Bumpy Beach Drive: Resident starts petition to plead for repaving

| Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

That section of Beach Drive by Weather Watch Park and La Rustica is one of the inspirations behind a petition that’s being circulated by Jim Unland. He’s seeking signatures to ask the city to repave the half-mile stretch between 61st SW and SW Genesee (map). He explains, “This section of roadway has received numerous ‘pothole repairs’ but the condition of this stretch of Beach Dr. SW has deteriorated to the point that spot repairs are no longer sufficient. This roadway is frequently used by bicycle riders and the condition of the road poses many hazards to the them and liability to the City of Seattle.”

Unland says that petition signatures are set up to cc District 1 Councilmember Lisa Herbold and at-large Councilmembers Lorena González and Tim Burgess as well as SDOT’s paving manager Sue Byers. You can sign electronically by going here.

Steve January 24, 2016 (10:45 pm)

Done! Shared on Facebookas well…Beach Drive is a disaster!

Martin January 24, 2016 (11:25 pm)

Please lord repave this! It’s insane on a bike!

Mr. B January 25, 2016 (12:25 am)

Signed.

trickycoolj January 25, 2016 (1:01 am)

Looks better than Sylvan next to Home Depot….

Steve January 25, 2016 (6:08 am)

Nearly lost a tire on a pothole there last Thursday. Ouch!

Pete January 25, 2016 (6:08 am)

This section of pavement looks pretty good compared to a number of streets in other areas of West Seattle. Have you driven down Delridge Way SW recently? It is used by way more cars and bikes I bet then this stretch of road in the picture.

Brian January 25, 2016 (7:28 am)

The big difference being that Beach Drive is a pleasure/residential route only used by a small subset of the population so you can repave it without too much worry that you’ll have to tear it out to make way for widening or different lane structures, or light rail. .The future of Delridge as a main arterial is foggy right now so it doesn’t make sense to do a complete repaving of any large section. The city will just maintain and do spot fixes as much as they can… at the cost of your vehicle of course.
- Tim January 25, 2016 (9:35 am)
  
  I’d be happy with them just filling the major potholes on Delridge Way. It seems like all the new depressions and potholes correspond with recent utility connections for houses. Why doesn’t the city make the contractors come out and fix these problems later after annual inspection? Although the city seems to be just as bad at installing asphalt patches following utility work as well. They just finished fixing a water line on our street and the 4×4 asphalt patch already has a large depression.
Joe Szilagyi January 25, 2016 (10:42 am)

Honestly, they could probably micro-surface the hell out of Beach Drive like they did a lot of the Arbor Heights roads. It’s fairly easy and inexpensive. You just need to lose 100% of on-street parking for a couple of days.

Sunuva January 25, 2016 (7:17 am)

I thought these potholes were a safety feature to force people to go abnormally slow. Put some nice pavement on those curves and it’s going to be a racetrack! Seriously though, this is a terrible stretch of road and should be just the start of repaving our many terrible roads. Delridge, Roxbury, and 35th Ave are all in need of extensive repair. However, if there’s any money for it, I’m sure it’ll be used for future road diets instead.

Pile-o-Rox January 25, 2016 (7:41 am)

In addition, I hope the city ensures that those sections of California between the junction and admiral are repaired by the new developments that have destroyed the road. Honestly, that road was finally, finally in good shape about 3 years ago, only to have giant sections of it torn up by all the construction attendant to all the new development along that stretch. Now, there’s poorly filled trenches and pot holes all over – all of them a clear result of the construction. Maybe some commenters or WSB knows how the city deals with that issue, and whether they hold the builders to making the repairs. Also, in terms of potholes, you’d be pressed to find a worse stretch than the 2 block stretch between Admiral and Alki on 63rd (i.e., the road that runs by Cactus). There are at least 4 potholes in that two block stretch that are a foot wide and at least 6 inches deep.

John January 25, 2016 (7:43 am)

You should try riding your bike on this road…..what a nightmare!

W A L K E R January 25, 2016 (7:45 am)

People from other states and other countries that I converse with while visiting can’t believe the deplorable conditions of Seattle’s roads. It’s embarrassing for Seattle and its very hard on my vehicle. I must look like I’m impaired when I drive around Seattle because I’m always swerving around the holes. Also, the fact that Seattle can’t afford to re-paint crosswalks is just absurd and just plain dangerous. Seattle used to be awesome, so what happened? Send whoever is in charge abroad so they can see how other countries (much less affluent) are able to succeed. No money for it?? Go hawks!

