AVALON PROJECT: What’s ahead next week, and a bit beyond

Four days after SDOT‘s Avalon/35th/Alaska repaving-and-rechannelization project launched work – starting on Avalon between Yancy and Genesee – we’ve just received the toplines of what’s next, including a bus-stop closure starting Monday and advance word of intersection work next weekend:

Overview of upcoming work for next week

What you should expect:
 Lots of construction activity including jackhammering, removing the east portion of the roadway, large trucks, machines, noise, dust, and vibrations.  We will coordinate with residents for driveway closures.
 Uniformed police officers will typically be onsite
 Typical weekday work hours from 7 AM – 5 PM. There will be some weekend and nighttime work.
 We have heard that Seattle Public Utilities will be working to make some water service renewals along SW Avalon Way. They will coordinate directly with neighbors as their work is scheduled.
 Buses are making in-lane stops. Please follow the safe passageways set up for your safety.

Starting Monday, April 22nd the northbound stop at Genesee will be temporarily closed.
 Sign up for Metro’s Rider Alerts to stay up to date on stop relocations. If a stop is relocated or a bus is detoured, signs will also be posted along the corridor.

Traffic impacts and detours:
 30th Ave SW will be temporarily closed for construction staging. You will not be able to access SW Avalon Way from 30th Ave SW.
 Right turns only on SW Avalon Way. For the safety of people driving and our crews, we
are allowing right turns only throughout work zone B. People turning into their driveway will
need to turn right into their driveways and will not be permitted to turn across traffic.
 No Parking signs throughout zone B, and into zones A and C to facilitate the traffic shift.
 We will maintain one lane of traffic in each direction on SW Avalon Way between SW Genesee St and SW Yancy St

For people walking and biking along SW Avalon Way:
 Bikers should use extreme caution on SW Avalon Way and consider traveling on alternative routes
 Sidewalk and crosswalk detours. Please follow posted pedestrian detours when you see them.

Weekend work is scheduled for April 27 and 28 at the intersection of SW Avalon Way and the
east side of SW Genesee St.

We need to work across multiple lanes of traffic in the intersection to do water utility repairs along SW Avalon Way. People driving west on SW Genesee St will not be able to access SW Avalon Way. One lane of traffic in each direction will be maintained on SW Avalon Way through the SW Genesee St intersection. We will maintain local access to driveways on SW Genesee St near the SW Avalon Way intersection.

SDOT is also requesting: “If you have a driveway on SW Avalon Way between SW Genesee St and SW Yancy St, please reach out to us with your address and best contact information.” … AvalonPaving@seattle.gov is the contact address (also for anyone with questions/concerns).

Cyclist April 19, 2019 (3:31 pm)

Bikers should use extreme caution on SW Avalon Way and consider traveling on alternative routes

What are the alternative routes for cyclists? This week I’ve been taking the lane heading north/east bound (i.e. downhill on Avalon), and have been riding on the sidewalk headed south/west bound (i.e. uphill on Avalon)

Swede. April 19, 2019 (5:24 pm)

Had the ‘pleasure’ to drive there to day and was forced to make a U-turn and block traffic going up the hill due to a worker telling me too. Why? Because putting up signs in a logical manner isn’t a thing. You didn’t know Yancy blocked for work till you tried to turn in there! Since the only other way to get down to the gyms there (which hundreds of people do daily) a sign up by Genesee would been smart.

NW April 19, 2019 (6:13 pm)

I never absolutely ever ride my bicycle down or northbound on SW Avalon Way there is an alternate route has always been @Cyclist. The route is Fauntleroy Way SW to SW Andover east over the West Seattle Bridge ,on Google maps, the pedestrian cycling all access bridge back onto SW Andover east to SW Avalon Way. I dismount and use the crosswalk continuing east on SW Yancy. It is in my opinion a far safer route all the time year round!

KBear April 19, 2019 (7:46 pm)

NW, your route may be safer, but it’s also much steeper.

andrew April 19, 2019 (6:16 pm)

still no word on when the spokane & avalon cyclist crosswalk will finish?

Pip April 19, 2019 (7:50 pm)

I’d love to know this information too. Been a year since they started this project right?

WSB April 19, 2019 (7:58 pm)

I have asked SDOT repeatedly. Might be PDR time at this point. It’s been more than a year since the substantial COMPLETION of the rest of the project.

https://www.seattle.gov/transportation/projects-and-programs/programs/neighborhood-street-fund/past-projects/harbor-ave-sw

Concerned citizen April 20, 2019 (9:46 am)

Good, there should not be a protected bike signal there. The ones downtown are a terrible waste of resources and time, as they are largely unused and make traffic worse with almost no measurable benefit. But let’s keep investing in bike infrastructure when usage is down annually and trending ever lower. Seems logical, war on cars, etc

Jort May 1, 2019 (10:41 am)

Whoops! Careful there, Concerned Citizen, I’d hate for you to get away with a blatant untruth. Bike usage is NOT down annually and “trending ever lower.” Please visit this link and let me know what you think the trend line looks like: https://www.seattle.gov/transportation/projects-and-programs/programs/bike-program/bike-counters/2nd-ave-bike-counter

In case you don’t want to click, I’ll summarize for you: bike traffic is up, that is backed up by statistical data, and you’re not telling the truth.

Avalon Resident April 20, 2019 (11:33 am)

The communication on this has been terrible. I signed up for the emails, and it wasn’t until they had already restricted access to driveways on Avalon that they announced the plan to do so. They have no clear plan for closing driveways, but say they “may have to for 24 hours,” displacing cars in garages to streets already completely packed (no parking within 3 blocks when I looked the other day). They have had no traffic control at Gennessee & Avalon any of the times I’ve driven there this week (normal rush hour), and they have no traffic control at Yancy, which has terrible visibility and significantly increased traffic due to them forcing cars onto side streets. They also plopped porta potties on parking strips with no notice to the residents of the buildings. Just terrible management so far.

Sorry, comment time is over.