West Seattle, Washington
28 Thursday
Metro sent a reminder this morning about its upcoming “reduced service” days:
*Christmas Eve (Thursday) and Monday-Thursday next week (12/28-12/31), “reduced weekday schedule”
*Christmas Day and New Year’s Day will both have a Sunday schedule
And if you are using Metro in the University of Washington vicinity, the “When No UW” schedule is in effect through 12/31. More info at kingcounty.gov/metro – and remember they’re now using Twitter for service bulletins, @kcmetrobus.
(King County rendering of what replacement South Park Bridge would look like)
The South Park Bridge replacement project is now officially “shovel-ready” if it can just get the federal money sought for construction, says King County. Here’s today’s announcement with the latest on the project (which is needed if that route is to remain open):Read More
A weekend traffic alert from WSDOT this morning, regarding effects this weekend of work that’s under way as part of the 1st phase of the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement project – if you’re going through SODO, including heading for the Seahawks game on Sunday, here’s what you need to know:Read More
From the just-concluded last 2009 meeting of the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement project’s South Portal Working Group – with three West Seattle members on hand – the big news is the new proposed alignment for the tunnel. (Click the graphic above to see it full-size on the Viaduct project website.) The south end of this one runs further west than the original proposal, which is good news for the Pioneer Square area in particular, where some historic buildings might have needed reinforcement work, among other impacts. There are a few other changes of interest to West Seattleites – we’ll add those shortly (in the meantime, all the documents and graphics shown at the meeting are now available online – find the links here). The working group is expected to meet again next month, though the date has not yet been announced. FRIDAY MORNING UPDATE: More toplines from the meeting:Read More
(AirlineReporter.com video of the takeoff, link found in Seattle Weekly compilation)
ORIGINAL 10:42 AM REPORT: You probably watched the Boeing 787 Dreamliner take off for its first flight – whether online or on TV – but if you want a closer look when the test flight concludes this afternoon, it’s reported to be coming in to the airport closest to West Seattle, Boeing Field [map]. So far the landing is expected to happen at or after 3 pm. We know many WSB’ers have Boeing ties; congratulations to you all. Here’s the official Boeing “first flight” website. 11:26 AM: Here’s the flight tracking from FlightAware (thanks to @mcneight for the link via Twitter) – and here’s iPhone video with the perspective from the media sidelines as the 787 took off, shot by @flightblogger:
1:28 PM UPDATE: And now it seems the Dreamliner’s arriving at Boeing Field earlier than projected – any minute now. KING5.com is streaming. Around 1:35 pm for landing, according to various Twitter sources.
1:35 PM UPDATE: And a picture-perfect (aside from the rain) landing. Q13 FOX stream came up fastest where we’re at.
4:18 PM: A couple of landing visuals which show the excitement just before and after this afternoon’s touchdown – this is video @codyrh shared via Twitter:
The change in plans meant not everybody got to Boeing Field in time. But “westseattledood“‘s photo from “vehicle approach” shows the interest:
One big difference between this winter and last – Metro has added more ways to get the word out about bus trouble, if and when necessary. With the possibility snow might affect the morning commute in some areas of the county, Metro’s Linda Thielke has just sent out a reminder about its new alert systems – read on:Read More
New information today about SDOT plans for pedestrian-safety upgrades at the main intersection leading into Westwood Village, 26th/Barton (map). This follows another serious pedestrian-hit-by-car crash a week and a half ago, which led to much discussion here about the area’s safety challenges. The original announcement came from SDOT’s Jim Curtin during a walking-tour visit to the area (WSB coverage here), where he met with Westwood Neighborhood Council’s Donn DeVore, Westwood Village’s Stuart Crandall and Delridge Neighborhood District Coordinator Ron Angeles. Since that visit, Curtin has provided a list not only of the improvements he mentioned that day but also other upgrades in the works – including some at intersections further west, as part of the Safe Routes to School program that is moving on to Roxhill Elementary School. Here’s the full list:
* Short Term – to be installed in the first quarter of 2010:
o Both the east and west crosswalks at the intersection of 26th Ave SW and SW Barton St will be repainted and widened to improve crosswalk visibility for drivers and pedestrians and align the crosswalk markings with the existing curb ramps
o The signal at 26th Ave SW and SW Barton St will be equipped with new “Stop for Pedestrians When Turning” overhead signs
o The signage for the mid-block crosswalk at the Longfellow Creek Trail (just west of 26th Ave SW and SW Barton St) will be upgraded to our new standard fluorescent yellow-green signs
o “Stop for Me – It’s the Law” signs will be installed on SW Barton St on the eastbound and westbound approaches to Westwood Village
