Followup: More from SDOT on the 23rd SW road closure

To follow up on questions raised following our Wednesday afternoon report on the impending closure of a significant section of 23rd SW in North Delridge, we took them to SDOT‘s Marybeth Turner first thing this morning. She’s just replied with what you might call a fact sheet – read on to see it in its entirety (note the part about parking restrictions on other streets):

23rd Avenue SW Utility Installation

• Riser Homes, a private contractor, will install underground utilities in 23rd Avenue SW off of Delridge Way SW for what will eventually be seven homes.

• This work will require digging a large hole in the middle of the street. Because it is a narrow street, it must be closed for safety. The use of steel plates is not an option during non-working hours because of the size of the hole and the slope of the street.

• The closure will start on February 22 and will remain in place 24 hours a day, seven days a week, until April 5.

• Access will be maintained to the two existing residences within the closed area.

• Detours will be provided for mail and garbage service.

• A detour for general through traffic will use SW Andover Street to the north, and Orchard/Dumas streets on the south

• Local residents will also be able to access their homes using SW Hudson Street.

• Metro Transit has planned a detour for Route 125.

• The contractor has notified the South Seattle Community College, the Seattle School District, and the residents on 23rd SW adjacent to the work site.

• Parking will be restricted on many streets in the area to accommodate Metro buses.

• The contractor is Riser Homes, Jon Riser, (206) 310-4113.

We have asked King County Department of Transportation for more information on the Route 125 detour – haven’t gotten a reply on that yet.

24 Replies to "Followup: More from SDOT on the 23rd SW road closure"

  • Kevin February 11, 2010 (3:43 pm)

    there are details of the permit listed at the end of this thread:

    https://westseattleblog.com/2010/02/traffic-alert-delridge-area-detour-ahead-but-not-what-it-seemed#comment-722770

  • Lura Ercolano February 11, 2010 (3:45 pm)

    Gee, I wonder how Pathfinder @ Cooper is going to feel about having all that major arterial traffic routed so close to their school and walking routes.

    I’m thinking that that elementary school’s walking routes, etc, are going to be heavily effected, needing new crosswalks painted, etc, along with all the Metro passengers, SSCC students and local residents who have already been mentioned.

  • Mike D. February 11, 2010 (4:11 pm)

    It might be worthwhile remembering that a lot of traffic that now descends from 21st Ave to Delridge Way via 22nd, 23rd and Oregon used to continue North bound via 21st all the way to Andover and then drop down to Delridge. When the speed bumps were installed along 21st several years ago drivers sought to avoid them via the route that is being closed off for 6 weeks. Bottom line, other than Metro Route 125, the impacts should be manageable for most folks. Lets try to remember that when our own homes were built it likely caused inconvenience to those who were already there. Just sayin’.

    • WSB February 11, 2010 (4:12 pm)

      Just got back from making rounds outside HQ and drove past the scene. The signs now say 23RD SW atop the ROAD TO BE CLOSED verbiage … TR

  • sam February 11, 2010 (4:12 pm)

    … and/ or a left turn arrow from s.bound Delridge onto Andover. as it is during rush hour times, only one car gets through on the orange light.

    edited to add: good point Mike D.

  • Jon Riser February 11, 2010 (4:36 pm)

    If anyone has any questions during the closure, feel free to call me on the number Marybeth Turner provided – (206) 310-4113. Also feel free to email me at riserhomes@msn.com.

  • chas redmond February 11, 2010 (4:50 pm)

    Yeah, but are these 6 new homes being built in a slide area. I’m betting they are and that the city is insane for allowing this to occur – on many levels.

  • Pete February 11, 2010 (5:14 pm)

    All that traffic now will come through the Pigeon Point neighborhood. We added the speed humps several years ago to deter folks from racing through our neighborhood. I still can’t imagine clsoing down this street for 6 weeks by a private developer. They did not close down the street when my house was built.

  • Michael February 11, 2010 (8:37 pm)

    Dreadfully ugly homes as well. Cheap, off the shelf mail order, 20 years from now knock it down, purely money driven pieces of offal.

  • Mike D. February 12, 2010 (5:54 am)

    Let us hope that the new 200′ long 12″ diameter storm pipe being installed to serve the new homes will have some surface mounted storm grates to collect the river of water that flows along the east side of this section of street and turns the area into a skating rink during cold spells. Having the new storm pipe serving the new homes versus connecting the homes to the existing one I hope will also reduce the tendency of having manhole covers blow-off during heavy rains due to to much water from houses, driveways and street drains up the hill.

  • Chris February 12, 2010 (8:21 am)

    Spot on, Michael!

  • Laurie February 12, 2010 (8:35 am)

    I second Sam’s comment about the difficulty of turning left onto Andover when you’re heading south on Delridge. A left-turn arrow there would have been nice for the duration of this project.

    Let’s hope that Winter is truly over and we don’t get any freezes between now and April 5. Andover’s a bear in icy weather.

  • sam February 12, 2010 (9:06 am)

    Michael- that’s cause Seattleites who want to buy a new home and developers who want to build them aren’t willing to hire/ pay for an architect. so yeah, they are generic, cookie cutter floor plans.

