Thanks to Paul W for the photo – the latest stretch of rocky road in West Seattle to get some new asphalt is Dumar Way, a well-traveled stretch between Highland Park and Delridge (map), where this was the scene just a few hours ago.
are they paving Orchard between Dumar and 18th too? I saw some SDOT spray paint markings on Sunday, (and brought it up in the comments for the Monday day activities but don’t think anyone responded to it last i looked) puget ridge needs some SDOT love too
https://westseattleblog.com/2011/10/west-seattle-monday-viaduct-closure-qa-ndnc-and-more#comment-808606
Oh, good. The last time I traversed that stretch on my bike I thought I was gonna need dentures by the time I reached the other end. Talk about a teeth-rattling ride.
Wow it’s about time. This stretch has been in dire nneed of paving for probably 10 years.
it is where I was hoping- I got confused by the highland park reference, isn’t more of a connection between puget ridge and delridge? HP is a couple more blocks south. and the ‘puget ridge’ co housing is right at the north end of this little beat up road
Sam – Yes. Highland Park starts a little way south. Generally, WSB seems to refer to anything south of South Seattle Community College as Highland Park. Puget Ridge and Riverview seem to get collectively lumped into Highland Park. WSB has indicated in the past that this happens often because the actual community boundaries are not “clearly” laid out by the city.
I recieved this email last week and then I see the work being done. Hmmm!
From:Mike McGinn
Subject:Thank you for your note (00014267)
Date:10/13/2011 02:55 PM
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Thank you for contacting me about the condition of Southwest Orchard Street between Dumar Way Southwest and Southwest Myrtle Street. A wet and cold winter made things even worse last year and the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has been responding to an unusually high number of pothole repair requests on Orchard and elsewhere. We have filled nearly 20,000 potholes already this year. To put that in perspective, in 2009 we only filled 7,000.
In response to the number of potholes, I’ve found additional funds for paving and directed SDOT to use those dollars to make more extensive repairs at locations where there are frequent pothole problems. As you noted, SDOT crews recently completed spot paving projects on portions of Southwest Orchard Street, Dumar Way, Sylvan Way, and Delridge Way. There repairs were targeted at the worst locations and those which were generating frequent repair requests. We believe the spot paving work will provide some relief from potholes this winter in these areas and we’ll consider more in 2012.
Ultimately, the long term solution to potholes is to rebuild streets before they deteriorate to the point where potholes form. The pavements on Sylvan, Orchard, Dumar and Delridge have all reached the end of their functional life and need to be rebuilt with a more modern pavement appropriate to transit and other uses. Approximately one in every four arterial streets in Seattle has reached the condition level where a rehabilitation need is clear, but we simply do not have the funding necessary to repave all of these streets.
Facing such a long list of needs, projects are prioritized. Delridge, the most heavily used street in the area, is programmed for paving in 2014 between Southwest Henderson and Orchard Streets.
We do not yet have a funded project on Sylvan, Orchard, or Dumar. We will continue to complete pothole repairs as necessary on those streets to keep the surface drivable.
If you notice a pothole, we encourage you to report it by calling SDOT at (206) 684-ROAD (7623) or using the on-line form at: http://www.seattle.gov/pothole.
I have worked to find more money for street maintenance, however. On July 11th, I joined three City Council members to announce that we will dedicate $3 million dollars from the sale of the Rubble Yard property to street maintenance. That will help us to fix more of exactly the kind of problems you describe in your letter. That funding will allow us to use these crews to repair about twenty more stretches of broken concrete and to increase the number of potholes filled this year. I also proposed $16 million from the Rubble Yard sale be used to continue street maintenance work in 2012 and 2013.
That will help us in the short-term. The City Council and I also convened a Citizens Transportation Advisory Group to consider ways to fund those projects. Their recommendation was to increase the vehicle license fee to help pay for projects that reduce the maintenance backlog, as well as expand transit, pedestrian, and bicycling infrastructure. The City Council voted 9-0 to place a $60 increase in the vehicle license fee on the November ballot. More information on what would be funded is available at http://www.seattle.gov/stbd/documents/vlf60_proposal_summary.pdf.
Finally, I am pleased to hear you are using our new pothole map to locate pothole patching information to for your neighborhood. My hope is that this will make it easier for people to see the work that our crews are doing.
Thanks again for writing. Please feel free to do so again on this or any other topic.
Sincerely,
Mike McGinn
Mayor of Seattle
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