o SDOT will review speed limit signage to ensure that SW Barton St is properly signed
o SDOT will enroll the neighborhood in the Arterial Traffic Calming program for SW Barton St – this will start the data collection process to evaluate speeds on SW Barton St
o Westwood Village will paint stop bars at the shopping center exit to provide additional guidance for drivers by designating the location where they should stop
Read on for the “long term” list as well as other improvements recently decided, including those for walk routes to Roxhill:Read More
Washington State Ferries is out with its winter schedule notes, though the schedule itself doesn’t kick in till two days after New Year’s Day. Read on:Read More
It’s one of West Seattle’s most heartstopping intersections to maneuver as a pedestrian – and it’s in an area that’s seen two major car-hits-pedestrian crashes in less than two years, one fatal, another resulting in major injuries. But the 26th/Barton intersection at Westwood Village’s main entrance/exit is about to get some attention, according to SDOT’s Jim Curtin (a West Seattleite), who came out this afternoon to meet with (from left, with Curtin 2nd from left) Donn DeVore of the Westwood Neighborhood Council; Stuart Crandall of Westwood Village, and Ron Angeles, district coordinator in the Department of Neighborhoods‘ Delridge office:
Problems at the intersection were thoroughly discussed in this WSB comment thread following the December 1st crash that left a woman in the hospital, badly hurt. Curtin says some improvements are in the works and will be installed as soon as next month – including “fanning” the crosswalk striping to cover the 16-inch gap between the driveway and the crosswalk here on the west side of the WWV driveway:
Signage also will be upgraded from the current old-style flat orange to the new-style fluorescent lime green:
And yield-to-pedestrian reminder signs may be hung from the overhead cables:
But you won’t see left-turn arrows – Curtin says that wouldn’t solve the problem. You will see the road striping change within the next two years – not to add a striped right-turn lane heading west on Barton into the center, which DeVore asked about, though – Curtin says that the Bicycle Master Plan calls for a bike lane on each side of Barton in that area, so when that happens, the “one (car) lane in each direction” will be a lot clearer than it is now. The work’s not going to happen next year, he says, but is a possibility for 2011. That’s also when Metro RapidRide service is scheduled to begin, and a station is reportedly planned on the south side of Barton near Daystar Retirement Village. “So how do we slow down traffic till then?” DeVore asked. Curtin suggested it’s time to get this stretch of road involved in the Arterial Traffic Calming Program – which would mean gathering some data, for starters, about the speeds and other conditions on that stretch of Barton, as a first step.
There’s a followup on the “low bridge” traffic problem described and discussed in this WSB report from Nov. 22, and explained on this map made by Rob. According to an alert on SDOT‘s SODO mailing list, as of this past Monday, Seattle Police were planning to “increase enforcement of rules against stopping on the low-level Spokane Street swing bridge,” including ticketing violators if necessary. We haven’t been out there during rush hour so we’re asking any low-bridge commuters: Have you seen the extra enforcement, and have the backups eased?
ORIGINAL 7:52 PM REPORT ON DELRIDGE ONRAMP BEING BLOCKED OFF: Thanks to those who’ve texted and e-mailed. According to the area’s Adopt-A-Drain steward Rose Feliciano, it’s a flooding situation involving a fire hydrant having been hit at 22nd SW/Andover [map], and 22nd has some flooding too. We’ll be heading out shortly to investigate – in the meantime, a good area to avoid, and we’ll be watching for morning effects given, as Rose points out, the road hazards related to below-freezing temperatures. Rose adds that a de-icing truck is expected – and also shared the photos we’ve added to this story.
9:22 PM UPDATE: Just back from the scene. A sanding truck went over it several times, and police have reopened the ramp. We have heard via e-mail that some Pigeon Point residents lost water service because of this; we didn’t see any Seattle Public Utilities crews while looking around the area, but will check to see if we can find out anything more.
In an update to local drivers who e-mailed SDOT with complaints about signal-timing changes leading to backups at Admiral/California (previous reports Oct. 7, Oct. 9, Nov. 14 and Nov. 17), the city says it believes the problem is fixed now, and reveals it’s looking at “removing” parking on the southwest side of the intersection. We’ll follow up with the city to find out exactly which/how many spaces they’re talking about, but for now, Laura shares this e-mail she received, signed by SDOT’s Chris Faulkner:
Thank you for your recent communication to the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) regarding the timing of the traffic signal light at California Avenue SW and SW Admiral Way. We received quite a few letters and emails from concerned residents, and I want to share with all of you what has been taken place at this intersection.
