioning it two weeks ago. As noted here in storm last month, many West Seattle potholes lost their fill in the recordsetting mid-December rainfall; driving many major West Seattle streets this morning, we noticed that Alki/Harbor Avenue shows signs of recent repairs. But more may be on the way, according to this story by Mike Lindblom of the Seattle Times (WSB partner) – he reports the city’s adding pothole-repair crews starting today to deal with a major backlog resulting from more than a thousand December reports!
11:56 AM UPDATE: WSB contributor Deanie Schwarz says the “Pothole Rangers” went this morning to the area shown above – she caught up with them along another spot of Sylvan Way:
She says it looks like they filled most of the holes along a significant stretch from Home Depot westward. Reminder – to report a pothole or other serious road hazard, the city hotline is 206-684-ROAD. You can also make a report online.
(Refresh for the latest “live” views from both directions of the West Seattle Bridge)
Though there’d been fears of lows in the 20s and potential ice trouble on the roads, it’s still above freezing (37 at the official Boeing Field gauge) as we write this just after 3:30 am, so things might not be so bad out there after all. Forecast looks pretty good through New Year’s Eve, too. You can check a few more cameras, and latest-traffic-update links, on the WSB Traffic page. Hope you have a safe drive/ride/walk to work.
8:15 AM UPDATE: Trouble-free commute by all accounts.
As pointed out by LB in a comment following Tuesday’s story about upcoming Alaskan Way Viaduct work, more Metro routes will be affected than the ones in the transit service’s original announcement. Today, they’re spelled out in a just-sent update – read on for details, as well as a reminder about previously mentioned February changes in downtown routes/stops:Read More
ORIGINAL 12:48 PM REPORT: Just in from SDOT:
The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is carefully monitoring weather forecasts for Seattle and planning for snow and ice response accordingly. The forecast is for temperatures just above freezing overnight with up to one-half inch of wet snow possible, and an additional one inch of snow possible tomorrow (Wednesday) morning.
After 10 p.m. tonight SDOT crews will proactively apply salt brine in roadway areas where frost or black ice is prone to develop, especially on bridges and other elevated structures around the city.
Starting at 4 a.m. tomorrow morning (Wednesday), SDOT spreader trucks will be prepositioned throughout the city, ready to spread rock salt on major arterial streets (primary snow routes, Levels 1 and 2) for the morning commute if conditions warrant.
The snow plan calls for plowing when there is more than one inch of accumulated snow on the roadway, which is not in the forecast at this time.
SDOT will continue to monitor the weather conditions carefully and respond accordingly.
For more information on Seattle’s winter weather response plan and to view a map of snow routes, please see SDOT’s website.
2:07 PM NOTE: Meantime, the National Weather Service’s “forecast discussion” is still downplaying the likelihood of some snow – another update should be out within the next two hours; whatever happens, they say, would be overnight into the early morning. And WSDOT has announced it’ll open the I-5 express lanes southbound at midnight, just in case.
ADDED 3 PM: Metro has weighed in:
With snow showers in the forecast for Wednesday morning, King County Metro Transit is urging bus riders to prepare by making sure they are signed up for Transit Alerts and that they know the snow routing for the buses they will ride tomorrow.
Then before traveling, riders should check kingcounty.gov/metro/snow for the most current status of Metro service. Updates to the online information will begin at 4 a.m. each morning.
Remember, Metro is operating with a reduced schedule this week, which means some commuter and school-oriented routes do not operate, and other routes have individual trips canceled. This is indicated by an “H” in the timetables.
Current weather forecasts indicate if snow falls Tuesday night into Wednesday morning in the lower elevations of King County, it should be mostly in the form of snow showers with no significant accumulations. But, the snow could be heavier at higher areas in east King County or if a convergence zone sets up inside the county. Bus operations could change rapidly.
We’ll be on early/late watch too, as always, including 1st word from Metro in the morning re: their plans.
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