AVALON/35TH PROJECT: 2 closures ahead – 1 major

The latest SDOT update regarding the Avalon/35th repaving-and-more project not only includes the 36th/Alaska south-side closure mentioned last week, but also upcoming closures of the entire 35th/Alaska intersection:

To rebuild the concrete roadway, we will be closing the intersection of 35th Ave SW and SW Alaska St for up to 3 weekends. These will be weekend closures to minimize noise and traffic impacts as much as possible. During these closures, DO NOT use side streets and residential streets to avoid the closures! Use the recommended detour or use alternative forms of transportation.

The first closure is planned for Friday, December 13 at 7 PM to early on Monday, December 16
-This closure will allow us to conduct water utility improvements
-This work is highly weather dependent and subject to change
-We will coordinate with King County Metro on bus stops and routes. Check Metro Rider Alerts for the most up-to-date information.
-Please expect loud noise, dust and vibrations
-No parking signs on 37th Ave SW to accommodate Metro buses and detour traffic
-35th Ave SW will be local access only from SW Edmunds St to SW Morgan St
-If you live on the east side of 35th Ave SW, you will only be able to turn left on to 35th Ave SW, south toward SW Morgan St
-If you live on the west side of 35th Ave SW, you will only be able to turn right on to 35th Ave SW, south toward SW Morgan St
-This work will take up to 3 weekends

Our second intersection closure is tentatively scheduled for the weekend of December 20. We will share more information once it is confirmed.

-Uniformed police officers will be present to direct traffic
-Please visit our website for more information
-Please follow posted detour routes, see map below [updated]

During the intersection closures, DO NOT cut through side streets and residential neighborhoods to avoid the closures! Respect your neighbors’ sense of safety and access.

When the intersection of 35th Ave SW and SW Alaska St is closed, the following detours will be in place:

-If you are traveling northbound on 35th Ave SW towards the West Seattle Bridge, you will turn left onto SW Morgan St, right onto 42nd Ave SW, and then right onto Fauntleroy Way SW
-If you are traveling southbound from the West Seattle Bridge, you will take Fauntleroy Way SW, turn left onto 42nd Ave SW, left onto SW Morgan St and then right on 35th Ave SW
-If you live off 35th Ave SW between SW Morgan St and SW Alaska St:
-There will be a local access only closure at 35th Ave SW and SW Morgan St
-All other northbound traffic will be detoured at SW Morgan St

Please be patient with the Uniformed Police Office as they speak to each individual car to pass through. Expect long delays.

-Any local access northbound traffic on 35th Ave SW will have to turn around at SW Edmunds St
-You will not be able to access SW Edmunds St from 35th Ave SW
-Please follow posted detour routes

Zone F (SW Alaska St from 35th Ave SW to 36th Ave SW):

As soon as next week, we will close the south side of 36th Ave SW at SW Alaska St for a few weeks to install new water utilities. Please expect loud noise, dust, and vibrations while we complete this work. 36th Ave SW will be open during the weekend closures of the intersection of 35th Ave SW and SW Alaska St.

As we begin work on SW Alaska St, please follow King County Metro’s Rider Alerts to stay up to date on bus stop changes.

Tony December 4, 2019 (6:52 pm)

Shelter in Place

JTK December 4, 2019 (7:27 pm)

I’ll make the popcorn!

Out for a Walk December 4, 2019 (9:36 pm)

Perfect suggestion. Love it! We need to bring patience!,

Bubbasaurus December 4, 2019 (7:55 pm)

The detour on the map doesn’t look like it’s going down 42nd, it looks like it’s going down 39th. So, it’s okay to detour everyone down our street, but not farther north? This city is so bad at managing traffic.

Drew December 4, 2019 (8:32 pm)

First read this as “uninformed”….hope not, lol

Uniformed police officers will be present to direct traffic

Matt P December 4, 2019 (8:53 pm)

When is 35th and Avalon actually going to open now that paving is done? I know other parts of th project aren’t done yet, but opening up the intersection fully now that it is done would go a long way toward easing traffic in the area.

dsa December 4, 2019 (9:17 pm)

They say: “… These will be weekend closures to minimize noise…” and then go on to say not once but twice: “…Please expect loud noise…” Excuse me, but the weekend is when when most people are home, so they will not be minimizing noise. They are forgetting the old saying if a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it, it didn’t make any noise.Traffic impacts are a valid concern for working the weekend, but they should not claim a quieter environment as a reason.