Initially, new timing was put into place at this intersection and several others on the corridor. This new timing took into account current traffic volumes and provided a balance that better served all users of the intersection.
We began receiving complaints almost immediately, mainly from motorists travelling eastbound on Admiral Way. I made several site visits to the location to see if I could determine where an adjustment needed to be made, but every time I was at the location, traffic was progressing well, as I had planned. After complaints continued to come in, I went to the site again, and this time I found what others had been experiencing – the signal was skipping phases and causing traffic backups.
When the new timing plan was implemented, a new controller was also installed at this intersection. Unfortunately, there was a compatibility issue between the new controller and the timing program, which caused problems to occur sporadically. When a problem is intermittent, it is almost impossible to diagnose what is not working unless you happen to be there at the time it happens. Once I was able to observe what was occurring, I was able to work towards correcting the problem.
The correction was made on November 17; I have been in the field many times since, at all times of day, to observe traffic conditions. I am now confident that everything is working as planned. The number of complaints received has slowed to a trickle, and the focus of these complaints is the weekend timing plan.
The timing favors east- and westbound movements because of the higher traffic volumes in these directions. On weekend timing, east- and westbound is still favored, but the green time is more closely split with the north- and southbound movement. This is due to increased north- and southbound volumes on weekends. If the north- and southbound traffic “gaps out,” the unused green time is given to the east- and westbound movement. With this timing, I believe we are providing a balance that best suits the needs of all users of the intersection.
Additionally, our Arterial Operations section is working with nearby business owners to explore removing parking eastbound on Admiral, approaching California. We believe this would help improve traffic flow.
I appreciate the patience from the community while we worked to resolve this problem. If you have additional questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at traffic.signals@seattle.gov. Thank you for your input.
Before the WSB reports we linked above, discussion of the problem first surfaced in this WSB Forums thread.
From Wednesday night’s North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting: The group took the first steps toward forming committees with members focused on specific needs/concerns. As co-secretary Holli Margell (at left with Patrick Bergner) noted, the four board members can only do so much – they need help. The matter of who’s on which committee hasn’t been settled yet, but they did decide on the committees: Public safety, including attendance at monthly meetings at the Southwest Precinct; outreach, to get the word out about the council’s existence, and to interact with other groups, as well as planning events and maintaining a website; beautification, which includes the quarterly Adopt-a-Street cleanups and traffic-circle maintenance; streets and pedestrians, focusing on street improvements and how to make the area more walkable; and two other areas were being combined into one committee — transportation (bike lanes, bus routes, etc.) and planning/development. Meantime, NDNC revisited the road-project proposals they’re supporting for potential city funding; after getting an indication from the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council that only smaller projects are likely to succeed in getting funding, they dropped the $6 million Delridge traffic-calming idea for now. They’re instead asking the district council to consider championing the Brandon and Hudson sidewalk projects, as well as drainage/sidewalks for 25th SW between Brandon and Juneau. (See our NDNC report from last month for more on the first two projects.) Two more notes – The group is sending a card to the precinct, expressing their thanks and support, during what’s been a difficult time for law enforcers around the region – Margell is holding the card in the photo above left. Also, co-chair Mirro pointed out at the meeting that since the Delridge Library will be changing its hours because of city budget cuts early next year, the council will have to change its meeting time/day. No decision yet; we’ll let you know when they announce the plan.
Remember those big roundups from SDOT before the big summer weekends? They’re back for the holidays and with so many activities around the city, we’re thinking you’ll be interested. Among them, as mentioned here a few times, Friday morning (8:45 am start)’s Macy’s Holiday Parade with the Denny/Sealth bands (here’s the official route map, courtesy of Macy’s). Read on for the full traffic alert for the next four days:Read More
If you’re heading back this way in the next few hours, this might be a reason to avoid The Viaduct. From Peg Nielsen at SDOT:
Today, Tuesday, November 24, a Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) crew will be making emergency repairs to an expansion joint on the Alaskan Way Viaduct southbound just past the First Avenue S exit. From 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. the left and center lane will be closed southbound just south of the First Avenue off-ramp and will not hinder traffic taking that exit. Then, from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., the center and right lane will be closed at the same location. Please use caution through the work zone.
(December 2008 photo)
SNOW BRIEFING: Not sure you completely have a handle on what the city will do differently if snow falls again this winter? This morning at 10, the City Council gets a briefing on SDOT‘s newest snow-removal plan – you can watch live via Seattle Channel, online or cable 21.
