Heads-up to expect more bicyclists on West Seattle and White Center streets tomorrow (Sunday, April 13) – Cascade Bicycle Club‘s annual Ride for Major Taylor starts on the White Center Bicycle Playground 7 am-8:30 am and will take hundreds of riders on one of two courses – either circumnavigating our peninsula via its waterfront streets (with an Alki rest stop), or (updated) a White Center/Tacoma/Vashon/West Seattle route. You can see the route maps (26 miles or 62 miles) by going here. If you’re not registered, unfortunately, it’s too late – no same-day signups, according to Cascade, which explains that the ride honors “the legacy of Marshall ‘Major’ Taylor, the Black World Cycling Champion … as a fundraiser for Cascade Bicycle Club’s education and advocacy programs, including funding for snacks at after-school Major Taylor Project Clubs as well as support for Major Taylor Project students’ participation in the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic.”

(REAL ID reminder that arrived with a car-tab-renewal notice)

By Anne Higuera
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

With just a month left, the scramble is on for appointments to get enhanced driver licenses and other IDs that meet REAL ID requirements. Starting May 7, you’ll need identification that meets those federal standards if you want to board a domestic commercial flight or visit some federal facilities. US Passports will be accepted, as will Washington State-issued Enhanced Driver Licenses (EDL) and Enhanced IDs, as well as Tribal IDs and other documents (see the list here), but a regular driver’s license or state ID will no longer be enough.

We checked around, and found that West Seattle’s semi-new driver-licensing location at 2420 SW Dakota is booked up for the next two months worth of appointments for enhanced documents. A few other locations in the metro area have some earlier appointment dates, but still well after the deadline. The enhanced cards take a couple of weeks to process after the appointment, in any case. There are some occasional cancelled appointments that become available day-of, so if you can’t wait until summer for your updated documents, checking the site regularly may yield an earlier appointment. The Department of Licensing website allows you to check by location on availability, but does not show the West Seattle office on its default map. You have to put in your zip code to see available appointments there: dol.wa.gov/id-cards/real-id

REAL ID’s goal is to make sure all states use the same kinds of standards to confirm identity and citizenship before issuing ID cards, in much the way US passport standards work. The Act, which was a Congressional response to security concerns after 9/11, was originally planned to take effect in 2008, but that deadline has been pushed back time and again, for a total of 20 years. The most recent delays in 2021 and 2023 were blamed in part on state licensing backlogs created by the pandemic. The Transportation Security Administration is sticking with the deadline this time, but is planning a “phased enforcement approach,” giving it some flexibility if passengers arrive at the airport with a regular ID instead of an enhanced one. Just how they will handle those situations when they happen is not yet clear, but they do expect it to be an issue because so many Americans have yet to upgrade their identification to meet the standards. While US passports are another option, only a little more than half of Americans — 170 million people — have those.

Despite the standardization the act is aiming for, some states, including Washington, are putting their own mark on the IDs–literally. To denote a compliant ID, the majority of states have added a star in the upper right corner of their IDs, but some are black, others gold, and California has their star on a grizzly bear. Washington state has eschewed the star in favor of an American flag that overlaps the photo on the ID.

(SDOT photo)

SDOT has a short update on the Admiral Way Bridge seismic-strengthening project:

Here’s What Crews Are Working On:

-Concrete repairs on damaged sections of the bridge.
-Wrapping parts of the bridge in carbon fiber to make it stronger.
-Painting piers and setting up scaffolding to prepare for retrofits under the deck.

Traffic Reminders

Admiral Way SW (on top of the bridge):
-Both sidewalks are open for people walking, biking, and using mobility devices.
-The work zone will change from time to time over the next several months, but we’re keeping at least one lane of Admiral Way SW open in each direction.

Fairmount Ave SW Closure Reminder (below the bridge):
-Fairmount Ave SW under the bridge is closed to all travelers during construction. This closure keeps everyone safe while work happens on the bridge above, and helps our crews work efficiently.

We expect to finish construction in summer 2025. The schedule could change due to weather, crew availability, or materials — we’ll keep you posted!

