THIS WEEK: ‘Home Zone’ traffic plan Monday, West Seattle Bridge updates Wednesday

| Delridge | Highland Park | West Seattle Bridge Safety Project | West Seattle news

Two meetings about transportation projects in the week ahead:

(SDOT photo)

‘HOME ZONE’ PLAN: In the almost-a-year period since the West Seattle Bridge closed, neighborhoods including Highland Park, Riverview, and South Delridge have been deluged with detour traffic. The SDOT “Home Zone” plan for side-street traffic-calming will be unveiled during an online meeting at 6 pm Monday (March 8th). We reported in January on the draft plan, featuring added speed humps, flashing beacons, painted curb bulbs, and more. You’ll find information on watching/participating tomorrow, or calling in, by going to this SDOT webpage.

WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE UPDATES: The monthly meeting of the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force is usually packed with updates, from the bridge’s status to low-bridge access issues to Reconnect West Seattle projects. This month’s meeting is at noon Wednesday (March 10th). We don’t have the agenda yet, but the link for watching the livestream is up – find it here. If you have a question or comment to send in advance, westseattlebridge@seattle.gov is the address to use.

FixTheBridge March 7, 2021 (9:50 pm)

SDOT is a truly bizarre agency. Do they realize fixing the bridge is what they need to do? Put blinders on, fix the bridge and kindly leave West Seattle. Go annoy another neighborhood SDOT. If we never see you around here mucking up our streets, roads and bridges that would be wonderful!! Fix the bridge and then please, please, please get out of West Seattle.

Really March 7, 2021 (10:41 pm)

You do understand they are working on it. You think that it isn’t a priority to SDOT ? I like the improvements in these slides. About time they do something to slow you down when you leave WS. My street has become a raceway with no sidewalks. I’m glad to see these changes.
- Kevin March 8, 2021 (8:26 am)
  
  The majority of cities that have a failed bridge fix it in less than a year. See Birmingham for examples. What is going on here in WS is bizarre by national standards. There is no reason the bridge shouldn’t already be fixed other than incompetence. People are right to be upset. I will be there wed to do my part.
  - reed March 8, 2021 (9:46 am)
    
    You are comparing an interstate bridge (federal) to a city-owned bridge. It is truly remarkable people still don’t understand this difference after nearly a year of making this nonsensical comparison.
    - John March 8, 2021 (5:14 pm)
      
      Well, let’s see. There’s the Brooklyn Bridge from what, the 1890’s. The Golden Gate Bridge.
      
      Seems keeping those open was a state priority.
      
      We demolish the viaduct because it’s supposedly damaged beyond repair. The developers love what it did for the waterfront view properties.
      That could have been repaired or replaced. But hey, let’s dig a tunnel.It seems like this city, county, state never asks other states how they keep their bridges going.
Don Brubeck March 8, 2021 (7:26 am)

Creating detour routes is part of fixing the bridge. Reducing the impact of the detour traffic on Highland Park, South Park and Georgetown is part of fixing the bridge. The costs are tiny compared to the management, engineering and construction costs for the bridge itself. These little projects do not slow down the work on the bridge by even a minute. The neighborhood residents asked for these. Have mercy.

Frank March 7, 2021 (11:11 pm)

So this is crazy they have a meeting and no agenda? Why have a meeting? This is ridiculous. How long are we going to have meetings before something is actually done? Two years, five years or eight years. Let’s have meetings to have meetings. More tax payers dollars at waste. So sad!

WSB March 7, 2021 (11:32 pm)

The agenda is: They present the Home Zone plan, you ask questions.
Rick March 8, 2021 (2:03 am)

Yeah, but they come up with cool title names for all the projects they plan on doing while spending lots of $$$$$ to tell us what they might/could be doing. All part of the “Seattle process”.

Concerned March 7, 2021 (11:16 pm)

I would be very curious to know what our pollution levels are at these days with the gridlock for safety that’s being created. I would think we’re at pre COVID levels. We need to keep the pollution out of our vegetables gardens and the puget sound sea life.

