By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

With many amendments but little drama, Sound Transit Board members have adopted what they call a “hybrid” realignment plan.

It’s the result of two methodologies for dealing with an “affordability gap” currently estimated at $6+ billion, down from a previous $12 billion estimate – pushing back the schedule, and cutting costs. Board chair Kent Keel of the University Place City Council and Claudia Balducci of the King County Council consolidated their dueling proposals to make it happen, toward the end of almost a year and a half of discussion.

The headline for West Seattle: The light-rail line between The Junction and SODO is in the plan’s Tier 1, which means it’s a high priority, and among the least likely to face more delays. It’s already scheduled for one year later than the original 2030 date in the ST3 ballot measure; what emerged during realignment discussions as the “Affordable Schedule” for ST projects would push it back no more than one additional year, to 2032. The official language for Tier 1 projects is “as close to the original ST3 schedule as reasonably possible.” However, under this plan, SODO would be the end of the line for an estimated six years; the second Downtown Transit Tunnel is not projected for completion until 2038. (The original ST3 plan had a five-year gap.)

For fine-print fans, here’s the substitute realignment resolution the board approved, as seen before the amendments that all got unanimous “yes” votes – which were, from this list, #2, #4, #5, #6, #7, #9, #10. Some amendments clarified the language about the board’s intent to “speed up” implementation of projects if at all possible; others advanced a few projects to higher-priority tiers, such as two Seattle “infill” stations and parking/bus projects outside Seattle.

At the end of the meeting, board members expressed relief and even some jubilation. “I wasn’t sure this was possible!” marveled board member Bruce Dammeier, the Pierce County Executive. “Now we have a framework before us,” observed board chair Keel.

The plan now calls for re-examining projects at multiple points before construction is green-lighted:

One of two West Seattleites on the board, County Councilmember Joe McDermott, told us afterward: “Today the Board took action to better monitor and be informed of cost projections and also set expectations on project delivery. Most important to West Seattle is the fact that today’s vote keeps intact the expected opening of Light Rail serving West Seattle with stations serving the Alaska Junction, Avalon, and Delridge in 2032. … Meeting my objective of not delaying Light Rail to West Seattle was essential to my vote for the agency’s ‘realignment’ proposal this afternoon.”

So what’s next for West Seattle light rail? The draft Environmental Impact Statement, currently in development, will be a major step toward settling on station locations and the exact path light rail would follow to get to them; we’ll be checking on the latest projected release date (most recent estimate was “fall”). Its release will launch a new public-comment period.

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ELECTION 2021: Third round of primary results, with one notable change

August 5, 2021 4:08 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

The third round of results from the August 3rd primary is now out. Of the five races and one ballot measure that comprised West Seattle ballots, there’s only one major change: Incumbent city attorney Pete Holmes is now in third place with 32%, behind Ann Davison at 34.5% and Nicole Thomas-Kennedy at 33.1%. The count represents 27 percent of all Seattle ballots sent out; that’s just under two-thirds of all Seattle ballots received so far. Next update, tomorrow afternoon.

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CONGRATULATIONS! Ms. Wheelchair Washington, Kaitlin Skilton, about to compete nationally

August 5, 2021 3:14 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle people

One of your West Seattle neighbors, Kaitlin Skilton, is Ms. Wheelchair Washington, headed to national Ms. Wheelchair America competition next week. Here’s her announcement:

Kaitlin Skilton, a Seattle native who competed and won the state competition with her platform of Inclusivity, is preparing to compete for the title of Ms. Wheelchair America with her new platform (bettering interactions between law enforcement and the disability community). Her platform focuses on training for officers to identify when an individual has a visible and/or invisible disability and how to best meet their needs.

Skilton was born on September 19th, 1996 with Spina Bifida Myelomeningocele, as well as other underlying disabilities. Kaitlin is also a commissioner on Seattle’s Disability Commission, a commission that advises the mayor, city council, and city departments on various topics involving the disability community.

Kaitlin is also eligible to win the People’s Choice Award, an award that was intended to help raise money for the new Ms.Wheelchair America to help cover the cost of a PCA and travel cost as well as for her state. Click here to vote for just $1!

The Ms. Wheelchair America program has almost half a century of history

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WEEKEND PREVIEW: Duwamish River Festival returns

August 5, 2021 1:36 pm

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| South Park | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

Since it’s Thursday, we’re looking ahead to a few of this weekend’s major events. First: The 15th Duwamish River Festival is back, on Saturday afternoon (August 7th), celebrating Seattle’s only river. This year, it’s at South Park Plaza (8456 Dallas Ave. S.), next to the west end of the South Park Bridge. The free festival, coordinated by the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, begins at noon, with a welcoming ceremony by the Duwamish Tribe planned for 12:10 pm, followed by a full schedule of music, dance, and spoken-word performances – Joyas Mestizas are up first at 12:15 pm, Chaotic Noise Marching Corps wraps up the performances, at 4:30 pm. See the full schedule here. The festival will also offer dozens of educational booths, a vaccination/health clinic, job fair, kayaking trips, free trees, swap meet/flea market, and more.