  • 3dogslater February 12, 2010 (10:33 am)

    I love the WS Blog for local information.. I believe the contractor should have introduced this inconvenience to the “residents” that are most directly impacted and provided a heads up properly to all local residents by personal contact.

    Michael D. The elderly people who depend on public transportation will still have to walk up or down to get to the 125 bus this is a concern- Aong with the light contact SDOT and see if they can make a flashing yellow…

    Thank goodness for the WS blog…or I would be unpleasnatly suprised and know nothing.

    Perhaps notice and a community mtg. would have been more appropriate for this issue to allow for Q&A, feedback and such.

    • WSB February 12, 2010 (10:40 am)

      I do believe – and this is not the first time I’ve encountered the issue – that there is a problem regarding notification, when a project that’s going to close a busy, semi-major street is ONLY the subject of notices to nearby residents – since there are so many others who use it and ALSO need to know. At the very least, flyer/doorhanger notification for nearby residents, PLUS the neighborhood media, would at least be better.
      .
      And really, it’s not even us who uncovered this – prime example of why we say WSB is community-collaborative news – it’s Pete M, who saw the sign, thought it meant Delridge was closing, sent us a note, we checked, and bingo, two reports and lots of discussion have resulted. I think notification is only REQUIRED to nearby residents but in this day and age of neighborhood news, I think that’s outmoded. Would have been pretty easy to send us a note. And SDOT does send notifications – when it’s THEIR project – of smaller things; maybe the loophole is, projects initiated by private concerns? Will check on that. Meantime, Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, a West Seattleite, runs the Transportation Committee now – might be an interesting issue to flag to him – TR

  • sam February 12, 2010 (10:51 am)

    I am still curious to find out what the 125 re-route is going to be. I hope that WSB hears back from them soon.

    if it is anything like the snow detour re-routing and /or the northbound 125 routing when 16th Ave SW was closed, I’d love it if WSB invited someone from King County to video-record the walk from 18th & Dawson/ to Delridge to catch the re-routed bus, and consider what that adds to the commute time for people who commute by bus.
    :)
    I can manage, but like has been mentioned- there are elderly/ all types of people, and people with the type of jobs where you can’t be late that are affected by it.

  • 3dogslater February 12, 2010 (11:19 am)

    WSB-
    I agree with what you are saying.
    Your comment:
    “I think notification is only REQUIRED to nearby residents” I am the nearby resident!
    If it is “REQUIRED” Myself and my neighbors on 22nd have not been notified.
    I live at 22nd Ave SW in fact they pretty much will be digging at the end of our 5 house -shared driveway. I have left a vm for Jon Riser the contractor for an explanation of how this is all going to work for us at 4700-4718 22nd Ave SW.

    I agree with your statement re:flyering and contact that “in this day and age of neighborhood news,I think that’s outmoded” and internet is the now- but consider the older folks that maybe don’t have a computer or the knowledge to use one.
    Not good enough- they are taxpayers and property owners that have lived here a long..long time. They deserve the right to know too.

    The contractor Jon Riser should have Flyered the damn neighborhood-period.

    Police, Sheriff’s and Legal document/papers still getserved directly to people right? Even in the day of computer technology.

    • WSB February 12, 2010 (11:31 am)

      Sorry, 3dog, I missed that part. I know you’ll let us hear what you hear back.

  • mary February 12, 2010 (11:43 am)

    I live in the affected area (at the north end of 23rd SW) and we received a letter this moring from JDR Development, Inc. They provided a map which gave more details regarding the closure. Hopefully 3dog has also received this letter. I also emailed Jon Riser last night and my email was answered very quickly with a little more information regarding our access between 22nd and 21st. Hopefully they will be able to create some kind of turn light on Andover as that will be a nightmare for anyone traveling north on Delridge. Thanks, WSB for bringing this to our attention and giving us people to contact for more info.

  • 3dogslater February 12, 2010 (12:52 pm)

    UPdate:

    I spoke with the contractor Jon Riser- Jon informed me the 22nd/ 23rd(so called) intersection will not be impacted nor will our driveway access turning left up 22 or to cut across 23rd.

    Nothing was mentioned about the bus…125 route. Jon stated that “statutorily by right” he only has to give a 5 day notice of closure and will be flyering this week-end. I have written the Mayor asking that this portion of the permit proccess be looked into and suggested to ammend the verbiage to a 30 day notification to residents with in a 10 mile radius. May be a waste of time but who knows…

  • 3dogslater February 12, 2010 (12:54 pm)

    FYI- The home values are set to be priced in the 500,000 mark …just sayin’

  • sam February 12, 2010 (1:22 pm)

    10 miles ?!?!?? it’s only 5 miles to downtown… I don’t think people in Queen Anne would care about this….just sayin’

  • karleen February 12, 2010 (3:29 pm)

    Got me there Sam…ok 3 miles:)

  • Steve McMillen February 24, 2010 (12:08 pm)

    The notification was poorly done. The sign read “23rd Ave”, not Oregon. So up to the day of closure I was under the impression it was only going to be 23rd ave impacted.

    I’m really amazed that this closure is being allowed. Its an incredibly long time. I’m sure given expedited resources it could be done quicker. The danger to the residents and any children in the reroute area alone is cause enough to expedite this job.

Sorry, comment time is over.