South Park Bridge closure meeting: “Roundabout” & other notes

(Photo courtesy King County Department of Transportation)
Midway between two major community meetings on the South Park Bridge closure plan, a smaller “inter-agency” group is just wrapping up a meeting this morning. Some new information has emerged, inspired, those on hand say, by feedback they’ve received at previous meetings as well as via e-mail and other channels. That information includes changes to planned bus reroutes, as well as one major new element for the road that will become a dead end of sorts when the bridge closes at 7 pm June 30 – read on:

*First, Metro reps said they will likely change the reroute plans it proposed for three affected bus routes, including the 60, which also serves White Center. (The other two, 131 and 134, will use the Georgetown streets that the 60’s scheduled to use, in response to public concerns from that area.) Instead of having the 60 run up 8th to the 1st Avenue South Bridge, the aforementioned roundabout could allow it to head north on 14th, serve the business district there, then double back to get to 509.

*Second, looks like a roundabout is in the works for the “large right-of-way area” on 14th Avenue South at the south end of the bridge – exactly what it will look like and where it will be placed, hasn’t been worked out yet.

*Third, emergency responders for non-public agencies/companies still have some concerns: Three reps for Puget Sound Energy are here, and they say that last year alone, PSE used the South Park Bridge an average of 68 times a month to respond to emergencies. Without the bridge, their response time may grow by at least 10 minutes, and they say they’ll be calling the Fire Department (which wasn’t represented here today but has been participating in the planning process) to go check out the situation first.

*Fourth, agencies are discussing how to make sure it’s very clear to drivers/walkers that the bridge is closed, once it permanently shuts on June 30th. So far, in addition to three barricades, a Jersey barrier, and cyclone fencing, the city is talking about putting in a sidewalk across what is now the bridge’s entrance.

*Fifth, regarding assistance for the businesses that are worried they will lose everything once the bridge closes: The city Department of Neighborhoods says it is trying to “reach every business in the area before the bridge closes.” They’re planning a community meeting later this month to unveil a list of “ideas” the city’s come up with for helping businesses. Some of those ideas, so far, include promoting “Buy Local,” marketing South Park as a unique destination, and getting more information online, possibly through the All About South Park website.

*Sixth, with the next community meeting coming up at 6 pm May 25 – to discuss the final closure plan – there was talk about how to keep the meeting from being dominated by community anger, which the last one was, to some degree. White Center entrepreneur Geoffrey “Mac” McElroy, the only member of the public who was here, suggested that an information station be set up to provide the latest information on the campaign to get funding for a replacement bridge. County road engineer Paulette Norman also suggested an emphasis on proposals that have resulted from the public comments received already, since they already “have generated changes … Public feedback is making a difference.”

The county’s info site on the bridge closure is here.

2 Replies to "South Park Bridge closure meeting: "Roundabout" & other notes"

  • Bill & Honey May 12, 2010 (11:27 am)

    All this is good – especially metro understanding how they impact SP. But as a resident and business owner, no one has contacted me, nor has a clue, as to a possible mitigation plan. I’ve contacted everyone who was listed in county draft plan as a resource and only one individual had knowledge that something was even in the works.., Do you understand the concept of vaporware?

  • sillygoose May 12, 2010 (4:38 pm)

    WOW this is really going to affect the businesses in South Park that relied on the business of the Boeing Plant 2 employee’s. I was crossing this bridge during the nisqually earthquake and wow what a ride it was my SUV was violently rocking back and forth. I will miss the beautiful architecure of this old bride but do understand safety first.

Sorry, comment time is over.