Scott December 5, 2019 (5:03 am)

I may be wrong, but wasn’t this project supposed to be completed by November?

WSB December 5, 2019 (7:00 am)

No.
- Tsurly December 5, 2019 (7:34 am)
  
  I bet you are getting really sick of having to answer this question over and over again.
  - WSB December 5, 2019 (9:54 am)
    
    No – we spend a lot of time answering questions (more via text, phone, email), usually means the info is not easy to find. This project’s had multiple phased completion estimates – November was how long they originally expected to be working in the 35th/Avalon road-rebuild zone. That slid as we reported here:
    https://westseattleblog.com/2019/11/avalon-35th-project-wondering-how-much-longer/
    
    The overall estimate has been since before work started, “two paving seasons” which means total completion sometime next year.
    https://westseattleblog.com/2018/08/followup-whats-changed-in-the-sw-avalon-way-repaving-rechannelization-plan-youll-see-at-thursday-open-house/
    
    – TR
    - JTM December 5, 2019 (10:04 am)
      
      WSB – thanks for this, because my wife and I definately thought the project was supposed to be done by November. This feels like a lack of outreach on the part of SDOT, because I absolutely remember seeing the big electronic signs that said work was slated to be “through November.” Poor messaging on SDOT’s part, good messaging (as usual) by WSB.
    - LyndaB December 5, 2019 (9:05 pm)
      
      You weren’t the only one thinking this. I think the reader board should say “For updates, check WS Blog.”
    - KM December 5, 2019 (1:32 pm)
      
      JTM, if you read their project website, it says Spring 2020–that’s where I’ve gone when I had questions. Perhaps the readerboard was positioned at 35th and Avalon? Hard to add a lot of context on those signs.
    - KBear December 5, 2019 (3:32 pm)
      
      JTM, SDOT has been sending out weekly emails with updates on the project, in addition to the coverage here. There’s also a project web site. There could hardly be any more outreach.
    - JTM December 9, 2019 (4:04 pm)
      
      KBear – do me a favor and go here ‘https://westseattleblog.com/2019/05/avalon-35th-project-new-phase-of-paving-starts-friday-signage-added/‘ and look at the line that says ” How long construction will last:Construction in Zone B is anticipated to wrap up in mid-June. Work in Zone E is anticipated to continue through November. Thank you for your patience as we strive to complete this work safely and efficiently.” It’s December 9th, and it’s still one lane each way.

Jenava December 5, 2019 (8:29 am)

Please be patient with the Uniformed Police Office as they speak to each individual car to pass through. Expect long delays.Whaaaaat? So the detour is so complicated the officer needs to actually give directions to each car?? How is the considered feasible?

Neighbors December 5, 2019 (9:50 am)

Officers will speak to cars trying to cut through the narrow residential streets, to maintain the local resident access only. No officer interaction for those who respect the rules and detours. This is to help the large number of drivers who fail to read signs and speed through the side streets like NASCAR drivers.
- flimflam December 5, 2019 (5:50 pm)
  
  so only people that live “right there” can drive on public roads? huh?
- Incorrect December 6, 2019 (2:55 pm)
  
  Police will be stopping & speaking to anyone driving NB on 35th from the Morgan intersection, and asking people to verify their “local access”. Here’s hoping that the Lucky 5 isn’t getting robbed again, the next Ryan Cox isn’t running around on the loose or drunk drivers aren’t tooling around. This city loves spending.

Meyer December 5, 2019 (8:56 am)

I believe the November deadline was only for a certain phase of the work. According to City of Seattle’s capital improvements dashboard, the work is on schedule and should be completed by June 2020https://capitalprojects.seattle.gov/projects/TC36774019?tab=home

hj December 5, 2019 (12:22 pm)

The detour on the map is obviously not 42nd, so either the map is wrong or the detour instructions are wrong. It’s hard to tell because the detour route on the map doesn’t even have a street label. I try to give SDOT the benefit of the doubt because I know things aren’t always so easy, but this is just blatant incompetence.

Mj December 5, 2019 (5:47 pm)

Neighbor the SPD I hope will not be speaking to cars maybe the driver.Meyer lets hope the project is completed by November 2020

Jethro Marx December 5, 2019 (7:55 pm)

I can’t remember, are any of these complainers the same who complain about how many potholes our roads have? As to detours, perhaps we should scope several options, form stakeholder advisory groups, and hold public meetings with maps and sharpies. It wouldn’t get us a better product, but it would take longer and it would be much more Seattle of us.