State expands plan for mid-October Viaduct shutdown
Just in from WSDOT: They’ve now decided to close the Alaskan Way Viaduct (and Battery Street Tunnel) continuously, from 6 am Saturday 10/18 to 6 pm Sunday 10/19. Project spokesperson Emily Fishkin explains, “We’ve extended the closure overnight on Saturday to allow crews to repair concrete panels in the southbound lanes, closer to the Spokane Viaduct.”
Today: Viaduct, food drive, burn fundraiser, voter signup, more
VIADUCT CLOSURE: Reminder, the Alaskan Way Viaduct is closed till 11 am this morning because of the Puget Sound Heart Walk. (Its next weekend inspection closure is in two weeks, 6 am-6 pm Saturday 10/18 and the same hours Sunday 10/19.)
FOOD DRIVE: Heard late last night from local Prudential realtors Debbie Rutledge (via Facebook) and Alice Kuder that they and others are collecting food and money for the West Seattle and White Center Food Banks at two locations 10 am-2 pm today: Thriftway and PCC.
BURN FUNDRAISER: Around the region, it’s “Give Burns the Boot” day with local firefighters teaming up to help the Northwest Burn Foundation. Look for them at Metropolitan Market and Westwood Village QFC.
VOTER SIGNUP: Last reminder – today’s your last chance to register. Look for registration drives almost everywhere, or register online RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW.
BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS: First of two this weekend – today, it’s indoors, 10:45 am, front lobby of Providence Mount St. Vincent (map), everyone’s welcome to bring their animals; Father Lyle Konen will perform the blessing.
MUCH MORE: Check the West Seattle Weekend Lineup; here’s the direct link to today’s list.
Alaskan Way Viaduct: Three more updates
LATEST BRIEFING MATERIALS: Want to see what the “integrated elevated” and “lidded trench” drawings look like, as mentioned in our earlier as-it-happened coverage of the advance briefing prior to the Stakeholders’ Advisory Committee meeting that’s under way? They’re now posted online. (You can see all the materials from tonight’s meetings, linked from this page.)
RETROFIT REITERATION: As mentioned in our running updates on that earlier briefing, Viaduct project leaders say they’re “done” with evaluating a possible retrofit. They reiterated it again at the Stakeholders’ Advisory meeting tonight, though committee member Peter Phillips said he felt they shouldn’t close the books on it without doing the type of evaluation suggested toward the end of this letter; WSDOT’s David Dye reiterated tonight that they feel they’ve spent more than enough time, money, and effort evaluating and re-evaluating it, and nothing new has come to light to lead them to say “ah-ha,” it should be back in the mix, so they’re “done.”
VIADUCT MOVIE: Some months back, we told you about documentary maker David Wheeler‘s search for a viaduct commuter to include in his forthcoming film about the Viaduct situation. The documentary’s done now – here’s the official news release (we’ll be checking with him to find out if screenings are planned):Read More
Alaskan Way Viaduct briefing: Updates as they happen
We’re on the 24th floor of the Wells Fargo Building, aka headquarters of the Alaskan Way Viaduct project, awaiting the briefing on some of the first data from the evaluation of the 8 “scenarios” currently under consideration, as decisionmakers prepare to narrow down the options and take elements of various ones to combine into three “finalists.” We’ll post headlines from the briefing here “live” as they emerge, with a wrapup later. POST-BRIEFING NOTE: Click ahead to see the hour and a half of liveblogging we did while this was still under way:Read More
Viaduct future: First data on “scenarios” to be released tomorrow
Just got word from the state that tomorrow, before the next meeting of the Alaskan Way Viaduct Central Waterfront Stakeholders’ Advisory Committee tomorrow afternoon, the media will be briefed on major new info that’s about to be presented to that committee — the first evaluation results of the 8 “scenarios” currently under consideration. The media alert notes that:
This set of evaluation results will include shading and views, transit access to the waterfront, and environmental issues. Because of the number of evaluation measures, data is being released as it is available. Using the complete set of evaluation results later this fall, teams from WSDOT, the City of Seattle, and King County will take the best elements from the tested scenarios to create two or three new scenarios for further evaluation.
As we did when the 8 “scenarios” were unveiled, we’ll report major developments “live” from the briefing, which is set for 12:30 pm tomorrow at Viaduct project HQ downtown.
Alaskan Way Viaduct future: Two events this week
Last week, we mentioned a briefing planned this week by the Florida man who proposes the “Seattle Skyway” – an admittedly pie-in-the-sky, or road-in-the-sky – Alaskan Way Viaduct alternative. He called this morning to say that it’s open to the public – which hadn’t been noted before – so if you’re interested, it’s 6 pm tomorrow, Duwamish Room at Ivar’s Acres of Clams on the downtown waterfront (the room seats about three dozen, first-come first-served).
If you want to know what’s going on in the official review process for what will happen to the Central Waterfront section of The Viaduct, here’s the next place to be: 
Day after tomorrow (Thursday 9/25) is this month’s meeting of the people from all over the area who have been meeting as the Stakeholders Advisory Committee (including West Seattleites Pete Spalding of Pigeon Point and Vlad Oustimovitch of Gatewood). As was reiterated during the recent Viaduct briefing presented to the Southwest and Delridge District Councils (WSB coverage here), this committee is not making a decision or recommendation, but rather helping vet the possibilities (8 current “scenarios,” as we reported when they were first unveiled, soon to be narrowed to 3, then 1). You’re welcome at these meetings too – Thursday it’s at 4 pm, Bertha Landes Room at City Hall downtown (map).
Recent WSB coverage of the Alaskan Way Viaduct is archived here; the state has a prodigious amount of info available on the official AWV site here.
Build a new viaduct – over the old one?
