West Seattle, Washington
29 Friday
After encountering a brief mention of “Fauntleroy Bridge seismic work” on a city page listing future projects, we checked with SDOT to see what that’s about. Here’s the explanation of what’s on the drawing board for a half-mile section at the southwest end of the West Seattle Bridge, from SDOT communications director Rick Sheridan:
This work will upgrade the Fauntleroy Expressway Bridge, which spans over SW Admiral Way, Harbor Ave SW, SW Avalon Way, SW Manning St., and local railroad tracks that access the adjacent steel mill. This reinforced concrete bridge is approximately 2527 feet long and carries traffic between the West Seattle Freeway and Fauntleroy Way SW.
The city completed a first phase of seismic retrofit work in the mid 1990s. This covered widening and strengthening bridge supports, and tying bridge segments together over the supports. The project you referenced is a second phase of work. This will upgrade the structure to prevent a collapse during a 1000 year seismic event, which is the new national design standard.
We have identified the bridge weaknesses that need to be retrofitted to meet this new standard. A consultant contract is being negotiated to design and detail the retrofit work. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in early 2010.
We’ve heard about this now from Karen and Lela (who sent the photo) — when the latest round of street-sign-replacing work started sweeping through West Seattle recently (as noted here), at least one sign wound up causing an unintended side effect — this one on the northwest corner of California/Edmunds in The Junction (map) is blocking the view of the pedestrian signal. We’re checking with SDOT to see if a fix is in the works (and to make sure it’s being reported via the proper SDOT number).
1:53 PM UPDATE: Heard back from Rick Sheridan at SDOT, who says: “Calling 684-ROAD is the best option for this type of issue or any other roadway related problem. But I will talk to the sign replacement team about the northwest corner of California/Edmunds and we will correct the issue.”
3:25 PM UPDATE: And as noted in comments – the visibility problem is being taken care of, with a crew on scene within the past hour. Karen, one of our original tipsters, sent this photo (thanks!):
ORIGINAL 12:20 PM REPORT: Huge crowd here at Seacrest for the season-kickoff party celebrating the return of the King County Water Taxi (which actually started its 2009 runs a few hours ago, as shown in our earlier coverage). King County Council Chair Dow Constantine – who’s got a touch of laryngitis – is speaking right now, joking that when they decided to start the season a month earlier, they figured the weather would be bad. Guess what!
That’s the big crowd on board as the KCWT left a few minutes ago. Free rides all day – lines are long – parking’s tough (“a nightmare,” one man complained into his cell phone as he walked by) – so take the free shuttle bus. (As Constantine is mentioning right now, the shuttles now have distinct numbers so you can tell which shuttle is going where – a point of confusion in years gone by, whether the bus was going to Alki or The Junction.) Free treats and live music down here, too, in addition to the free sunshine.
ADDED 1:12 PM: More from the party – here’s the fireboat putting on a show a few minutes ago:
Also just had a Coast Guard chopper flyby, though maybe just a coincidence:
And some video – County Council Chair Constantine with the weather remark we mentioned above:
Plus a photo from Constantine’s Twitter stream, as he walked down to get on board:
2:52 PM UPDATE: Party’s over, more photos to add – first, at the other side of Constantine’s round trip, he chatted with other riders as they disembarked:
Yet another megaline awaited the next sailing, with a reminder in the foreground that Seacrest is also home to Alki Kayak Tours:
At the head of the line, bottom of the steel ramp that meets the wooden floating dock, a feathered greeter:
Besides the rebranded Water Taxi and shuttle buses, you’ll see the new sign at Seacrest too:
The free rides continue till the last run of the night, which is at 7 pm; here’s the schedule. Then the weekday schedule kicks in tomorrow (and the weather is expected to be spectacular – we’re glad to hear it, since we have a couple stories to cover downtown in the morning – no need to take the car!).
4:18 PM: Last addition, a clip of the fireboat’s spray show:
And dozens more photos of today’s event are up on the Ferry District’s Flickr pages, here.
A shimmering morning at Seacrest Pier, as the King County Water Taxi arrived less than half an hour ago for the first time under that name and the first official time this year. Today’s big party is noon-2 pm, with giveaways and entertainment; free rides are all day (here’s the schedule); parking is already tight at and around the pier, so take the shuttle or be prepared for a walk.
This may be the second-to-last time we get our traditional “first arrival” video – next year, if all goes according to plan (including dock improvements after this season ends 10/31), the Water Taxi is supposed to start running year-round. P.S. You can find the Water Taxi schedule linked atop the WSB Traffic page.