Pile-o-Rox January 25, 2016 (8:03 am)

Walker – right or wrong, our Mayor and City Counsel have decided that roads just aren’t that important, and that they have other causes (mainly large-scale social issues) to spend our tax dollars on. I suspect the majority of the population would chose to have the roads dealt with; however, there is a well organized group of activists and progressives who have the ear of the mayor. And in the end, the “silent majority” can either advocate for more money to go toward the roads or just deal with it. I understand the need to address social issues, and certainly understand valuing human life over a stretch of pavement. But in my view, the government at the city and local level has three main areas to look after: (1) schools; (2) roads; and (3) public safety. I think you know how our city and local government scores in these areas.

john January 25, 2016 (8:15 am)

To address the concerns about construction damage and asphalt patches to our streets. Contractors are indeed required to replace the pavement they have disrupted. The actual concrete paving is sometimes months after the initial asphalt patch due to weather, permitting and other issues. Contractors are required to do this at great cost.

JAT January 25, 2016 (10:45 am)

They may be required to do so at great expense, but never lose sight of the fact that streets are built and maintained at great public expense and for-profit contractors and developers are essentially destroying public property for private gain. Furthermore the city is complicit in failing to coordinate planning, timing, and permitting of re-paving projects.While the developers may be required to repair the holes they cut in our streets, but they don’t appear to be required to do so competently, and the eventual remediation falls to us.Lame!

kg January 25, 2016 (8:18 am)

Bad roads are a problem world wide. Any visitor who states they don’t have bad roads in their home country is fibbing just a wee bit.Now factor in that many of our states are larger than most countries.

Shoot Suspension January 25, 2016 (8:42 am)

Isn’t this why all Seattleites have four wheel or all wheel drive vehicles?

Smokeycretin9 January 25, 2016 (9:13 am)

I’m going to have to break out the mountain bike next time I ride Beach Drive, or maybe we can start charging the city for inner tube and bent rims.

chemist January 25, 2016 (10:17 am)

If the city has been made aware of the pothole prior to damage, it can be held liable. That’s part of why the pothole rangers are so quick to act after the report.

There’s a May 7, 2015 story on Q13fox about the importance of the pothole issue needing to be on record first though.
- WSB January 25, 2016 (10:37 am)
  
  We have a separate story coming up about potholes and reporting them, with don’t-miss reader photos that came in over the weekend. – TR

Lisa January 25, 2016 (9:31 am)

Yay—I’m not the only one! Before I read this blurb, I had e-mailed the city to request repavement to this same stretch. (I drive it each day from Arbor Heights to Alki) I got a letter back from SDOT saying that they don’t have money to repave the entire thing. I was hoping that if they get enough complaints, something would happen. This stretch is wrecking my car.

Jim Unland January 26, 2016 (8:48 am)

Lisa,I am the person who started the petition. If you still have the email from SDOT, would you please send it to me at jimunland@yahoo.com Thank you

Dan January 25, 2016 (9:35 am)

Way long overdue!

rpo January 25, 2016 (9:35 am)

In response to the comment about Delridge being worse than this stretch of Beach Drive; I bike both streets, and Delridge is downright pleasant compared to the jarring, swerving, kidney destroying I incur on Beach Drive. I biked it yesterday and swore numerous times when hitting those massive cracks on the pavement.

Kathy January 26, 2016 (1:23 am)

I agree RPO, I bike once a week on Delridge from Spokane Street to Juneau Street and I don’t find it anywhere near as damaged as I do sections of Beach Drive when I bike down Jacobsen and along Beach Drive to get home to Alki from the Junction. On Delridge you have an option, there is frequent all day bus service 7 days per week, while Beach Drive only has bus service Mon-Fri with 4 morning trips and 4 evening trips. So if you live in that area, most of the time you have to either drive it or bike it. Please if you see a serious pothole while biking (or driving) take a few minutes to report it on the Find It Fix It app. You might save someone’s life.

carole January 25, 2016 (9:57 am)

Re: development digging up roads, there was a city crew working late Saturday, to at least 9pm, in front of Rally – the old Charleston Restaurant site. In addition to significant noise, one of their flatbed trucks drove through a red light without lights on, then parked partially blocking the bus stop. I assume this was somehow related to the construction project. They left metal plates in 3 places. Any idea why it couldn’t wait for a normal workday and who pays for this presumably overtime? The developer or the taxpayers?

WSB January 25, 2016 (10:09 am)

Could have been emergency repairs – didn’t hear about this at the time or we could have checked on it. Did the truck say SDOT or Seattle Public Utilities?