As reported in this previous update, the painting is a big part of why SDOT says the completion date is later than originally projected.

Back on Monday, we reported on plans to repave SW Barton between Roxhill Park and Westwood Village, 26th SW to 29th SW, because of damage done by buses. SDOT told us they planned to distribute a flyer soon to nearby homes and businesses. Today we’ve received the flyer, and if you’re in the area, SDOT says, it should be in your mail. It doesn’t appear to include any new info of note; it does say that there’ll be a temporary bus-layover spot while the work is under way this fall, and that they’ll “let you know where soon.” See the flyer here.

Metro has just announced the changes coming with its next semi-annual “service change” on March 29. For West Seattle, Route 56 and RapidRide C Line lose trips, while RapidRide H Line gains trips. Here are the route-by-route links and explanations:

Route 56 (map/schedule here)
This route will see a reduction in trips that are currently funded by the Seattle Transit Measure. This route will have 1 fewer trip each weekday during the morning commute hours. These service hours will be re-invested in other routes to better meet the City’s policy goals and equity commitments.

RapidRide C Line (map/schedule here)
This route will have fewer trips during afternoon commute hours. This includes a reduction in trips that were funded by the voter-approved Seattle Transit Measure. Buses will still come about every 10 minutes or more frequently on this route. This change is to support Seattle’s equity goals, better align with transit need and demand, and be consistent with Metro’s RapidRide policies.

RapidRide H Line (map/schedule here)
5 trips will be added on weekdays and 3 trips will be added on Saturday and Sunday. These additional trips are funded by the voter-approved Seattle Transit Measure.

The full systemwide list of changes is here.

P.S. There’s no mention again this service change of some unresolved West Seattle issues – two suspended routes (37 and 55) and proposed stop changes for Route 125. We are checking with Metro.

Today was going to be the deadline for applying to be on the advisory committee overseeing the Transportation Levy approved by voters in November. The city is looking for more applicants and has extended the deadline to Monday morning. Here’s the announcement:

We are recruiting members for the new Seattle Transportation Levy Oversight Committee (LOC). Apply by 8 am on Monday, March 3, 2025!

Apply here.

Serving on the LOC is a unique opportunity to contribute to the future of Seattle’s transportation system and to ensure transparency and accountability as SDOT builds and delivers on levy commitments. As a committee member, you’ll help keep Seattle moving by overseeing how levy funds are spent. Your role is to monitor budgets, track progress on projects, and make sure the funds are used as promised to Seattle voters. You’ll work with the Mayor’s Office, City Council, and SDOT staff to ensure transparency and accountability. Join us in being a steward of this public investment and help make a real difference in Seattle’s transportation future.

Read more about it on this SDOT website. (Previous transportation levies have had committees like this too.)

(SDOT photos)

With unplanned closures yesterday and today, the West Seattle low bridge’s status is in the spotlight again. We asked SDOT for updates – here are two we’ve just received:

Recent unplanned bridge closures

The recent unplanned closures of the Spokane St Swing Bridge have been due to a damaged sensor in the barrier gate on the western side of the bridge as well as unrelated electrical damage from the recent windstorms.

The motion sensor is one of the safeguards used to verify that the barrier gate is correctly locked into place so that the bridge can be safely opened to vehicles. The sensor appears to have worn out earlier this month leading to multiple short-term disruptions to bridge operations. It took us some time to diagnose the root cause of the problem, but this morning technicians were able to confirm the location of the damaged sensor and replace it.

Meanwhile, there have also been unplanned closures resulting from the storm this past weekend. During the storm, power surges and water seeping into some of the enclosures caused short circuits in the terminal blocks, wiring, and connectors. Maintenance staff have been troubleshooting and repairing this damage as it comes to light, but it is still possible that there could be additional damage which we have not discovered yet.

Update on lift cylinder repairs

Earlier this month, SDOT crews installed a newly repaired hydraulic lift cylinder inside the east pier of the Spokane St Swing Bridge. The work was completed over weekend of February 8-10, and did not require any bridge closures for land travel.

