FOLLOWUP: Signal installation complete at Highland Park Way & Holden

| Highland Park | Transportation | West Seattle Bridge Safety Project | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

12:11 PM: SDOT crews have continued to work through the weekend installing the “temporary signal” at Highland Park Way and SW Holden (map), announced Wednesday as one of the first traffic-tackling measures to deal with the detous forced by the West Seattle Bridge closure. The picture above is what we saw about an hour ago. SDOT told us on Friday they expect to be done sometime in the coming week. Until the bridge’s sudden shutdown, the city had been in the early stages of designing a “fully signalized intersection” after many years of community pleas (here’s the plan posted earlier this month). We should find out more about the bridge situation and traffic-mitigation plan when the City Council is briefed Monday morning at 9:30 am (here’s how to watch/listen).

5:38 PM: Just went through to confirm what a commenter reported – it’s now operational.

Pilsner March 29, 2020 (12:22 pm)

Better driver training and testing would be be more economical, and would solve problems all over the place, instead of one single intersection.

Jort March 29, 2020 (1:22 pm)

You can wish and hope for things that will never happen, or you can force behavioral changes through design. Only one of those works.
- Pilsner March 29, 2020 (3:33 pm)
  
  I was just stating a fact. Some people can barley navigate a signal controlled intersection as it is. Putting a light here will only confuse people further. “You can’t fix stupid”
Nolan March 30, 2020 (12:22 am)

Trying to change a culture is literally the worst possible way to solve a systemic problem, assuming you value results over moralism.

DRW March 29, 2020 (12:37 pm)

This makes sense. When are they going to install flashing beacons at the Westwood Village pedestrian crossing? If they made it a transit hub there needs to be some safety for the public.

KayK March 29, 2020 (12:48 pm)

Folks- this is in response to the fact that a huge percentage of the 100,000 trips per day on the high bridge will now have to use this route, or Roxbury, to get off the peninsula. Suddenly moved what seemed like a neighborhood issue into the high beams of citywide mobility issues.If you are choosing this route, a plea from our little neighborhood – please stay on the arterial and stop short cutting through residential streets at high rates of speed!!

Pigeonpointview March 29, 2020 (9:09 pm)

Need to remove the traffic poles on southbound West Marginal way by the Duwamish tribal building. These narrow the street to one lane from the original two lanes. This is now a major arterial for the north end of West Seattle to get to the southern bridges and should not be limited on traffic capacity.

WC commuter March 29, 2020 (1:25 pm)

This will be a great help getting vehicles out of West Seattle in the morning during the bridge closure. I’ve used that route pre bridge crisis, no bueno. Now let’s hope they fix the light at the bottom of brake dust hill, Olson Pl and Meyers Wy. The intersection at the top of Olson is one of the busiest in Seattle, the light at the bottom of Olson Pl is default green for Meyers Wy. Hence the nickname.

Chip Technology March 29, 2020 (1:37 pm)

Now would be a great time, along all the new main commuting routes, to install chips in the lights to adjust to volumes. The cost of chips is likely a bargain compared to carbon emitted while I often watch no one going through intersections while I am stopped

driver March 29, 2020 (1:45 pm)

…….SDOT … PLEASE INSTALL A TRAFFIC LIGHT SENSOR AT 16th Ave SW & SW Holden St so traffic will flow smoother ……. There is one at 16th Ave SW & SW Austin St a block away …..WHY NOT AT 16TH AVE SW & SW Holden St? …………

KT March 29, 2020 (2:39 pm)

Read this carefully … the city had been in the early stages of designing a “fully signalized intersection” after many years of community pleas. Summary – “after many years of community pleas, the city had been in the early stages of designing”.Why “many years” and why “early stages”. SDOT at work.

WSB March 29, 2020 (3:33 pm)

We have chronicled it all for years – particularly the past 7 years
https://westseattleblog.com/2013/01/community-proposed-projects-repaving-update-more-delridge-neighborhoods-district-councils-first-2013-meeting/ was the first time we had a story mentioning a community pitch for a signal or roundabout.

The roundabout was finally decreed last year to be prohibitively expensive because grading would be required. The state repeately rejected grant applications for roundabout funding.

why_cause March 29, 2020 (3:29 pm)

Just went through the intersection on the way home. Lights are now activated.

WSB March 29, 2020 (3:33 pm)

Thanks. We were going to check at day’s end so appreciate the update.

KayK March 29, 2020 (5:19 pm)

Yep- working now, total delivery time=less than three days. Total advocacy time spending hours of neighborhood time and energy at least the 7 years mentioned by WSB. Plus tons more over previous years. Crazy!!

