FOLLOWUP: SDOT says it’s finished High Point Healthy Street construction

| High Point | Sunrise Heights | West Seattle news

(WSB photo, 34th/Morgan)

Though most of the attention has gone to the Alki Point stretch, West Seattle has two other “Healthy Streets,” and SDOT sent an announcement this week that it’s done with work on what was the first one announced in 2020, officially the “High Point Healthy Street” though it stretches into Sunrise Heights. After a downsizing decision last year, SDOT retained the designation for 34th SW between Graham and Holden. Most of what the “construction” entailed was the placement of permanent concrete-base signage, including some with planters, as shown above, and pavement markings around the signs. SDOT says it will decide by year’s end whether the other West Seattle Healthy Street, Delridge/Highland Park, will become permanent; community advocates have long been requesting that if it does, the Trenton stretch is removed, as that’s a major neighborhood connection street.

Derek June 30, 2024 (4:38 pm)

“But but but these were only special designed by rich people and their ocean views”

HP resident June 30, 2024 (5:04 pm)

Yeesh, if you’re going for snark at least make it intelligible.
- K June 30, 2024 (6:57 pm)
  
  Derek is referring to a common argument against the Alki Healthy Street, that is is just a gift for rich people to protect their beach from the “others.”
- Derek June 30, 2024 (7:45 pm)
  
  Pardon me for not editing it within the time given, the site behaves differently on phone browser I use so I didn’t even get that chance. But you got the point, so what’s it matter? It was indeed intelligible then. And @derp, that is literally the point.
THOMAS July 1, 2024 (6:21 am)

if a legal vote was not done closing of any street is illegal per the city charter

Derp June 30, 2024 (5:07 pm)

Ok Derek, how many rich people do you know in high point or highland park. Unlike Alki where they complain about everything.

Purple Pilot June 30, 2024 (7:04 pm)

Worst use of taxpayer $ in 2024
- Alki resident June 30, 2024 (9:09 pm)
  
  100%
- Ross July 1, 2024 (12:14 am)
  
  100%
Seana Barker July 1, 2024 (11:09 am)

Well, my neighbors just sold their house for almost 1 million in this neighborhood so living and affording a house in this area is expensive as well! Its ridiculousness of the DOT to try and block access to any publicly funded street and means more traffic is driven onto other streets in the neighborhood. I am paying as much tax as anyone living on these streets but yet don’t have the luxury of no or reduced traffic on it! I understand better access for bikes on is needed this route for sure just nor sure how often its being used and why bikes especially electric ones are not being made to pay a licensing fee to cover some of the expenses. It’s all out of control for sure~
- ... July 1, 2024 (4:28 pm)
  
  You seem to be unfamiliar with where the money comes from to maintain and construct our roadways. Only half of it comes from usage fees these days… The rest comes from general funds which is paid for by everyone including cyclists, many of whom are also paying usage fees like licensing fees on their vehicles because many also own and drive motor vehicles some of the time. The difference in damage between a 2-ton motor vehicle and even in extremely heavy 70 lb ebike + 300 lb rider on the high end (or 20 lb bike + 120 lb rider on the low end) is night and day. Because of this, non-motor vehicle users end up heavily subsidizing those of you in cars. So it actually is pretty ridiculous to ask ebikes to pay an additional fee on top of already heavily subsidizing your personal choice to drive a car.The amount of money spent on projects like this is tiny compared to that spent on repair and expansion of car-specific projects. It is a fair allocation of resources to make streets safe and allow users who are willing to get out of their cars and ride a bike to do so in order to reduce traffic of the whole system (because bikes are also much more space efficient). I’m sorry you see this as a zero-sum game but I really would encourage you to actually educate yourself because you seem to be ill-informed and that’s causing some logical fallacies.

Highland park dad June 30, 2024 (6:11 pm)

lol @ Trenton being a major connector…. It’s a neighborhood street one block off an actual arterial (Henderson).

