Beach Drive slide update: Closure planned Wednesday for SDOT work

We’ve been checking with SDOT today on the aftermath of last week’s Beach Drive slide – and just got new information from Peg Nielsen about work they’ll do tomorrow:

A portion of the southern-most slide will be removed by SDOT crews. An SDOT Urban Forestry crew will trim down a few trees on the hillside in the same general vicinity (more north) to reduce the risk to the right-of-way and Beach Drive. SDOT intends to close Beach Drive for safety purposes from 9 a.m. until the crews complete the work, which should be approximately 4 p.m. While the road is closed, a detour around the slide area will be provided from Atlas Place SW to 49th Avenue SW to SW Canada Drive. Residents will be allowed limited access. The city will continue to evaluate the condition of the slide area daily.

That southern section of the slide moved further into the roadway yesterday, according to a photo a WSB’er sent us (above). We also asked SDOT a question we were asked via Facebook: Are they evaluating the slide zone to see if anything related to development upslope might have factored into this and resulted in property owner liability? Nielsen’s reply:

SDOT’s focus now is to safeguard public and private property. We are, however, documenting the situation while waiting for a geotechnical report that will recommend the best ways to stabilize the slope.

sliding nulu January 19, 2010 (6:38 pm)

What’s the deal with that blue van in the picture?
It was parked in the tow away zone with a note on the windshield that said, “please read before ticketing or towing.”

Medby January 19, 2010 (10:41 pm)

So is the 37 running? It could barely squeeze by the blue van this morning which has yet to move?

WSB January 19, 2010 (10:56 pm)

Medby, no service alerts at the moment, but obviously they’ll have to detour during tomorrow’s closure … Nulu, got no idea about the van. As noted in the copy, the photo was sent to us, though we drove through this afternoon to check and can confirm the slide material still took up that much of the road. Don’t recall if the van was there tho.

pete January 20, 2010 (9:56 am)

blue van is on vacation, back today. i realize this is a hobby, online gossip, but so is whittling.

sliding nulu January 20, 2010 (1:45 pm)

Whittling pete,
Thanks for the info.
No gossip, just the facts to a question.
The blue van cannot be on vacation.
Maybe a scofflaw owner illegally parked it there and went on vacation.
It proves the point of why the 72 hour law should be enforced.

pete January 20, 2010 (8:15 pm)

seriously? that van is registered to the house that the hill is sliding into, the family went on vacation for a week. Sorry its not a Lexus, probably should tow it.

nice logic going from “maybe it was illegally parked” to “Proves why 72 should be enforced”.

also why is a van being parked for more than a couple days even a question?

ferry January 20, 2010 (8:27 pm)

my question is why arent the people on atlas street getting the brunt of the blame for these mudslides (concrete palace in particular) that happen every year? I’ve lived here for 25 years and year after year, as development happens along that road (as well s the rest of beach drive, alki ave. harbor ave, etc.), people seemed surprised that the hill keeps falling… maybe we should learn a lesson from our neighbors in magnolia and not build on hillsides that are made of glacial till.

and ps… did they really park outside of their house and go on vacation? the nerve of some people!!! (yes thats sarcasm)

sliding nulu January 21, 2010 (12:04 am)

ferry,
The “concrete palace” was not there for the last 25 years so how does that explain the hill sliding every year?
Lincoln park had a slide last week. Was that also caused by building on the hillside?
How about the nearby slide of Beach Drive that was not below any new hillside construction?
This West Seattle hillside has been sliding for centuries.
More than a hundred years ago, the toe of the hill was removed to create Beach Drive and its houses.
Slides soon followed, as did early remedies.
Hillside drains, still relied on, were installed as W.P.A. projects along Beach Drive. Perhaps a failing drain could be involved this time.

Christine January 21, 2010 (1:06 pm)

Yes, let’s have some compassion for people who parked in front of their house and may be coming back to rooms filled with mud!

Let’s get real. Old West Seattle is not a three car garage culture. People park in front of their houses. Let’s be kind, people.

sliding nulu January 21, 2010 (8:56 pm)

Christine,
WSB nor anyone else has reported homes with rooms covered with mud from this slide.
Are you reporting something new? If so, please share it with WSB.
If not, please don’t make false implications.
Lets be kind. Let’s get real.
Seattle code allows us to park our cars in front of our houses(or on any city street) for 72 hours.
Apparently Christine’s entitlement (doesn’t everybody own three cars?) leads to defending Beach Drive scofflaws.
By the way, when did West Seattle become a “three car culture?”
And worse, when did West Seattle become a “three car culture” with the arrogance of Beach Drive entitled parking scofflaws?

Sorry, comment time is over.