You asked, so we asked: Why do SDOT’s message boards still show detour-route travel times?

A reader asked about this, and then we noticed it ourselves: Almost three months after the West Seattle Bridge reopened, the travel-time display on SDOT‘s overhead message boards still shows times for getting to the 1st Avenue South Bridge. Last week we asked SDOT why. Spokesperson Mariam Ali looked into it and sent this reply tonight:

We recently moved the Travelers Web Map to a more modern server. During this process the routes shown on our dynamic message signs were frozen so as to not further complicate the move. This work is complete. We are presently evaluating all dynamic message signs to see where routes should be modified or added. We expect to roll out new routes on the West Seattle Dynamic Message Signs and other locations the end of Q1 2023, if not sooner.

You can see what’s showing on the message boards around the city by going to the aforementioned Travelers Map and clicking “map controls” on the left side of the screen, then choosing “Travel Times”; the dropdown for Southwest will show you the Fauntleroy and 35th boards’ message for the 1st Avenue South Bridge.

8 Replies to "You asked, so we asked: Why do SDOT's message boards still show detour-route travel times?"

  • Thanks December 12, 2022 (10:43 pm)

    Thanks for checking into this. Interesting that they frozen it with an inaccurate time. Perhaps, leaving it blank would be better during the transition. Last week I noticed it said there was an event downtown, then back to the 1st Ave info the next day. Can’t believe it will take them another 3 months to make these boards useful again. I appreciate you looking into my inquiry. 

    • John Smith December 13, 2022 (4:36 am)

      Thanks, after I retired from the private sector, I worked for the City for a while. JMO: the private sector gets the “cream of the crop” employees, not the City, mainly because the City does not pay as well as the private sector. The trade-off is job security, *if* a new City hire can make it past the initial one year probationary period.

      • Odd son December 13, 2022 (9:17 am)

        John, this speaks volumes, answers a lot of questions.

      • CAM December 13, 2022 (10:26 pm)

        John – that’s a hell of a generalization and loaded statement you’re making there. Government employees are often working with out of date equipment, technology, software, less resources, more bureaucracy, more public pressure and complaints, more frequent management turnover, more frequent shifts in program goals and emphasis (without justification or reason in a lot of cases), and just generally less of everything than anyone in the private sector. They are also paid less and get talked about like they are the scum of the earth by people (see your comments). One can only wonder why things can’t happen at the lightning speed your special sauce former private industry employer could do things. It must obviously be because they’re all horrible and useless. 

  • Bob W. December 13, 2022 (1:49 am)

    “We recently moved the Travelers Web Map to a more modern server.”

    Server hardware commonly is completely backwards compatible with previous generations of servers. Drop the new one in and go.

    And all new Intel and AMD CPUs are completely backwards compatible with existing software too, all the way back to programs written in 8080 code in 1974.

    So I imagine it’s more likely that SDOT, mostly, isn’t bedeviled by new servers. Instead, it might be that they’d used some terrible propietary software, and for months now have been trying unsuccessfully to port all of their needed routines and data to a new and completely different but equally bad choice of proprietary software, that just happens to be completely incompatible with their previous bad software.Or maybe they had written their own software, and now are regretting it, because it’s taking much longer to improve the whole mess.

    As a rule, server hardware is cheap, and people’s time is expensive. It could be that someone at SDOT somehow made some poor choices somewhere, and not about the servers, because it’s almost impossible to buy bad servers today.

    Bad software…? That’s a different story. Poor management? Possibly, such as letting a bunch of Civil Service people write software who really shouldn’t have been allowed near it. Who knows… your guess is as good as mine.

  • Jim P. December 13, 2022 (1:55 am)

    Not a heck of an improvement if it may take up to three months to get back to accurate data.  This ill serves bus riders.This does not seem to the same bus service I experienced when I moved here twelve years ago.

  • Alkibean December 13, 2022 (6:48 am)

    Takes them to March to do this? Argh! Just turn them off!

  • Keith December 13, 2022 (8:24 am)

    On a semi-related note, on the occasions where I need to take a Lyft or Uber, the rides are often routed the old detour way, and typically at a much higher rate.

Sorry, comment time is over.