The bridge relies on two lift cylinders (one on each side of the Duwamish Waterway). There is also a third spare lift cylinder which has been used when one of the others is being repaired. SDOT has now finished repairing both of the active lift cylinders.

The pair of 30,000 pound hydraulic lift cylinders are the largest mechanical part in the complex system used to lift and turn the 14-million-pound bridge span so it can be opened for passing ships. Each of the large lift cylinders is connected to a pair of smaller turn cylinders which rotate the bridge (four turn cylinders total).

We are still working on the repairs to the last of these smaller hydraulic turn cylinders which was removed in October 2024. We expect to reinstall this turn cylinder and continue to repair and upgrade other cylinders and electrical components throughout this year.

SDOT also completed a bridge strengthening project in 2022, earthquake safety project in 2024, and upgrades to the bridge control and communications system in 2024. This work was made possible thanks to local funding sources including the 2015 Levy to Move Seattle.

(WSB photos, this afternoon)

3:49 PM: The Admiral Way Bridge earthquake-strengthening project is still months away from completion. We’d been pursuing an update from SDOT after noticing the project webpage said they expected to wrap up within weeks; SDOT now says that was a mistake (and has corrected the project page) – their estimate for completion remains “summer,” as we’ve previously reported. Here’s what’s ahead:

Admiral Way SW (on top of the bridge)
The work zone will change periodically over the next several months, but our construction plan is to leave at least one lane of Admiral Way SW on the bridge open in each direction. Both sidewalks will also remain open throughout construction.

Fairmount Ave SW Closure (below the bridge)
Fairmount Ave SW will remain closed to all travelers throughout construction. This closure keeps everyone safe while work happens on the bridge above, and helps our crews work efficiently.

When the project started in early July of last year, the completion estimate was spring.

ADDED 7:52 PM: We asked SDOT for some info on what’s been done so far. Spokesperson Ethan Bergerson‘s reply also included their explanation why this is expected to take months longer than first projected:

The project is more than halfway complete. The following project elements are currently in progress:

-Installing carbon fiber wrapping to strengthen the bridge
-Slope stabilization
-Painting the steel structure
-Repairing cracks and damaged concrete
-Replacing the expansion joints at both ends of the bridge  

(Regarding the) previous estimate that the project would be completed in the spring. After the June 2024 factsheet was written, the project scope was expanded to include full painting of the steel structure. This extended the anticipated construction completion into the summer.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

SDOT is out with the plan for what it’s going to do with funding from the first year of the $1.55 billion Transportation Levy that Seattle voters passed in November.

After releasing the plan (read it here) this afternoon, SDOT managers – including director Greg Spotts, on his second-to-last day on the job – hosted a media briefing online. They gave an overview you can peruse in this slide deck; we went through the plan itself for every West Seattle reference we could find.

First, you should note that what’s in the plan is NOT everything SDOT will be doing this year. There are many projects that use non-levy funding. For example, District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka‘s proposal to change the configuration of Delridge Way near a RapidRide H Line stop by the Refugee and Immigrant Family Center Preschool is not in it – but that doesn’t mean it’s not happening. We’ve been asking SDOT and Metro about that project’s status, and what they tell us is what SDOT managers said during today’s briefing – the two agencies are talking about what’s possible, although SDOT still believes that what’s there now – which includes a hardened raised median – is safe, because that’s what it was designed to be. Because they’re in early conversations, there’s no specific plan nor timeline yet, and they expect to consider “a universe of solutions.”