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FOLLOWUP: What’s planned as Seattle City Light’s Brace Point underground project gets going

August 5, 2021 11:24 am

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| Utilities | West Seattle news

(Seattle City Light photos of the type of construction work that’s planned)

Undergrounding electrical service doesn’t make it outage-proof. Residents in the Brace Point area south of Fauntleroy know that firsthand. After multiple outages, they’re about to get replacements for half-century-old underground infrastructure. We’ve reported on the long-planned project before; on Wednesday afternoon, Seattle City Light offered an online meeting for residents to get project details and ask questions. The meeting was scheduled for an hour but lasted only half that, adjourned when attendees ran out of questions.

Here are our toplines, starting with where the work will happen:

(You can see a slightly larger version of the map on the project website.) The contractor is Olson Brothers Excavating of Puyallup, awarded a $7 million contract for the project. Reps from both the contractor and SCL were at the meeting; they said the work will last “two to three years.” While some work was done to bolster underground cables with silicone injections a decade ago, it only worked on half the cables, so replacement is needed now. Other background:

The work involves trenching and will all be done in public right-of-way.

It was also made clear that the work only involves the city-owned system, no private connections to residences. Some outages will be needed, but those aren’t expected until later in the project, at least a year from now, and SCL promises there’ll be advance notice unless it’s an “emergency” outage. The outages, they promised, would last hours, not days, and would generally be in the daytime. (Same goes for the work hours – weekdays, 8-5, is the standard plan.)

Crews will be working in multiple areas concurrently; at day’s end, any trenching that hasn’t been filled (temporary fill will precede permanent fill) will be covered with steel plates.

So when and where will the work start? Preparation, such as surveying, is happening now. 47th SW is the first planned work location, according to the contractor. One resident voiced concern about access, and was assured that access will be maintained, and any road closures would be fleeting – “minutes” in duration. Residents with questions/problems during the construction can contact the contractor via communityoutreach@olsonbrothers.net.

One more note: SCL says it’ll link a recording of the Wednesday meeting on the project website soon.

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UPDATE: West Seattle water-main break

August 5, 2021 9:20 am

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| Utilities | West Seattle news

9:20 AM: Thanks for the tips (and the texted photo) – another utility problem: A water break on 22nd SW between Trenton and Cloverdale. The Seattle Public Utilities water-outage map shows 60+ customers out while they make “emergency repairs.”

9:54 AM: We went to the repair scene to find out more. 22nd is closed between Trenton and Cloverdale; an on-scene supervisor says they’re replacing a 6′ section of water main that broke. Also, we were told, if your property has any damage as a result of this, contact matthew.garcia@seattle.gov.

2 PM: The break is repaired and water service restored, says Sabrina Register of SPU. She says it involved an 8-inch water main “but at this time, there’s no indication the cause is construction related. There’s quite a bit of construction happening nearby, but not on the street where the break occurred. The cause could be related to aging infrastructure.”

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UPDATE: West Seattle power outage

August 5, 2021 8:19 am

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| Utilities | West Seattle news

8:19 AM: Thanks for the tips. Almost a thousand customers lost power in east West Seattle just before 8 am. The map shows most in Highland Park and Riverview, but also some out in west South Park.

8:30 AM: Chris says the signal lights at Olson/Myers are out.

9:58 AM: Julie Moore from SCL tells WSB they still haven’t figured out the cause; however, the map shows the number of customers out is down to 155.

11:16 AM: Texters say their power’s back. Meantime, the SCL map now attributes the outage to “equipment failure” (we’ll update when we get more specifics on what failed).

ADDED FRIDAY: According to Moore, “a tree fell and broke a cross arm on a pole” along 3rd SW near Westcrest Park.

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ROAD WORK, TRANSIT, TRAFFIC, WEATHER: Thursday notes

August 5, 2021 6:06 am

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

8:30 AM NOTE: The eastern West Seattle power outage is affecting the light at Olson/Myers – let us know if others.
=========

6:06 AM: Good morning, We might see rain tonight/tomorrow, says the forecast! Sunshine expected today, though.

ROAD WORK

26th SW – Closed northbound between Roxbury and Barton.

Project details are here

Delridge project – The southbound closure of Delridge Way SW between Thistle and Trenton continues, and northbound Delridge is closed between Cambridge and Henderson. Details here.

West Marginal Way/Highland Park Way: Reminder that construction is planned here again this weekend, 3 am-1 pm both days.

TRANSIT

Buses are on regular schedules – except for the South Delridge and 26th rerouting. Watch @kcmetrobus for word of bus cancellations.

For ferries and water taxis, all is normal. Watch @wsferries for updates.

BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES

500th morning without the West Seattle Bridge. Here are views of other bridges and routes:

Low Bridge: Automated enforcement cameras remain in use; restrictions are in effect 5 am-9 pm daily – except weekends; the bridge is open to all until 8 am Saturday and Sunday mornings. (Access applications are available here for some categories of drivers.)

West Marginal Way at Highland Park Way:

Highland Park Way/Holden:

The 5-way intersection (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Chelan):

The 1st Avenue South Bridge (map):

For the South Park Bridge (map), here’s the nearest camera:

Are draw/swing bridges opening for boats or barges? See the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed. (1st Ave. South Bridge openings also are tweeted on @wsdot_traffic.)

See all local traffic cams here; locally relevant cameras are also on this WSB page.

Trouble on the streets/paths/bridges/water? Please let us know – text (but not if you’re driving!) 206-293-6302.

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