(October 12 photo courtesy Jon)
After the stuck-truck incident shown above closed a West Seattle road for hours, some suggested it’s time for signage warning drivers well in advance, since this wasn’t the first such incident along some of the tight turns in eastern West Seattle. Michelle took the concerns to the city and shares the reply she received from SDOT‘s Christopher Eaves.

Thank you for writing and expressing your concerns about the freight vehicle that recently became stuck on 16th Avenue SW. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) shares your concerns about this roadway and the desire to avoid a repeat of this event.

Freight vehicles normally remain on large arterials and established delivery routes, and signage exists at major intersections to direct unfamiliar drivers to the preferred routes. SDOT works to place the smallest number of signs or restrictions on the roadway to keep maintenance costs down and to provide the greatest network flexibility. During normal daily operation, the minimal arterial signage is appropriate.

However, in circumstances where primary routes are not available, drivers will attempt to locate alternate routes. Some locations, such as the turn on 16th Avenue SW, cannot reasonably support the largest types of freight vehicles, and additional steps should be taken to alert drivers to the roadway conditions.

Full truck restrictions are not possible at this location since the South Seattle Community College Campus is located on 16th Avenue SW, but it is important to provide drivers with the proper information to choose the best route for their needs. To this end, SDOT has dispatched crews to review both the Delridge Way SW/23rd Ave SW intersection and the 16th Ave SW/ Delmar Way SW intersection to determine the best locations for additional Truck Route and limitation signs to provide the best guidance for freight vehicles.