Joe Szilagyi January 25, 2016 (9:57 am)

Putting off this maintenance another ten years will just cost us more later. It’s also a safety issue as this is a destination corridor for bike riders because of the natural beauty of Lincoln Park, Alki, and Harbor Drives. Beach Drive is the connection between Lincoln Park and all of them. Fix it, please.

Azimuth January 25, 2016 (10:26 am)

Signed. Just 1 of many many places long overdue for maintenance.

Joe Szilagyi January 25, 2016 (10:43 am)

Riding your bike or car on the north end of Beach Drive: http://j.gifs.com/nYw2GP.gif

JG January 25, 2016 (12:27 pm)

OMG, that’s hilarious, and so true!

wetone January 25, 2016 (10:53 am)

Mayor Murray and SDOT Scott Kubly are spending city’s money funding projects they want, knowing voters would never pass many of their poorly thought out unneeded projects with levy’s (increased taxes). Letting the really needed things such as road maintenance, infrastructure improvements and hiring more police officers go until things are so bad people feel they don’t have a choice. Basically holding people of Seattle hostage knowing they will get badly spent monies back at later date. Get ready for many new levy’s, taxes and tolls coming soon to Seattle….. all things that hit the poor and what’s left of the middle class hardest. Playing catch up is a very expensive way to do business and shows very poor city management.

KT January 25, 2016 (10:58 am)

Well, we will see what that $1billion levy buys us.

carole January 25, 2016 (10:58 am)

Re Rally work: the truck had the seattle.gov logo on the door.

W A L K E R January 25, 2016 (11:40 am)

Very true, Wetone. It’s funny, getting those crosswalks on Capitol Hill painted all fancy rainbow colors seemed to be a high priority and within the budget, haha. Seattle is definitely falling behind and needs to get its act together. I feel sorry for the people that live on Beach Drive and have to put up with the daily drive and/or noise from vehicles bouncing past.

skeeter January 25, 2016 (12:12 pm)

Four years ago I asked the city of Seattle to repave Delridge. It’s a disaster. I was told there was no money in the budget. I really don’t think the city takes demand letters into account when prioritizing projects. But it is worth a try!

JG January 25, 2016 (12:26 pm)

Thanks for posting this. I posted the link on our bike club’s Facebook page (Alki Velo Club). This is a hot button for a lot of cyclists in the community–some of the longitudinal fissures are very dangerous, and I’ve broken spokes on those potholes.

Erik January 25, 2016 (12:55 pm)

Another reason why I ditched the bike and took up running.

David January 25, 2016 (1:34 pm)

Signed. I also added the following note along with my signature: “Along with these repairs it would also be nice to have speedbumps added at the intersection right outside La Rustica (one of the most damaged sections of Beach Drive), where there is a crosswalk that many people use to go to La Rustica or Weather Watch Park or both. A lot of drivers go way too fast around the bend there, and a smooth repaired section of road may encourage more speeding, so the speed bumps would keep drivers in check and help prevent collisions with pedestrians using the crosswalk or vehicles pulling out of SW Carroll St onto Beach Drive.”

Dan January 25, 2016 (2:06 pm)

Great point David. It is a dangerous spot. Hopefully someone with the ability to do something will listen.

W A L K E R January 25, 2016 (2:08 pm)

Good call, David. If they did, hopefully they would put in real speed bumps like they’ve done at Jack Block Park. Foot wide, half a foot high and all the way accross the roadway, not potato sacks plopped on the middle of the lane like other parts of Beach Drive, 48th Ave, etc, where people just float right over at a smooth 40mph. Those ones are a joke and do nothing to slow traffic.

Annaeileen January 25, 2016 (2:21 pm)

I just popped a tire hitting a pothole by Pearl’s on Delridge and ended up with 4 new tires. That road is a mess and I will contact the pothole police about it. Don’t care about Beach Drive!

Kimmy January 25, 2016 (4:45 pm)

We shouldn’t have to pit roads against one another (excuse the pun) to get them fixed. I have hit horrible potholes/patch jobs on both Beach and Delridge, and nearly lost a tire on this weekend on California. I expect SDOT to be capable of managing more than one issue at a time. Maybe that’s a bit optimistic on my part?

OP January 25, 2016 (3:35 pm)

Whenever I feel like losing a filling or two, I cruise down Beach Drive.Watch the mayor want to rechannel Beach Drive, too.

WS Girl January 25, 2016 (6:48 pm)

Delridge Way between SW Brandon and SW Dakota needs the asphalt section of the road repaved. When I drive on it I try to drive on the concrete only section of the street to avoid all of the potholes. It is in terrible condition. I lost a filling this morning by Pearls not sure which is more expensive the filling or the tires.SW Roxbury between Delridge Way and 20th Ave or so is nothing but a pothole patched rough riding mess. It needs fixed as well. Beach Drive is bad I have to agree it is a rough ride. I hope SDOT prioritizes these roads by volume of traffic and fixes all of them…….. in that order. My75 cents worth per hour of every day, for all of the taxes I am paying for roads, metro, homeless etc……….