Ross July 1, 2024 (12:15 am)

Wrong… it is a major connector…
- Bbron July 1, 2024 (7:31 am)
  
  I don’t understand how drivers can look at a map of arterials and residental streets, a web of redundant streets, and conclude that one particular residential street is so critical to their commute changing it is equivalent to oppression. is there really any argument when it’s literally seconds to use an alternative, parallel street? if you think your life as a driver will be harmed by the Trenton healthy street section, I’m not confident you know how to navigate a vehicle and worry you’re on the streets at all.
- Highland park dad July 1, 2024 (10:37 am)
  
  Not east of delridge, but when you never get out of a car I’m sure every street looks like your birthright.
  - k July 1, 2024 (11:04 am)
    
    No, it’s a major connector east of Delridge too. Major connector =/= arterial. My bigger issue with the Trenton segment of the Highland Park safe street was that it forced a dead end at one intersection. Just seems there’s a better way to do that.
  - Kyle July 1, 2024 (12:18 pm)
    
    Another vote for major connector. Plus there are already sidewalks, speed humps, and traffic calming circles on Trenton. Have no problem walking or driving that street. The biggest hazard is the awkward signs causing conflicts on the road. Just get rid of them.
Highland Park neighbor July 1, 2024 (12:52 pm)

You are mistaken and the feedback from several people indicates Trenton is a major connector because of Highland Park Elementary and Westwood Village. And right now between 16th Ave Sw and 18th Ave Sw there are already stop signs, bumps and roundabouts so nobody is speeding through there, they just don’t want it blocked off. Plus people who come from the College, Highland Park, or Riverview also use 16th to Trenton to get to Westwood. Keeping Trenton open is helping the whole area be less congested and dangerous.
- Bbron July 1, 2024 (1:23 pm)
  
  Highland Park Elementary is local to the street, so you can drive on it to get there. If going to Westwood Village, how does Henderson not fill that need? What would be the realistic difference in travel times for those going to WWV, and why does that outweigh all the folks that use the Healthy Street to walk, push strollers, and bike/scoot?
  - Kyle July 1, 2024 (6:25 pm)
    
    The usage has to be 100:1 the other way. Do you use this location regularly? The barriers are a traffic nightmare and have had constant negative feedback since they sprung up during the pandemic. I walk the street all the time and the sidewalks are great. The road also has traffic calming already too. The squeezing of the street entrances is actually the most unsafe thing about the current design.
    - Bbron July 2, 2024 (12:17 pm)
      
      idk, when I used to drive nothing like those signs and barriers would constitute a “nightmare”. if drivers slow down at anomalies, you can navigate anything safely. I don’t really care to compare current usage because the street is still being defined and behaviors shifting. that I’ve seen so many people immediately take to it and walk and roll in the street shows a great want. again, why can’t usage shift to Henderson? they are redundant routes to WWV.
    - Kyle July 3, 2024 (12:27 pm)
      
      If you don’t want to compare usage why do you say you’ve seen a great deal of people take to this street to walk, roll etc.? I walk here regularly and that is not the case. Everyone walks on the sidewalk because common sense, the few rollers do not need to have the street shut down. I have seen several near misses due to the narrowed entrances with confusion for cars trying to turn off 16th. The original configuration, with the existing traffic calming, was better for all users.
    - Bbron July 3, 2024 (4:35 pm)
      
      “confusion for cars trying to turn off 16th” shouldn’t be turning onto Trenton because it’s local access only, and if you’re local you’d had known about the street’s set up. i never said anything about a “great deal” of folks in the Healthy Street, but that they’re already a bunch of folks I’ve seen using it which shows there’s demand for it. you have yet to answer the question: how is Trenton an important connector to WWV if Henderson runs parallel? we don’t need redundant streets. they’re the best opportunity to create public spaces that don’t prioritize cars.
    - Kyle July 3, 2024 (7:06 pm)
      