Now, back to what IS in the 2025 levy-spending plan for West Seattle – no details yet beyond these basic descriptions:

-The SW Brandon sidewalk, also something Councilmember Saka has mentioned repeatedly, from 26th to 30th, is mentioned as an “anticipated initial project”

-“Alki Traffic Calming,” described as planned for 60th, 61st, and 62nd between Admiral Way and Alki Avenue, with construction expected to start in 2025

-Two other “traffic calming” projects listed as expected to “start planning” in 2025 – 49th Ave SW and SW Graham St (scene of a deadly crash last year) and SW Henderson at Westcrest Park

-Sylvan Way SW (High Point Dr to Sylvan Heights Dr Mid-Block, noted as a “high-collision safety project”

-16th Ave SW–SW Brandon St (Trailhead) to SW Henderson St, noted as a “traffic-calming project”

-26th Ave SW–SW Barton St to SW Roxbury St, noted as a “traffic-calming project”

-SW Trenton St–35th Ave SW to Delridge Way SW, noted as a “traffic-calming project”

-“Safe Routes to School” projects for Highland Park, Lafayette, and West Seattle Elementaries, plus Madison Middle School and Pathfinder K-8

-Evaluation of potential paving projects (as previously reported) for 35th SW between SW Alaska and SW Morgan, Olson Pl SW/1st Ave S: 2nd Ave SW to SW Cloverdale, and/or Fauntleroy Way in The Triangle

-Asphalt spot paving for 35th Ave SW between SW 106th and SW 108th, SW Orchard between Delridge and Dumar

-Concrete spot paving for 16th SW between Myrtle and Holly, Delridge Way between Genesee and Dakota, SW Alaska between Fauntleroy Way and 38th

-“Transit spot improvements” including asphalt paving on SW Oregon between California and 44th (Routes 50 and 128)

-“Advance key connections to future Link light rail stations in coordination with partner agencies” on SW Alaska

-Start sidewalk design for SW Hudson St between Delridge and 26th

-Sidewalk repairs at California/Edmunds

-Curb ramps on 16th SW at South Seattle College, Brandon, Holden; at 36th/Andover; at 39th/Genesee; at 49th/Raymond; at 47th/Frontenac; at 55th/Manning; at 60th/Admiral

-Stairway repairs at 21st/Dakota

-Crossing improvements at Delridge/Alaska, 29th/Brandon, 9th/Henderson, 28th/Thistle; start designing improvements for Delridge/Cloverdale

-“Major signal maintenance” at 26th/Roxbury and California/Erskine/Edmunds (which is also slated for a pedestrian-accessibility improvement)

-Signal timing at 47th/Admiral (described as fiber-network expansion)

-Neighborhood greenway listed as “Alki Point Phase 2”

-Protected bike lane on Highland Park Way between West Marginal and Holden (“start design” this year – this is the “lane conversion” project that’s undergone much community discussion)

-Protected bike lane “upgrades” on Admiral Way between Spokane and Olga (the hill just north of the West Seattle Bridge) and on Andover between Delridge and Avalon

We asked about plans for communicating details of each project; SDOT says web info about projects will be available when they’re further along the path to construction. Meantime, this plan is scheduled to be discussed with the council’s Transportation Committee, which Councilmember Saka chairs, on February 18th. SDOT says it’ll have a spending plan to present at the start of each year of the levy’s eight-year life, and that an oversight committee will be appointed for this levy, as has been the case for others.

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(WSB photos by Dave Gershgorn, unless otherwise credited)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

In the waning moments of today’s two-hour Rethink the Link-presented forum on the West Seattle light-rail project, a ghost from a quarter-century ago appeared: The long-ago, voter-approved-then-scuttled plan for monorail service to West Seattle and elsewhere.

This spectre was raised by the father of the monorail himself, Dick Falkenbury. He wasn’t on the panel, nor had anyone brought up the monorail until an attendee asked about the original Seattle Initiative 41.

(WSB photo by Tracy Record)

Falkenbury rose shortly thereafter to warn everyone in the room that “Sound Transit is punking you” and shortly thereafter to declare that he was there to “hijack the meeting,” eventually offering to decamp to a nearby coffee shop and talk with anyone interested.

Also in the late going, a Lake Forest Park activist told the room that “fighting Sound Transit is like fighting a gigantic Pillsbury Doughboy” and suggested they’d need up to $100,000 if they wanted to pursue legal action against the transit agency, something he said his LFP neighbors were mulling.

