FAUNTLEROY BOULEVARD: West Seattle Transportation Coalition update Thursday

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The concept of transforming Fauntleroy Way SW into a “boulevard” through The Triangle (between 35th and Alaska) has been kicking around for many years. But now there’s money in the city budget and construction could start before year’s end, as announced last fall. We’ve shown general concepts many times … the renderings above and below are the newest ones SDOT has made public, from the “60% design” phase:

(Cross-section from city project page)

So what about the details, such as how access will change for businesses and side-road users, for example? This Thursday is your chance to hear firsthand, and to ask questions, as an SDOT rep from the project will be featured at the West Seattle Transportation Coalition‘s monthly meeting. “WSTC has been expressing concerns (about the plan) since 2013 – within West Seattle, and with successive (project) teams, SDOT management, the mayor, and City Council,” says WSTC co-chair Martin Westerman. “Concerns include, but are not limited to, issues around project design and cost, and coordination between successive (project) teams and SDOT-Move Seattle, Seattle City Light, Sound Transit, and West Seattle stakeholders.” The meeting starts at 6:30 pm Thursday (February 23rd) at Neighborhood House‘s High Point Center (6400 Sylvan Way SW). Westerman also notes, “All are welcome — from community associations, interest groups, businesses, and members of the public.”

22blades February 19, 2017 (11:17 am)

I ride in this configuration a lot in Tokyo. It works pretty well provided they keep up the markings. Most places, they use differently stain colored concrete or asphalt. They have to go on a info campaign to remind pedestrians to not walk & text or talk every so often. I have a small bell on my bike & I use it “politely” by resting my finger on the bell itself to produce a quaint “Dink”. They get it… The physical barrier between cars and bikes is also a huge psychological barrier. Approaching busy intersection can be just a bit tricky but shouldn’t be a problem in WS.

KM February 19, 2017 (11:21 am)

Really love this design.

22blades February 19, 2017 (11:21 am)

One caveat… The plastic yellow ADA guidance tiles will KILL you when wet. I found out the “hard” way. :-(

Space Dust February 19, 2017 (11:40 am)

How long will it take to look like Harbor Ave, Over grown and full of weeds. The City plants it and…

Scarlett February 19, 2017 (11:48 am)

Sort of nice idea to make the homely area look a bit less seedy. However, it is insanely ridiculous to do this before they know where the sound Transit station is going to be.

It would be completely consistent of the City to rebuild and beautify this area and then have it torn up again, when Sound Transit 3 starts. Yet another poorly conceived idea to require a project be done twice and to pay for it twice and to subject the businesses and the residents to two construction projects instead of one.

How many times have you seen the city repave an area to have another city agency tear up a section of a new smooth street and mar the finish?

An alternative would be to keep 2 traffic lanes both ways, because we need it and to remove the concrete/asphalt parking strips on both sides that no one uses and to widen the street in general.

I am an avid bike rider and I have no intention of riding on the New Fauntleroy. There is no destination going east except a high bridge where there is no bike travel allowed. Where on earth do the folks at the City think we are going on this newly beautified street?

I avoid Fauntleroy complete and stick to Alaska to get out West Seattle via Avalon. The last place I want to be is on Fauntleroy sucking up vehicle emissions and noise. Avalon needs better bike lanes.

Kathy February 22, 2017 (12:56 am)

35th Ave SW is too steep for biking between Alaska and Avalon. Dangerous and hard to stop going downhill especially when pavement is wet. Uphill, hard to maintain a speed that is not drastically at odds with motorized vehicles. in other words, it is not a bike route for all ages and abilities. But good for you if you can do it without getting injured.

bolo February 19, 2017 (12:16 pm)

I too am an avid bike commuter both within and into/out of West Seattle and also see no real utility in a bike trail through this section.

If SDOT wants to get the most bang for its buck in promoting bicycling, it should maintain its roads better and take care of all the potholes, broken asphalt, crevasses, craters, etc. that currently impede safe cycling on its streets.

In other words, repurpose the money earmarked for grande beautification projects and use it for—- maintenance of our currently crumbling infrastructure.

Triangle resident February 19, 2017 (12:28 pm)

I love this! Finally an entrance to west seattle that has the pedestrian in mind as well as cars and bikes. We can’t keep putting off funded plans because sound transit MIGHT be in the vicinity, lost opportunities. Besides the rail should be in a tunnel, not some football field length elevated noisy unsightly behemoth. This design will benefit the businesses way more than hurt them and we will be able to admire our gateway instead of telling guests “oh it gets better in a few more blocks”. Step up and support this long overdue safety improvements!!!