      You’re just wrong here. There are not a “bunch” of people using it. I use the wonderful sidewalks just fine! The street functioned much better for all users before the entrance barriers. Are you saying the traffic near misses don’t happen? Because they do. If your argument is no cars should be using it except the 4 houses that live there then we need some cops to patrol it, and what a waste of resources. Often it is used by people driving to drop their kids off at HPE trying to cross 16th and makes for awkward interactions of cars not sure how to navigate the tight entrances. For the question you are fixated on not everyone is going to WWV, although it is more convenient if you are going to the north side of the mall. Especially since they put Henderson and Delridge on a road diet, often only 1 bus gets through the light. 3 light backups are common at rush hour. Crossing at Trenton and Delridge with the light is safer than Cloverdale if coming from the north, and a better way to get to 35th.

Seth June 30, 2024 (7:31 pm)

I really hope they make the 26th ave one permanent

1994 June 30, 2024 (9:00 pm)

Maybe if Seattle turned all streets into Healthy Streets the city could reduce the budget for SDOT and we would not need the transportation levy money any more. And another cost savings could come from no longer needing police for traffic control. Healthy Streets can solve problems!

G June 30, 2024 (9:24 pm)

Huh?
- Jethro Marx June 30, 2024 (10:21 pm)
  
  The healthy/war on car/richie streets have been around long enough to celebrate several birthdays yet many do not understand the basic rules.
  
  They’re not quite the thing 1994 is depicting in their aggrandizement- no one is prohibited from driving or parking on them, no one is actively regulating their use, and in fact they are full of cars both parked and in motion, perhaps less than before they were implemented. Mostly they put up some signs, some people read them.
  
  Waste of money? Sure, maybe, but they have a pretty minimal effect on real traffic, however loud we may holler about it here in the comments.
  - Mark Schletty July 1, 2024 (8:06 am)
    
    Jethro, I think maybe you should go to Constellation Av “safe street”. The installation of concrete dividers and mass removal of parking would sure seem to counter your argument.
    - Jethro Marx July 1, 2024 (11:00 am)
      
      Yeah I’ve seen it, and cars are still free to drive and park there. I still fail to understand why any reasonable person would care that much about these projects. I know many unreasonable commenters believe they (and many other SDOT projects) are a conspiracy involving bicyclists, rich homeowners, and corrupt city leaders, but most of us do not have any interest in such nonsense.
      
      Is the opposition to Constellation really comprised of people who are angry they can’t sit in their car on the water side of the street while eating their lunch or storing whale-watching accessories or whatever? We’re weird.
  - platypus July 1, 2024 (10:10 am)
    
    It would be interesting to see the data. The parking is obviously for those that live on those streets and we wouldnt expect to see a reduction there. The healthy streets concrete barrier make it a harder for through traffic and align with greenways which bring more bikers. They seem benign at worst and provide clear bikeways at best.

Rob July 1, 2024 (11:47 am)

I have been down these so called healthy streets during the week and on weekends. Let me tell you there is nobody I’m nobody no children or adults out enjoying these so called streets. You really can’t do much . You can’t play kick ball or street hockey. There are residents cars parked up both sides. The only real thing you can do is maybe ride a bike back an forth down the middle of the road.

Admiral-2009 July 1, 2024 (12:30 pm)

SDoT needs to change the name, Healthy Street is not a good terminology. Making 34th Avenue SW into a bike friendly street in particular made sense to provide a good alternative route for bicyclist in lieu of 35th a high traffic volume Principal Arterial.

k July 3, 2024 (3:00 pm)

They should rebrand them “Friendly Streets”

wetone July 1, 2024 (7:27 pm)

Just remember when you all vote on upcoming $1.7 billion levy, this is how mayor Bruce Harrell and SDOT leader Greg Spots, like spending everyone’s tax dollars on. Myself I’ve seen no improvements from the so called Healthy Street program and others being implemented…. Maybe focus on a solution to get more SPD officers instead……