FOOD BANKS: They’re running out of time to get your donations for pre-Thanksgiving distribution. West Seattle Food Bank is open to take donations 9 am-7 pm today (here’s their full holiday-week schedule); White Center Food Bank, 8:30 am-5 pm. Both need turkeys, too!
DELRIDGE PLAYFIELD IMPROVEMENTS: Second of two meetings tonight, 7:30 at Delridge Community Center, and the focus will be on reviewing the design and getting more input before the project approaches the work stage. Go here to see the design and review notes from the previous meeting last month.
REMINDER: No school for elementaries and K-8 schools in Seattle Public Schools all week; they have parent/teacher conferences Monday-Wednesday – then Thursday-Friday are offdays districtwide.
(Latest image from city camera pointing east on The Bridge; refresh for updated image)
Just last week, when reporting on more new traffic cameras being installed in West Seattle (but not scheduled for activation till next year), we had asked SDOT for an update on when at least one of the cameras on the “high bridge” would be back. Hadn’t received a reply yet (two months ago, we were told “shortly”). But tonight, we notice – the one that’s pointed east is working again. We’re going to take a leap of faith and put it back in the sidebar, where it’s been gone for a few weeks once it was clear both “high bridge” cameras were out of commission. Cross your fingers.
In the past few weeks, we’ve heard from several people about a traffic problem on the “low bridge” during rush hours, involving truck backups, and Port of Seattle Police directing traffic. Rob was the first to e-mail, and he made the Google Map you see above (follow the “View Larger Map” link for more details on what it shows). Most recently, Desiree wrote the other day to ask about this. We inquired with the port – so here, for starters, is what we received back from Port spokesperson Peter McGraw:
A combination of factors has created the current congestion – we are aware that it is impacting the community and have been working to keep traffic moving in and around Terminal 5.
Like many other businesses, terminal operators are feeling the impacts of the down economy with lower cargo volume, and are scaling back hours of gate operation to reduce costs. Other ports in the region are experiencing similar issues at their gates, though it can be more pronounced here because of the proximity of our terminals to major thoroughfares like the West Seattle Bridge.
Also, there’s a surge in export cargo from Eastern Washington right now- so more trucks from across the mountains are lining up at Terminal 5 very early in the morning. They do so in order to make a second trip on the same day. On the bright side, this means that goods are moving to markets, which is a very good sign for the region’s economy. Each container represents men and women working in King County.
The Port of Seattle has been working hard to correct this traffic problem by working with the truckers, terminal operators, City of Seattle and the port’s own police force to find a solution. We recognize this is a problem for the truckers, for nearby businesses, and for the community, and we are looking for both interim and long-term solutions. We also need to ensure that the swing bridge can open and close to allow marine traffic from the Duwamish to move in and out of Elliott Bay.
While we work with other stakeholders in finding a workable solution, Port of Seattle police will assign additional officers to keep intersections clear and make sure the swing bridge is not blocked. Please feel free to call either of the port’s media officers, myself, Peter McGraw (206-787-3446) or Charla Skaggs (206-787-3235) if you continue to experience unusual amounts of traffic congestion and delay in this area.
Rush hour bridge opening, of course, is yet another issue; you may recall the city’s request to reduce the number of rush-hour openings, and last year’s rejection of that request.
(The Kirkpatricks of West Seattle, shuttle riders – photo courtesy Senior Services)
West Seattleite Cindy Zwart, who directs Senior Services‘ Transportation Program, wants to make sure that everybody 55 and up – or younger, if you are disabled – knows about a service that’s been available here since July. She explains:
The Hyde Shuttle is a free door-to-door van service that will transport riders anywhere they need to go within the West Seattle city limits, including medical appointments, shopping, the library, to visit a friend, cultural and social activities, any local errands. The shuttle also provides rides on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to medical facilities on First Hill and on Wednesdays and Thursdays to Burien medical facilities. Riders sign up for service by phone; there is no long application to fill out or in-person eligibility screening. Shuttle hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:00pm, and all rides are provided on a first-come, first-served basis. The Shuttle is lift-equipped for people who have difficulty using stairs or use a mobility aid. Service is free, although donations are accepted.
Senior Services’ Transportation Program also has shuttles serving communities from Burien to Shoreline, Beacon Hill to the Snoqualmie Valley. Senior Services’ other programs include Meals on Wheels, Minor Home Repair and one with which you’re bound to be familiar – at least on sight – the Senior Center of West Seattle (in The Junction). Money for the service comes from Metro, Aging and Disability Services, the Washington State Department of Transportation and the Puget Sound Regional Council. Want to sign up for the service? 206-727-6262 – same number you call when you need a ride. And if you want to ask Cindy any questions – cindyz@seniorservices.org.
