It’s been six years in the making, but the “Fauntleroy Boulevard” plan is still in the “early design” phase – which is why, if you are interested in the future of Fauntleroy Way between the bridge and SW Alaska, you’re going to want to go to next Tuesday’s community meeting.
SDOT’s Fauntleroy Boulevard Project manager Therese Casper and consultant Mike Hendrix (from Perteet) came to this week’s Junction Neighborhood Organization meeting for one last community-council-level briefing before that meeting, which, by the way, will be in open-house format, so don’t worry if you can’t get there right when it starts at 5 pm – drop in for a look at the plans any time before 7 pm.
We’ve written about it before – going back to 2008 – and Casper noted that its origins go back even further, to the West Seattle Junction Plan of 1999, and now the Bicycle Master Plan‘s goals have been folded in, designating this as an area for protected bicycle lanes, as well as the “community needs” in the Triangle Streetscape Plan, and enhancement of Fauntleroy Way’s role as a gateway to West Seattle.
The Fauntleroy Boulevard plan has reached 30 percent design, and has funding through 60 percent design. The city budget process that kicks into high gear next week, with Mayor Murray presenting his proposal on Monday afternoon, will determine what happens next – will there be money to finish the design and build the project?
Its typical cross-section is the same one we first showed in July: 6′ sidewalks, 6′ protected bike lanes (asphalt), landscape strip, outside lanes of roadway maintained at 12′ (to facilitate freight needs), 10’ travel lane inside, then middle turn lane OR planted median. You can see it and the block-by-block concept on this info-sheet, also from July:
Here’s the latest on some key points – with many more details promised at next Tuesday’s open house:
*Casper told JuNO that they had just received approval for trees in the median island. The space for that will not come from existing travel lanes but some street parking will be removed, Casper said. There’s a water main down the middle, about 17 feet underground, and the type of trees that’ll be approved will take that into consideration.
*The “free right turn” at Oregon will be removed.
*Median midway through Trader Joe’s to 38th.
*At every intersection they will realign, to tee up, minimize crossings for pedestrians at side streets and increase safety
*At 38th, a fire-station signal – will be converted into a pedestrian signal
*Median island between 38th and Oregon
*Another median island between Oregon all the way up to Avalon
*At intersections of 37th, will again “T-up” those intersections – the protected bike lane connects to Avalon and will connect to future greenway on 36th – sidewalks and raised median up to 35th
*Avalon will become fully signalized
*The Whittaker‘s commitment to a crossing of Alaska between its corner (where the former gas station is now) and Spruce’s corner will be part of shortening the distance that pedestrians will have to cross, Casper said. She says they’re working with Spruce – though pointing out, it’s already got a permit to build what it’s buiding – to try to change the configuration.
In addition to briefing community groups, Casper said, they’ve been talking to businesses all summer, with some “expressing a lot of concern about some of the driveways we’re eliminating as well as the medians, affecting the flow.” They’ll continue to meet with some businesses, “with some, we’re on our third meeting,” says Casper.
They expect to reach 60 percent design next month.
“Is anything going up that would be ‘welcome to West Seattle’?” asked one attendee. Not in the plans, was the reply.
Again, the open house with full details on the Fauntleroy Boulevard’s project is next Tuesday (September 23rd), 5-7 pm, at the Senior Center of West Seattle – drop in whenever you can. Since the project is still in “early design,” this is the time to comment.
P.S. The JuNO meeting this past Tuesday included one other major agenda item, a discussion of the Junction-area “walkshed,” with two Seattle Planning Commissioners who are both West Seattleites. We’re writing that separately; look for it here this weekend.
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