Got a note inviting us to a briefing next week where a Florida man will try to get traction for his idea to replace the Central Waterfront section of the Alaskan Way Viaduct without having to tear down the old one first: The rendering you see above is from the website for the “Seattle Skyway” (which, a few pages in, also proposes an alternative replacement for the 520 floating bridge across Lake Washington); its proponent, Jim Powers, says the 70-foot-high “Skyway” could be built for less than a billion dollars. No cost estimates yet on the 8 Viaduct “scenarios” currently officially under consideration; Powers says his idea is really just a variation on “Option D,” officially sketched by the state as follows:
Powers’ briefing is next Wednesday night, the day before the next meeting of the Stakeholders Advisory Committee (4 pm Thursday 9/25, City Hall) that’s helping evaluate possibilities as state/city/county leaders move closer to a Central Waterfront decision.
This week: 5 chances to learn about 4 notable projects
TONIGHT: Arbor Heights playground meeting, 7 pm, AH Community Church (project preview here). TUESDAY: Alaskan Way Viaduct open house, 5:30-7:30 pm, Fauntleroy Church. WEDNESDAY: 1st of 2 meetings about the $150 million revamp for The Kenney, 6 pm, Fauntleroy Church (project preview here). THURSDAY: New Admiral Safeway project design unveiled at community meeting, 7 pm, Hiawatha (and The Kenney hosts the second meeting about its project, 6 pm). For other events this week and beyond, see our list here.
Another Alaskan Way Viaduct milestone: Power-line project starts
Before that round of handshaking followed the ceremonial groundbreaking an hour ago for the Alaskan Way Viaduct electrical-line relocation project, state Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond (center of pic, white shirt) pointed to the BECU billboard in the upper left corner of the photo and said it hits home the point that Viaduct work “has arrived”; here’s video with her explanation of this project’s overall significance:
If you’re trying to envision exactly where those to-be-moved lines are – they’re visible on the underside of the Viaduct’s lower deck:
Seattle City Light’s chief of staff Sung Yang said the lines carry major supply far beyond the immediate local area:
They’ll be moved off the structure to help prepare for its teardown and replacement, starting next year (this work should be finished by late ’09). The only traffic effects you should notice during the yearlong, $17 million electric-line project are described this way in the official WSDOT news release: “During construction, drivers should expect occasional lane closures or traffic revisions on S. Atlantic Street, S. Royal Brougham Way, and S. Dearborn Street between First Avenue S. and Alaskan Way S. In addition, some parking near the sports stadiums will be removed in the area needed for construction.” Frank Coluccio Construction is the contractor. This isn’t the first major Viaduct project, by the way; the column-stabilization work (WSB coverage, with video, here) was finished earlier this year. Last note: Next Viaduct weekend-long inspection shutdown is currently set for October 18-19, as permaposted on our Traffic page.
West Seattle Transportation Tangle: A linear look
Click that image for a larger look at the helpful chart drawn up by Morgan Community Association’s Cindi Barker after last night’s West Seattle Chamber of Commerce-sponsored transportation forum: She drew lines for each of the major projects likely to affect West Seattle drivers – BEFORE the Alaskan Way Viaduct‘s Central Waterfront Project starts in 2012 – so you can see where they overlap, at least under current plans. (Remember, the next big thing to kick in is the closure of lower eastbound Spokane Street, starting Tuesday 9/16, for water-main work preparing for the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project – that means if you get off the eastbound SSV on 1st Avenue South, you will have to turn left; if you are on eastbound Spokane Street from points further west, you will be able to turn right on 1st – no one will be allowed to go straight ahead on eastbound Spokane from there except truly “local” traffic, such as deliveries.
District Councils’ meeting, report #2: The Viaduct, what’s ahead
By year’s end, there’s supposed to be a plan for what will happen when the Central Waterfront mile of the Alaskan Way Viaduct comes down in 2012. Since that plan will affect West Seattle mobility in a big way, community leaders have been working to make sure they and their groups are plugged in to the latest information — and that’s the reason most of last night’s joint meeting of the Southwest and Delridge District Councils focused on what’s up with The Viaduct. They got a heavy-hitting panel of top transportation execs to present the briefing — WSDOT’s David Dye, SDOT’s Bob Powers, and King County Department of Transportation director Harold Taniguchi. In addition, meeting participants included the two West Seattleites who serve on the Stakeholder Advisory Group that’s been helping vet Central Waterfront possibilities — Delridge District Council chair Pete Spalding and Fauntleroy Community Association‘s Vlad Oustimovitch. Here’s what happened in the meeting:Read More
Bus-proposal postscript: Here’s the map
That’s a section of the map distributed at yesterday’s media event announcing the county’s plan to add bus service when major Alaskan Way Viaduct construction kicks in (WSB coverage here and here). The electronic copy of that map (showing specific bus routes that are “candidates for service enhancement” countywide) wasn’t available till just now, so we wanted to share it: Here’s the link to the full map. You may notice something we didn’t catch when we saw the printed-out version: the mention of potential RapidRide “early enhancement.” Might that mean West Seattle RapidRide would start sooner than 2011? Councilmember Dow Constantine‘s staff says we’ll know more when County Executive Ron Sims‘ full proposal gets to the council for review.
Transportation Tangle: Will bus service be beefed up?
Just got word that County Executive Ron Sims and West Seattle’s County Councilmember Dow Constantine 
(who chairs the council’s Transportation Committee) are about to announce “a proposed transit plan to add 4,000 more (daily) Metro bus rides during first phase of construction on the Alaskan Way Viaduct,” potentially starting next year (which is when a tangle of other transportation projects starts kicking in too). This comes days after Sims’ proposal of a two-stage 50-cent Metro fare hike in the next several months. They’re promising details at a media event tomorrow; we’ll be there.
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