Six months after news of three new traffic cameras on the way to West Seattle (here’s our May story), installation is under way – but don’t expect to see the images immediately. We took the photo at left while driving through The Junction on Monday; Marybeth Turner with SDOT confirmed late yesterday that the contractor, Signal Electric, was installing a pole and camera. She added, “The contractor expects to complete the installation of this camera this week. We expect the camera will go live in March 2010. Cameras are not being turned on one at a time — the contractor will complete the various elements in the expanded system, test and coordinate them, and will turn them on all at once.” That expanded system also is scheduled to include a camera at 42nd/Alaska and one near the Fauntleroy ferry dock. Current cameras citywide are linked here (we’re still checking on when the West Seattle Bridge cameras will be working again).
A followup to our most recent item about citizens complaining to the city regarding backups at the Admiral/California intersection – Tim e-mailed SDOT and got this reply from engineer Chris Faulkner – same person whose responses were shared by commenters – indicating they’ve figured out the problem:
I stand behind my timing and believe that it is working well. Unfortunately, because of malfunctions, my timing has not always been running and the signal has been working erratically. Every time that I had been out to observe it everything was worked well, within the past 3 weeks I have spent three PM Peaks and two AM Peaks at this intersection, verifying that everything is working. On my last trip the signal began skipping phases and traffic backed up very badly, like the complaints that I have been receiving. Because I was at the intersection to observe it, I was finally able to diagnose the problem and we are working on a solution.
Currently, we believe the problem was an underlying problem with the electronics and when we installed the new timing it exasperated the problem. Since last Wednesday, the intersection has been placed in a different mode, kind of like a windows safe mode. In this mode the intersection cannot skip phases, but it also cannot run coordinated timing. The consequence of this mode was that the intersection is working tolerable well during off peaks, but horrible during AM and PM Peak times. I apologize for this and want you to know that we are doing everything that we can to correct these problems. We plan on changing out some of the electronics later today in an attempt to address the problem and hope to put it back into my timing after that and observe it over the next few days to see if we have corrected the malfunctioning equipment.
Admiral/California drivers, let us know if things do get better!
Two headlines out of tonight’s meeting of the West Seattle Junction Parking Project Committee: First, 21 months after first word of the then-impending review, it’s all over. Results: A relatively minor set of changes in the works – anticlimactic since the city announced in July that the Junction study would NOT result in pay stations. Second, while the city’s original plan called for the 2009 Junction review to be followed up by a 2010 Morgan Junction review, Community Parking Program boss Allison Schwartz confirmed tonight that only 2 neighborhoods in the city will be studied next year (down from 5) because of budget cuts, and neither will be in West Seattle. So, back to the conclusion of The Junction’s parking review – read on for details on the changes, and what happens now:Read More
One month after SDOT reported tweaking the Admiral/California signal timing, some drivers say it’s still not right. Acemotel brought this up in the WSB Forums today – not long after we got the following e-mail from Ted:
Whatever timing changes the city made a few months ago to the light at Admiral Ave SW and SW California, it is much worse than it used to be. Today I was again frustrated with long backups going east on SW Admiral toward California Ave. The backups on Admiral go beyond the yellow flashing light at Waite Street, which is already an extremely dangerous intersection. The backups make it hard to pull out on to Admiral from Waite St. and then there is a five, six, seven cycle wait to get through the first light at California. This causes people to make all kinds of dangerous moves. They bypass the queue on Admiral by driving for blocks up the left turn lane, etc. I find the problem to be bad in the afternoons on weekdays, but even much worse on weekends. Today I drove through the back up at 10:30 AM Saturday morning.
I imagine someone at the city thinks they improved things at the intersection. I think they need to get away from their desk and their computer and get out on the road and see what they have done. /with the changes, it is SLIGHTLY better going west on Admiral in the afternoons on weekdays and SLIGHTLY better going north on California and turning left onto Admiral. I make both moves regularly and used to have a two cycle wait during busy times. Now I SOMETIMES get a one cycle wait. Usually, it is still two cycles. But these minor improvements are not worth the big delays and safety problems that have been created. We do not need another serious accident at Admiral and Waite St. because of this!
Please go back to the way things were . . . .
The city suggests two ways to report traffic-signal problems – the overall hotline 206-684-ROAD and/or traffic.signals@seattle.gov; more background about the signal system on this page.
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