20isplenty March 29, 2020 (5:32 pm)

What to gitter done SDOT! Thank you from all of us in HP/Riverview. A friend pointed out this morning that the real pinch point will be the 1st Ave bridge receiving southbound99, 509, North-bound West Marginal (coming from Admiral etc.) , and Roxbury. Going to be a mess… Bikers will shine during this period of bridge repair. I hope that SDOT monitors and resolves cut through traffic in Highland Park, Riverview and Puget Ridge. Better yet do so proactively. Please do what is necessary to keep pedestrians safe for the short and long term.

Kristin March 29, 2020 (5:49 pm)

I live on 12th but my alleyway access is to Holden and traffic on Holden, especially for the fact that hardly anyone is commuting, has been surprisingly bad the last few days. I was expecting bad but it’s been BAD. I’ve resigned myself to never making a left out of my alleyway again, which is fine. I’m impressed with how quickly the signal went up but when people are commuting again, it is going to get really terrible. I hope we can get more mitigation in the form of transit soon (shuttle from Westwood Village to the water taxi would be nice!) morning

Brod March 29, 2020 (6:26 pm)

Why dont they fix the potholes on the roads that lead to 509? So i wont have to dri e in the middle of the road to miss them

20isplenty March 29, 2020 (6:28 pm)

Oh, and traffic from eastbound Highland Park Way… Thanks also to HPAC, especially Gunner Scott, Carolyn and Billy Stauffer, Michelle Witzki, Kay Kirkpatrick, HPIC, SDOT’s Jim Curtin, and SRTS’s Brian Daugherty and Lisa Herbold. Maybe not yet time for a party but some have put in an outstanding effort towards improving one of the worst intersections in the city and making the area more pedestrian friendly.

EOB March 29, 2020 (6:55 pm)

The Mayor and the Council are ultimately responsible for setting the budget – not SDOT. After years of community advocacy for change at this intersection, Mayor Durkan secured the $$ for the permanent solution and got the temp signal installed in less than a week.

20isplenty March 29, 2020 (7:46 pm)

Thanks to Mayor Durkan too!
20isplenty March 29, 2020 (8:28 pm)

btw EOB,As much as I appreciate your “correction”, I didn’t see Mayor Durkan out there building the new light over the past three days. Pretty sure it was SDOT. From what I’ve been told, Jim Curtin sought grants at the state level and Brian Dougherty secured funding for the crosswalk at 11th and Holden . SDOT gets a ton of flack from us 24/7. They have been working on some level with the advocates you mentioned. It’s a thankless job and SDOT deserves appreciation/recognition..

Goddess Andraste March 29, 2020 (7:51 pm)

As a lifelong resident of HP/Riverview, I can’t tell you how exciting it is to have lights, especially that left turn light for turning to go down the hill from Holden. No more feeling like you’re playing “chicken” with the traffic coming up the hill, especially in the summer when the grass is 4′ tall at the bend at the top. Fantastic!

West sider March 29, 2020 (10:38 pm)

I would just appreciate all the cars that come through our neighborhood now due to the bridge shutdown, do the speed limit and please not block our street and alley exits.

Highlandparker March 29, 2020 (10:45 pm)

So…why did SDOT need to spend all that cash on a study for a roundabout, but could do this in a weekend?Glad all of those engineers got paid for a study, but this could be done in a weekend. SMH

Highlander 2 March 30, 2020 (9:11 am)

The neighborhood asked if a roundabout was an option. So it was studied.the signal was built in a weekend, but that’s all you get. No ada ramps, no pedestrian signals, no drainage, no paving. Huge risk for the city to take, one crash and the blame game will start.

MisterCamWant March 30, 2020 (9:45 am)

Hey SDOT, any chance of getting a camera/video feed of the intersection now that it’s one of two main routes out of West Seattle?

PDiddy March 30, 2020 (2:18 pm)

Make this permanent. This was a huge bottleneck even before the WSB closed. I feel sorry for the people that live near that intersection. Another big F for the city council and their cronies for taxing us to death and delivering little on the promises.

ScottAmick March 31, 2020 (7:10 am)

Signal operation question: Yesterday I experienced the new signal for the first time. I was headed uphill and taking the right to Holden. The right lane can only turn right so I wanted to check with others does it seem logical that the red circle stop light on the signal head was lit steady/continuous while the green right arrow was also lit steady/continuous. Is this intentional programming of this signal head? I can see if this lane served straight and right turning traffic then the red light would be telling straight drivers to stop. There are two other heads for the drivers continuing straight south.

Hugh Ahoe March 31, 2020 (9:44 am)

Now all the drivers who wants to turn right from Holden will either have to wait since they blocked off that section (especially rush hours) will just cut through the residential street. Or even worse, a lot of drivers will cut through the residential street if the lines are long.