More West Seattle sidewalk work in the works

Mike Dady November 16, 2007 (6:49 am)

Hard to understand how the West Marginal Way project made the cut for a sidewalk. Nearly all industrial zoning with very little housing, no Metro route and no school nearby. I don’t get it. Anyone out there in WSB land know more?

Mr. JT November 16, 2007 (7:21 am)

We noticed that the other day also Mike, What a colossal waste.

Ken Davis November 16, 2007 (8:13 am)

reposted here since I posted it on a dead thread from nov 8th. If this violates some rule I assume the editors can fix it. I need more coffee before posting.

This is in reference to the tiny sidewalk project included in the original announcement linked to above concerning the sidewalk on one block of 30th ave.
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Anyone want to discuss Ã¢â‚¬Å“snake hillÃ¢â‚¬Â? I use it everyday and see this project as a travesty and a PR project for developers rather than a safety issue. Look at the map if youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re unfamiliar with it. The announced project, (with no date to start) covers only one block which already has 1/3 sidewalk and planting strip on the east side supplied by the Seattle Housing Authority as part of the Highpoint redevelopment phase 1. The rest of the area to be built includes 6 existing houses and aprox 5 currently under construction.

While the hill crossing is dangerous, unless it is made of some new material, it will become a slide when wet or icy since the 30 degree slope contour is not going to be changed. The hill is one of the first closed on snow events and the sign is already leaned up against the light pole at the bottom of the hill.

The real dangerous part is further down the hill. Come with me as we walk to the bus stop on Delridge.

30th between Findlay and Brandon:
Not as steep but already suffering from erosion, tiny shoulder from properties encroaching on right-of-way, and steep drop offs where roadway is crumbling and shoulder erodes into parcels several feet lower than roadway. (Also note the new construction of some curious Ã¢â‚¬Å“housesÃ¢â‚¬Â on lots subdivided so small that the house and the driveway are the same width.)

Turn onto Brandon: (you have no other choice since you have hit Camp Longs fence and the powerline right of way going west up the ridge)

From this point to the longfellow creek trail head there is only two property owners on Brandon. One of them is an elderly man names Ed, and the other is the City of Seattle.

The city owns Camp Long, The West Seattle Golf course, and the greenbelt (as far as I can tell) that includes the longfellow creek nature trail entrance and two city parks (Greg Davis park and Cottage grove park)

This is three blocks of unmarked pavement, high grass, no street lights, no shoulder or a ditch just off the pavement where countless cars have been marooned over the years (often by swerving to avoid pedestrians in dark clothing). Pedestrians HAVE to walk in the street or risk breaking an ankle on the seemingly randomly placed piles of rock used to temporarily fix drainage issues.

The city should take the responsibility for this section and do the right thing.

Note: The most dangerous section of this street is listed on two of the maps of Ã¢â‚¬Å“safe routes to schoolÃ¢â‚¬Â even though it is rather obvious to anyone who walks or drives it, that it is not safe.

http://www.seattleschools.org/area/transportation/walk/downloads/high_pt.pdf
http://www.seattleschools.org/area/transportation/walk/downloads/frmnt_pk.pdf

The city has increased property tax assessment value in this area by nearly 20% each year for the past 10 years. The elderly are fleeing and selling to developers. The city and SHA seem to be using their revenues to help sell condos rather than to make the existing taxpayers safer.

It is the cities turn to step up to the plate.

Was this area covered by any requests in the documents referenced above?

WSB November 16, 2007 (8:30 am)

Hi, Ken, no, no rule violation there – and sometimes it’s worth leaving comments on “old” posts too, because they live on forever in search, both Google etc. and internal search to this site, so your comment is now part of that permanent record too.

Ken Davis November 16, 2007 (8:55 am)

searching the site for Puget Boulevard Commons or Puget Boulevard, I don’t find any links here. Was it discussed? or did it predate the creation of the site.

Looking at the map of the final park, it looks at first glance to have been created specifically for crack dealing. http://www.cityofseattle.net/parks/proparks/projects/pugetBlvdPlan.pdf

Perhaps I will go up there today and see if the final product includes those features.

Note: on the imap and parcelview page of metrokc, an easement across the golfcourse seems to be a continuation of Puget Boulevard up to connect to Alaska at 35th. Is this a future project? Or an artifact left from an abandoned project.
Google only seems to find the park link.

Forest November 16, 2007 (9:08 am)

Mid-December seems to me the absolute worst time of year for installing new sidewalk near Arbor Heights Elementary. Summer vacation would make a lot more sense.

It reminds of when I attended Arbor Heights many years ago and they invariably waited till fall quarter was in session to stink up the place with hot tar machines for roof repairs.

MargL November 16, 2007 (9:59 am)

Could it be they still have budget that they need to use by the end of the year? “End of the year push?”
I think it’s great they’re adding more sidewalk on 104th. They recently finished curbing and railing on the corner and I wondered if they had more planned. The sidewalk is currently on the north side of 104th but the painted crosswalk and the school is on the south side so it’d make sense to put more cement on the south side so you don’t have to walk in the mud and dirt or around parked cars.

Cy November 16, 2007 (8:05 pm)

Appears to me that the project for finishing the sidewalk down 35th Ave SW in Arbor Heights between 100th and 106th would be better, seeing as there’s more foot traffic of all kinds there, than is on 104th. The kids already wait there on the curbless side of 35th Ave road for the buses every morning so there’s plenty of kid traffic needing a safe sidewalk. While they’re there it’d be nice if they marked the school zone better too.

Mike Dady November 17, 2007 (6:14 am)

Ken, as I understand it, the section of sidewalk on 30th you reference is the first to be built, and as funds become available in future years, the sidewalk will be continued to Brandon where it will tie into a new trail, with drainage, that will be placed just off the south side of Brandon so as to allow peds to walk out of the street. All this should be done in one fell swoop, but its all about the money……

Jo November 17, 2007 (10:10 am)

Did the Alki Point on the north side of Alki Ave. make the cut?
A friend lives a few house down from the end of the promenade and she now parks in front of her house by pulling staight in, as do many others along that section. Her car is completely off the street.
The new sidewalk on that side of the street will take away the area now used for straight-in parking in all the condos/houses and people will have to parallel park along the street somewhere.
When I walk to the Point, I just always walk on the other side of the street – on the existing sidewalk.
What was the argument for a sidewalk on the north side of Alki Ave.? Anyone know?