The prospect of West Seattle legal action was hinted at by one of today’s panelists, longtime Sound Transit critic John Niles of Smarter Transit, explaining to attendees that there was still time to comment on the West Seattle Link Extension plan while the federal environmental record is still open, and that they “might be setting up for some public interest legal types to do something if this keeps going the way it’s going.”

(L-R, panelists Conrad Cipoletti, Marty Westerman, Martin Pagel, John Niles)

Before Niles and other panelists sat down in the Center for Active Living‘s second-floor event hall to recount their long-voiced concerns, the event started with time to circulate among displays placed around the room, including maps of the routing options the Sound Transit Board approved in October, and lists such as properties that would be affected.

The ~40+ attendees also were invited to write questions for the panel to answer.

RTL’s Alan McMurray introduced the panelists; along with Niles, they were Conrad Cipoletti, described as a “car-free community advocate,” who moderated; Marty Westerman, whose related community involvement has included the West Seattle Transportation Coalition and greenspace advocacy; and Martin Pagel, who along with Westerman has advocated in the past for a gondola system instead of West Seattle light rail, though that option did not arise as a discussion topic today. Here’s our video of the discussion (up until the last ~10 minutes of Q&A, lost to a recording glitch):

Many of the points panelists addressed are contentions that Rethink the Link has made before, repeatedly. Their overarching argument is that West Seattle would be better served, at a far lower cost, by increasing bus service. Observed Niles, “It would be amazing what Metro could do with an extra billion dollars.”

Last year, you might recall, ST revised its high-end potential West Seattle cost estimate to $7 billion. That was another theme today, the higher price tag and lower ridership estimate than what was discussed before voters approved ST3 in 2016, the ballot measure that included a plan for extending light rail to West Seattle. The current plan “is not what you voted for,” Westerman declared. Pagel said he’s not against spending money on light rail but considers the current plan too much money to serve too few riders. “Is West Seattle the right place to do that? … Is it worth it for 5,400 riders [a day]? We have other Seattle projects in the wings. … Management focusing on West Seattle is a huge distraction from what they should be focusing on.”

The panelists spent a fair amount of time on environmental issues as well. RTL contends that Sound Transit is dismissing the “construction carbon” that will be generated by building West Seattle light rail, focusing only on eventual carbon savings by people riding light rail instead of driving gas-burning vehicles. Carbon is carbon, they said, whether it’s “construction or operational.” Not to mention, Niles – who identified himself as an EV owner/driver – said even the federal administration change won’t stop transportation electrification, and that should factor more into the stats than it did originally. “Anything approved in 2016 is way out of date; the world has changed,” What’s the ST plan for mitigating effects to Longfellow Creek?

Westerman said there didn’t seem to be “much of one.” Some questions like that might have been ideally posed to Sound Transit reps, but none were there (RTL said they had “notified” the agency of their event). Meantime, they also noted that it seems counterproductive to be carving into the greenbelt along Pigeon Point while trying to increase tree canopy in the nearby Duwamish Valley. What will be done with the cut trees? That too was a question perhaps ST could have answered.

Though the ST Board has taken its vote on routing and station locations, the panelists stressed that there’s still an opportunity for public comment until the federal Record of Decision is finalized – something that originally was expected before year’s end, but now is projected for next month. “A lot of your money is being spent on this,” Niles exhorted in explaining why people should comment.

One attendee wondered if a ballot measure would be appropriate. Someone piped up from elsewhere in the room to say that Sound Transit isn’t subject to initiatives. “We need to be more aggressive – we can’t be waiting for February,” asserted another attendee. Yet another said, “We need someone like [public-interest superlawyer] Erin Brockovich.”

Niles suggested that people would do best to talk with elected officials, especially state legislators, because ST is a state creation. He also suggested they take note of who’s on the board (Seattle city reps are Mayor Bruce Harrell and Councilmember Dan Strauss) and who’s running to succeed Dow Constantine (who remains on the board through year’s end) as County Executive (two of the candidates, County Councilmembers Claudia Balducci and Girmay Zahilay, are already on the board).