Reed March 8, 2021 (6:43 am)

Gridlock is created by all the people driving cars, not road safety features. You want a solution to pollution? Drive less.
- jraz March 8, 2021 (10:23 am)
  
  It’s always easy to say, but what about folks living on the wet side that have to commute to Kirkland/Bellevue for work? The problem is the bridge not being maintained. People are going to drive when necessary, the added polution comes from all the stop-start driving caused by the loss of the bridge. SDOT DID NOT DO ITS JOB, AND NOW THEY WANT TO FLOUNDER IN THEIR FAILURE… WAKE UP SHEEPLE, HOLD SDOT ACCOUNTABLE, AND DON’T LET THEM TERRORIZER OUR STREETS ANY LONGER! Moving bus lanes INTO traffic… yeah, that’s the worst idea ever imagined. Putting speed humps on side streets is the biggest waste of time and energy I could ever imagine. STOP WASTING OUR MONEY!!!!
  - reed March 8, 2021 (2:23 pm)
    
    Relax, no need to be angry and yell. You know what could help with that? Some exercise, like bike riding to work!
    - RICK March 8, 2021 (5:58 pm)
      
      REED, does your bike have enough capacity and your legs strong enough to carry lumber, tile, chop saws, hammers, nailers, air pump, drywall tools, drywall sheets to a job site in under 30 minutes?
    - Reed March 8, 2021 (6:59 pm)
      
      No, that would be ridiculous, I use my pickup for things like that. However, I would wager to guess most people driving to work every day don’t need to haul that much gear either and are making it worse for those who do.
concerned about your logic March 8, 2021 (6:47 am)

If you think slowing the flow of traffic to create safer neighborhoods creates more pollution you are wrong.
- Brooks March 8, 2021 (9:21 am)
  
  I now live next to speed humps on an arterial where SDOT installed them a year ago. I didn’t ask for them. Neither did my neighbors. But we all have been observing increased noise from squealing brakes, engines, and banging metal whenever cars or trucks pass through them. Our bedroom windows face out onto the streets and both me and my wife have been waking up due to the noise pollution these cause. “Drive less” yeah right.
  - bill March 8, 2021 (6:45 pm)
    
    The thing about successful safety projects is you can’t point to the children and pets who might have been run over otherwise.

Alki resident March 8, 2021 (12:39 am)

Sent my questions in! #repairthebridgeI continue emailing SDOT asking for specific milestones of ‘what’ they’re doing by month to get the bridge repaired. Their updates are not clear, I’ll be listening Wednesday.

CarDriver March 8, 2021 (7:02 am)

Reed. Are you leading the way by not driving anywhere?

reed March 8, 2021 (9:58 am)

Try re-reading what I wrote: “drive less.” And to answer your question, I don’t need to rely on a car for most day to day things including grocery store runs/errands, getting kids to daycare/school etc. Before I COVID I bike commuted to Northgate everyday, and plan to do so once things are back to normal. Like everyone else, I drive when I need to. The difference is that I don’t have the woe is me attitude blaming traffic on SDOT and other Seattleites because I CHOOSE to drive.
- Yes Please March 8, 2021 (5:49 pm)
  
  Well said Reed, I agree. Stuff happens and make changes as needed. But to keep up the same Bridge talk day in and day out gets old. Everyone knows the timeline, get over it and wait for it to happen. Yes these changes are needed in these neighborhoods and streets. You guys drive like idiots, passing cars on residentials streets cuz you can’t drive the speed limit. Road rage is stupid in West Seattle and getting worse everyday. The best part watching this traffic from my deck looking over this busy street I live on. Is that 60-75 percent of the people are on the phones or texting or something. Saw a dude on a VESPA scooter the other day looking at his phone as he was coming down the hill.
- RICK March 8, 2021 (6:02 pm)
  
  Heya Reed, maybe you could empathize with others for reasons that not many CHOOSE to drive but HAVE TO drive be it for work (I am a general contractor myself and self employed), or physical restriction (my wife suffers from a medical condition that could cause a heart attack under physical strain), or simply that people don’t want to spend 2 hours on their commutes every day in every direction (sure that’s a choice on that one, but I digress).
  - K March 9, 2021 (7:25 am)
    
    Rick, Reed made his point very clear in his posts here. Sounds like you have to drive for work due to your equipment needs—and that’s fine! Literally nobody here is saying you can’t or shouldn’t. However, if people don’t want to sit in traffic for 2 hours or whatever you are describing here, they would be well advised to not become the traffic they are so mad about in the first place. Since you have to drive for work, you would benefit from fewer cars on the road.

Concerned March 8, 2021 (1:07 pm)

So I guess from the above comments slowing the flow of traffic’s to a dead stop and idleing cars waiting in line don’t create more pollution. I guess you really can’t believe everything you read on the internet :(