JudyB January 25, 2016 (7:33 pm)

Just adding my bumpy biking experiences. I hit a pothole in the bike lane on 63rd just south of Alki at 7:15 a.m. one morning right before Christmas (it was dark and I didn’t see it). I crashed–no bones broken, just scrapes and bruises, but it could have been much worse. I reported the pothole, and it was patched but seems to be reverting to dangerous form again (I’m waiting for earlier sunrise before I bike it again).

Paul Reilly January 25, 2016 (8:02 pm)

I was born and raised a couple of blocks up 59th – attended Alki, Madison and WSHS. One drifty late summer evening in 1964 a friend and I decided to drive down to the Oregon beaches for Labor Day. He had a hotrod Plymouth with an overbuilt Hemi that was not quite ready for the road. So we had to do a speed run to see if we could kill ourselves at home or wait until we got to Oregon. Southbound on Beach Drive about 2AM – both car and occupants well fueled. The curve at the intersection of one short street between 59th and Beach Drive still has a tall concrete retaining wall next to the sidewalk. If you don’t make the curve you had to hit the wall.The left front wheel/tire came off in early- mid-curve. My friend was strong and agile. We made it through the curve, parked and went looking for the wheel/tire. We found it and decided to call it a night. A day or two later I walked down that sidewalk along Beach Drive to examine the spot. I found a deep groove made by the wheel hub/brake drum as my friend steered through the curve – no doubt saving both our lives. (Of course, it was shortly after that, it was off to VietNam for both of us for another adventure – but with much less alcohol.) My point is this: Over the years I have taken all three of my sons, and several grandchildren to Beach Drive to show them where and why they almost failed to come into existence – and that damn hemispheric track of that Plymouth brake drum groove in the asphalt is STILL THERE! That would be 52 years ago this next Labor Day weekend. I think it’s time to re-surface that piece of roadway.

rpo January 26, 2016 (10:05 am)

Obviously, this is an amazing story. But the fact that the pavement is 50+ years old is even more amazing to me. I never would have guessed anywhere near that despite how terrible the road surface is currently.

Craig January 25, 2016 (11:11 pm)

So much concern for bikes and their safety by SDOT when a few bikers ride up Admiral occasionally, but no love for bike safety on Beach Dr when there’s a clear and immediately actionable solution. There’s easily a x10 quantity of riders on Beach than on the Alki to Admiral hill, especially when the weather is nice.

Kathy January 26, 2016 (4:00 pm)

So, Craig…? Admiral Way has it’s own challenges for bikers, including degraded pavement, car traffic volumes that are heavier than those on Beach Drive and the danger of biking downhill passing car doors opening and trying control your braking on a slippery, gravelly downhill trip. I observe plenty of bike traffic on Admiral Way. Have you done a week long bike count in both locations to come up with your statement about 10x the bike traffic on Beach Drive? Still, I believe now that we have passed the levy, SDOT needs to get busy (weather permitting) and prioritize paving in many areas for the benefit of bikers, drivers and pedestrians who need to cross the roads. I do wonder about comments that people damaged their cars on the potholes. They may have been driving too fast for conditions or not paying attention? The same could be said for bikers, except that at night and in the rain, bikers have additional challenges (not as strong headlights as cars and the lack of windshield wipers on eyeglasses come to mind).

MAH January 26, 2016 (11:21 am)

As many others have mentioned, Delridge is MUCH worse and being exacerbated all of the time by the construction companies who tear it up and never fix it. 35th is getting just as bad also, as is California in many places. For all of the money that the city is raking in from developers, there is NO excuse for not having properly paved and repaired roads. Except that our mayor and the SDOT demonstrate on a daily basis that the lives of those who live and work in this city and pay property taxes don’t matter at all.

Mark schletty January 26, 2016 (2:36 pm)

Good luck getting this done. My guess is that you will get the same response from the city that a business owner in the alaska junction got when they tried to get the city to fix the repeatedly flooding alley between the businesses and the parking lots— sorry, not enough money. We need the money for bike lanes and other more important things.

WSB January 26, 2016 (3:06 pm)

Mark – Jim actually learned from SDOT today that a section of this area IS apparently set for repaving later this year (Orleans to Andover). I am still waiting for a call back from the SDOT manager to confirm, although at some point I might just run with it and quote him and add an SDOT update later. – Tracy