See what’s in the newest plan for Delridge repaving/RapidRide H Line project

| Delridge | Transportation | West Seattle news

While the Avalon/35th/Alaska project is about to start construction, another major SDOT project for West Seattle is proceeding in the design phase – and we have new information from a briefing presented to the City Council Transportation Committee. The council had passed a “proviso” requiring council check-ins on the Delridge Multi-Modal/RapidRide H Line project at certain milestones, and the Tuesday briefing was another one – the project has reached 30 percent design. First, here’s the video if you want to see for yourself – the presentation starts 1 hour and 45 minutes in:

See the full slide deck here. Some of the key points discussed – first, the scope of the repaving that will be included:

Because Sound Transit will be building light rail in North Delridge within a decade, SDOT said, they’ve “limited … the scope” of the paving, and heir plan focuses on road resurfacing rather than road rebuilding – a 10-year fix rather than a 40-year fix, the councilmembers were told. The rechannelization was shown in six proposed cross-sections:

The project includes a mix of general traffic, transit, and bicycle lanes, varying by stretch. Besides bus lanes, buses also will benefit from transit-priority signaling and two spots with “queue jumps,” the briefers said. They also summarized key points they took away from the most recent public-comment round in connection with the 10 percent design shown last fall.Those points were shown on this slide:

If you’re wondering why the repaving doesn’t cover all of Delridge – the south stretch was repaved in 2013. This project will start next year, as noted in this timeline:

One thing that slide did not note, though it’s mentioned elsewhere – though Metro is described as committed to launching the RapidRide H Line in September 2021 (a year later than originally envisioned, as we reported last year), stormwater-related work on this ~$72 million project could spill into 2022.

P.S. The updates shown to councilmembers Tuesday are not yet on the project website (we got the slide deck from the meeting agenda).

MrB March 7, 2019 (6:40 am)

If you ever wondered where your tax dollars go… wasted on needless planning and public input. Just pave the damn road!

planner March 7, 2019 (9:24 am)

Yeah, let’s just throw 3 workers in a truck full of asphalt and tell them to go pave Delridge however they see fit. A bus line here, a bike lane there. Maybe a few stop signs… Planning? Who needs it! Let’s tell them to lay tracks for light rail while they’re at it.
heyalki March 8, 2019 (7:55 am)

YES!!!! And why do they keep making LESS lanes for cars. We don’t need more bus lanes! We need them to fix the infinite amount of potholes!!!

North Delridge Home Owner March 7, 2019 (9:17 am)

Delridge is just one L O N G pothole…

sam-c March 7, 2019 (11:56 am)

With that median on Delridge, from Andover to 23rd, and then no center turn lane, from 23rd to Orchard, it will be interesting to see what happens when cars and buses get stuck on garbage day.

D March 7, 2019 (12:52 pm)

They’ll speed past them and hit children walking by from one of the nearby daycare or schools.

North Delridge Home Owner March 7, 2019 (1:07 pm)

I’m sure the ‘planners’ aren’t worried about getting stuck on garbage day as more than likely they don’t even live in the area…

sam-c March 7, 2019 (1:27 pm)

Who knows where they live, but it isn’t like other parts of West Seattle// Seattle, where the garbage trucks take the alley to pick up garbage. NB on Delridge, the 3 diff trucks stop at each property to load up. I’ve seen both buses and cars use the center turn lane to pass the trucks. Don’t care about the speed demons that think the center turn lane is there to pass people going to the speed limit. Thankfully, I don’t see those quite as often.

AMD March 7, 2019 (1:40 pm)

It’s exciting to see feedback turned into action! This addresses a lot of what I’ve included in surveys. The only thing I’d change is the peak-only bus lanes should be all day. Not because traffic is bad all day, but because the existing peak-only lane has chronic issues with people who either can’t read the signs or feel entitled to park there anyway. All day bus lane is less confusing. Otherwise, I’m excited for these changes!

KM March 8, 2019 (7:27 am)

Totally agree on the peak bus lanes. I’ve experienced this in other parts of the city and I don’t think the cars get towed fast enough here to have this be the best option.

J March 7, 2019 (1:43 pm)

Me and three people I know completed those surveys and mentioned our concerns about garbage day. No mention of it in “what we heard.”

KM March 8, 2019 (7:31 am)

They don’t list everything they hear, maybe just the top concerns? My concern that was voiced by at least one other is not listed either.

1994 March 7, 2019 (5:46 pm)

“it will be interesting to see what happens when cars and buses get stuck on garbage day.”What will happen is like what I see on Beacon Ave where there is a very large median. When the garbage truck is there picking up, the traffic is lined up behind it about 1/2 or longer and moves at the pace of the garbage truck. So much for MOVING Seattle!