Mark Schletty February 20, 2017 (1:25 pm)

There is already pedestrian sidewalks in this area. The bike paths are strictly the result of the bicycle mafia’s master bicycle plan as they weren’t in the plans before its enactment. As many bike riders have pointed out, this is not a useful place for the bike paths since other better routes already exist and bikes aren’t allowed on the bridge anyway. As for the plans original purpose of beautifying the entryway to west seattle, that purpose dissappeared with the construction of all the ugly apatment buildings in the area. There is no reason to have to say “oh, it gets better in a few more blocks” because it doesn’t.
- Kathy February 22, 2017 (1:07 am)
  
  Do you use these sidewalks? They are mostly in bad condition. I am a senior biker and this is my route for getting to Fauntleroy destinations and the Alaska Junction from the lower West Seattle Bridge via Avalon. But the only way I can do this safely is by biking on the sidewalk which lacks curb cuts, is endangered by a free right turn onto Oregon, and which must be shared with pedestrians. So in my opinion, a Westlake style bike and pedestrian facility would be a great improvement to the neighborhood for all ages and abilities to travel safely without having to drive.

Gene February 19, 2017 (12:58 pm)

Step up & fix existing roads- for cars, bikes, & pedestrians–

driven anywhere around WS lately- it’s ridiculous!

Old friend February 19, 2017 (1:46 pm)

I also bike this area and find little value in having designated bike lane as proposed. Instead focus for east/west bikes should via Alaska & 36th to Avalon or vise versa the current bike route. This would also tie into metro bus making for multi-modal travel. Leave the proposed section of Fauntleroy to vehicles and pedestrians.

22blades February 19, 2017 (2:09 pm)

No matter how much the city paves & fixes our streets, as long as they let developers & contractors rip up our streets, it’s throwing money in a pond. Proper restoration after accessing utilities with full section repairs instead of crappy trench patches.

4thGenWestSide February 19, 2017 (2:32 pm)

Can we open up some dialogue about how it will impact the small businesses along the route(s) and if the city has any plans to assist / compensate said businesses? I am not a business owner along this route (or any) but I VALUE having them in our community. As a 4th generation resident of West Seattle, I would hope that these valuable assets are considered in the planning and eventual implementation of the proposed improvements. Growth and progress happens. But not looking in the side and rear view mirrors are, unfortunately too many times brushed over.

Millie February 19, 2017 (3:33 pm)

Instead of spending millions on a project that basically does little to improve transportation (car/bus/bike) in a limited area why not improve the current roadways, actually build sidewalks where there are school crossings and people walk. Simply because the money has been earmarked for this project does not mean it can not be unencumbered. Secondly, perhaps, SDOT should speak to Sound Transit to learn about their plans for transit in West Seattle. “Boulevard” is really a misnomer for such a limited area (see Berlin/Paris/London for examples of boulevards).

Once again I urge City officials to be more diligent in spending tax dollars. Why not treat taxpayer wallets as you do your own?

JCW February 19, 2017 (5:47 pm)

I love this design! It reminds me of Chicago’s redesign for Roosevelt Rd – a heavily used downtown arterial. The boulevard design works so well in providing a calming nature to congested areas — perhaps a reason Daniel Burnham-designed cities feel so much more lush and green.

Can SDOT bring this to Roxbury, specifically between 26th and 35th too???

wetone February 19, 2017 (8:29 pm)

What a terrible design for businesses, visability and helping traffic flow on that section of road. People think the commute in and out of WS is bad now just wait. Why does it need 12′ of bike/walk area on both sides of roadway in that area ? Where are all the bikes and walkers going ? This is a highway entrance not a park or boardwalk and should be designed for needs of moving traffic. If anything city should of added more lanes or turn lanes. From looks of this plan there will be no crossing lanes of opposite traffic. Next thing city will do is remove traffic lights in area and install stop signs saying it will increase traffic flow.I guess this is what we get with weed being legal, all about the looks in Seattle and zero for function.

wsn00b February 19, 2017 (8:41 pm)

The garbage, broken concrete and weeds from the West Seattle Bridge approach will not neatly continue into this boulevard. That is unfortunate. What is WSTC and SDOT’s plan to ensure the sketchy, industrial-garbage-chic ambience of the West Seattle Bridge continues and ties into this boulevard section? Broken roads, garbage, homeless tents and weeds spilling onto the roadway are core to the identity of Seattle’s roads. Few yards east of this boulevard area just beyond Pecos Pit BBQ is one of the most breathtaking displays of garbage and weeds. I’m disappointed that we are deviating from this. More weeds, garbage and potholes please. No boulevards. What is this, prim-and-proper Bellevue?! No thanks!

OP February 19, 2017 (9:07 pm)

This is beyond f***ing nuts. All it does is worsen the traffic woes getting in and out of W. Seattle. Hurts businesses, ruins the quality of life and makes our side streets even more congested. When are you liberal/progressives going to stop with the nonsense.

Michelle February 19, 2017 (9:19 pm)

Dear Seattle, fix the potholes. That’s all we ask. They’ve been neglected since the 70’s. Stop wasting money on pretty things for now and get all the roads and sidewalks usable. Then make pretty all you want. Seattle is a big city and it neglects a lot of area’s. That needs to change.

ps And Please for the sake of keeping our city a great city, get the out of control graffiti situation under control

thanks!

Don_Brubeck February 20, 2017 (8:36 am)

The Fauntleroy Boulevard Project will
create a welcoming entry to West Seattle. The redesign of the street will make
safe and comfortable to use public transit, bicycles and walking to live, work
and shop in this rapidly growing urban village. This is a key through-bike
commute route on an easy grade; a high frequency transit route; the auto approach
to the West Seattle Bridge; and a Major Truck Street. Separation of bike
traffic from heavy vehicle traffic here is important to achieving Seattle’s Bicycle
Master Plan and Vision Zero. That is why West Seattle Bike Connections, and
Seattle’s volunteer Bicycle Advisory Board support this project. The need for
truck deliveries, bus transit and auto and freight through-traffic require
redesign of the street to make Fauntleroy work safely and efficiently for all
who use it.

The
Fauntleroy Way SW Boulevard project fulfills neighborhood and transportation
goals and plans adopted as far back as 1999, with years and years of public
input. It’s time to build.

wetone February 20, 2017 (11:07 am)

Don, so your saying bike commuters and walkers need to have 24′ of space, 12′ on each side of road that approaches WSfwy ? really. One side I could understand, but not both. This is a highway entrance area and should be designed as such. Bikers and walkers use different paths as their not allowed on WSfwy last time I checked. Such as 35th, Avalon, Fauntleroy, Alaska st and Harbor ave for most ingress/egress through area. Focus should be getting up/down Avalon via Alaska or other routes to bike paths leading to city or Harbor ave. Not impacting motorized transportation traffic in area shown on plan as city and others seem to want. This area has bad traffic issues now and will be worse in a couple years as new units fill up and population increases by the 1000’s. Along with service vehicles (trucks, vans, big rig’s)needed to supply growing area, oh don’t forget increased traffic from ferry as areas across sound grow. This plan will do nothing to help motorized transportation issues in this area that has a very limited ingress/egress. All I see from this plan is more traffic and safety issues and little to really improving anything, but sure will look nice ;) I ride bicycles and walk in WS junction area along with driving a motor vehicles.

nw February 20, 2017 (9:04 am)

42 and ave sw and sw alaska

St in pretty bad shape thanks to heavy machinery and construction vehicles reported to city.

Jason February 20, 2017 (9:48 am)

I agree with the bike commuters who identify the bike path as unnecessary. The separated sidewalk is nice but the bike lanes unnecessarily cut into valuable street space when the popular and well used bike route of 36th, Alaska and Avalon is already available. Leave the entrance for cars and pedestrians, improve the horrible pavement conditions, keep the extremely well used turn pocket onto Oregon and improve the bike access on it’s current route.

Kathy February 22, 2017 (1:16 am)

Why do you think only cars and pedestrians deserve access to businesses on this stretch of Fauntleroy and not people riding bikes?
- Jason February 23, 2017 (1:16 pm)
  
  Because bikes can access the businesses via side streets on 36th, 37th, or 38th rather than on a major arterial. The project bookends at 35th and at Alaska so access at those intersections is already implied in the project scope. Save the funds and don’t put in a 4 block bike lane that goes nowhere. Spend the money on improving the bike route in place on Alaska, 36th and Avalon.
  - Kathy February 23, 2017 (2:56 pm)
    
    That makes no sense unless you need to go to businesses on the side streets, the fire station or Les Schwab…I think they sell tires for cars not bikes.

House of Pug February 20, 2017 (12:32 pm)

I grew up in a small town with extensive bike trails and expected the same from Seattle when I got here 20 years ago. Instead, I found a haphazard, disconnected design and a hazardous riding experience. Thus I empathize with the sentiment that we can’t make the perfect the enemy of the good when it comes to adding bike-friendly lanes.

Yet I find myself agreeing with those who object for three reasons. First, it will take Sound Transit only 2-3 years to complete its engineering studies for the new light rail stations – stations, by the way, that are not guaranteed to be underground and will have a disproportionate impact on the area. Second, we need a wide thoroughfare to take auto/bus traffic in and out of West Seattle – especially since many arterials have been narrowed through road diets and we have a growing population that continues to use/own cars. Third, I’m unclear as to why people would use these lanes since they can’t get on the bridge. Yes, you can cycle out to the gateway, but redesigning Avalon to connect to the Spokane St. trail seems more intuitive.

John February 20, 2017 (1:16 pm)

I’ve been biking to since 1988. 95% of us bikers do not use Fauntleroy when going to or from downtown. There is a small group that joins the cars and take their chances, but most of us don’t. Even with these changes I still wouldn’t.

No need to put a bike path down Fauntleroy through this section.

NW February 20, 2017 (1:30 pm)

If this bike path is built pedestrians bicyclist and even wheel chair users can continue actually right along Fauntleroy Way Sw the Fauntleroy Way SW that very few actually even drive along it parallels to the west and there is a bridge over Fauntleroy Way SW that takes you to the east side of the expressway bypassing altogether Avalon Way. Look into it you! The route is there.

JayDee February 20, 2017 (5:23 pm)

The biggest loss here is the third lane southwest bound that is right-turn only onto Oregon, a heavily traveled bypass route with nearly a continuous right-turn arrow . Without people being able to get onto Oregon easily the extra cars will only exacerbate the backup down Fauntleroy back onto the bridge. More people will bail onto Admiral and choke up side streets to pile onto California SB.

Why fix what isn’t broken?

Jon Wright February 23, 2017 (12:46 pm)

The capacity of Fauntleroy west of 35th–even without the turn lane to Oregon–will exceed the amount of traffic the light at 35th allows. So losing that turn lane to Oregon will have zero effect on backups east of 35th.
Jason February 23, 2017 (1:25 pm)

It also pushes more cars onto Alaska between Fauntleroy and Alaska, clogging the current bike route up the hill and making it more dangerous for cyclists. It’s short sighted design.

Don_Brubeck February 20, 2017 (6:23 pm)

The sweeping pocket right turn lane SW bound at Oregon is the biggest safety hazard for people walking on Fauntleroy. Way too far to cross, and drivers think they are still on a highway instead of a street shared with pedestrians. It is also the prime reason very few people ride bikes there, and instead divert to 36th, which has it’s own hazards with lumber yard loading and angled and 90 degree parking that makes it hard for drivers to see bikes.

JayDee February 20, 2017 (7:39 pm)

But the greatest benefit is for cars traveling west on Oregon. The greatest good for the greatest number on a given day: The couple dozen cyclists or the hundreds of cars trying to bypass CA/Alaska? It looks nice, it feels good but, the demand will be channeled elsewhere. A couple dozen cyclists would take the bike facility. The peds are already trained to be cautious. What about the service car-related businesses that line that side of the street?

Jon Wright February 23, 2017 (12:50 pm)

Philosophically, I do not believe our city should be designed such that pedestrians have to rely upon their “training to be cautious” in order to survive crossing the street.
- Jason February 23, 2017 (1:23 pm)
  
  They could easily reconfigure the crosswalk at Oregon to make it safer for pedestrians while still keep the very well used turn lane in place. This turn lane keeps hundreds of cars out of the CA/Alaska intersection daily, actually freeing up space on Alaska for bike traffic on the most gently graded street that current hosts the bike route.
  - Jon Wright February 26, 2017 (11:39 pm)
    
    Is your contention that, in the absence of the turn pocket from Fauntleroy to Oregon, more people will opt to stay on Fauntleroy and take Alaska instead of Oregon? I guess that is possible but why wouldn’t people who turn on Oregon now continue to do so? The proposed configuration doesn’t prevent people from turning to westbound Oregon.

WS truckstop February 21, 2017 (12:02 pm)

Fauntleroy is the major Truck route through West Seattle from the Bridge to the Ferry Terminal. How will turning it into a boulevard detour truck deliveries through residential neighborhoods? Like Avalon, over to California, or 35th. How early in the am would you like commercial delivery trucks passing your house everyday?