We just couldn’t wait till tomorrow morning — went to the downtown waterfront tonight to get photos of the new trim and new logo on the newly rebranded King County Water Taxi. Tomorrow, of course, you can see it in person …
… free rides all day, and while the big party at Seacrest Pier (map) is noon-2 pm (with the fireboat Leschi scheduled for a spray show around 12:45), the Water Taxi sails its full schedule on day 1, which means you should see its first arrival at Seacrest around 8:45 am. P.S. If you’re trying to remember what the Water Taxi USED to look like, here’s a WSB photo from last fall:
Talking with King County Council Chair Dow Constantine at the Gathering of Neighbors today, we’re pretty sure he mentioned a new look for the shuttle buses too, so we’ll be watching out for that tomorrow morning as well. ADDED 11:07 PM: Well, we don’t even have to wait till tomorrow for THAT – turns out the King County Ferry District has a Flickr stream with an entire sequence of photos of the shuttle-bus rewrapping — see it here (as well as more pix of the Water Taxi’s new look).
From the Gathering of Neighbors (continuing till 3 pm at Chief Sealth @ Boren, find us in the cafeteria, where free food’s available too!), where so many of the people we talk to often for WSB news stories are also here:
FAUNTLEROY PAVING UPDATE: Jessica Murphy from SDOT just stopped by our table. We asked if there’s word yet on whether the Fauntleroy Way paving project will stretch past California (see our previous report) – she says the bid was awarded a week ago and it WILL cover the full stretch, all the way to SW Holly. She’s here with updated flyers.
PARKS LEVY COMMITTEE UPDATE: Pigeon Point’s Pete Spalding (above with wife Kerry Hughes) is here too, on behalf of the PP Neighborhood Council; he is one of three West Seattleites on the new committee overseeing how the money from last fall’s Parks Levy will be spent, and he tells us there will be a series of four public meetings citywide next month to get your thoughts on how to use the levy’s “Opportunity Fund” — dates aren’t set yet but will be soon, and he says one WILL be in West Seattle. So if there’s a park project you’d like to see happen (the Delridge Skatepark would be one proposal, since money to build it got cut out of this year’s budget)
More to come – including photos from the event!
It’s been a long and winding road for the city to secure all the $ needed for the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project, which will widen (and change the ramp configuration of) the West Seattle Bridge section between 99 and I-5. And now, the mayor’s office is asking for support in fighting a legislative proposal — an amendment to the House transportation budget just unveiled this week, and coming up on the floor tomorrow — that they say would put some of the money at risk again. Here’s how mayoral spokesperson Alex Fryer explains it:
Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson introduced an amendment of HB 1314 (information, status here) with this section:
b) In order to ensure that the city of Seattle complies with its commitment as described in subsection (a) of this subsection, the state shall make $50,000,000 of the transportation partnership account-state appropriation as provided in the 2009-2011 transportation budget, or as much thereof as is appropriated from this account, whichever is smaller, available for contribution to the south Spokane Street Viaduct component of the Alaskan Way viaduct replacement project, contingent on the city of Seattle complying with this subsection.
Full text of the amendment can be seen here.
Basically, this links $50 million of state money for Spokane Street Viaduct project to improvements the city was already going to make in the central waterfront and north end with the deep-bore tunnel. The problem is the widening of the Spokane Street Viaduct is expected to go to construction later this year, and tunnel improvements aren’t expected for several years – when the tunnel is nearing completion in early 2016.
We’re worried that Dickerson’s amendment, which passed (earlier this week) in the transportation committee, is now part of the House transportation budget. We want the state House to strip this provision, which could derail completing the Spokane Street Viaduct project by 2012.
We need folks to take action.
Call the state legislative Hotline at 800-562-6000. Ask for Eileen Cody, Sharon Nelson, Frank Chopp or Judy Clibborn and tell them to stop dickering and start building.
Reps. Cody and Nelson represent our area specifically – their websites are linked from here. Fryer says the Governor and Senate are opposed to this proposal, but it comes up on the House floor tomorrow.
ADDED THURSDAY NIGHT: Rep. Nelson says in comments below that she and Rep. Cody are on the case.
Brighter nights ahead – but in the short run, some slower going, according to this SDOT traffic alert (which we’ll link to our Events calendar for reminders when the weekend arrives):
This weekend, April 4 and 5, Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) crews will assist Seattle City Light crews while they work on the overhead lighting of the Spokane Street Viaduct between I–5 and First Avenue South. The work will require lane closures. SDOT will close the right westbound lane from 12 midnight on Friday to 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 4. The next night, from 12 midnight on Saturday to 8 a.m. on Sunday, April 5, the right lane eastbound will be closed. Motorists should use extra caution through the work zones.
We’ve received a couple of reports lately of parking rules being enforced in West Seattle neighborhoods where residents swear they’ve never seen a Parking Enforcement Officer before. As of a short time ago, that includes ours; we bolted out the front door upon spotting a PEO checking our license plates. COMPLETELY guilty of parking with our wheels touching the sidewalk, which is not raised on our miniblock, but that’s no excuse; she let us off with a warning, provided we moved the cars to comply. But given the reports we’ve had recently, we are publishing this note as a public service advising you to bone up on the parking rules if you also park on the street; you can read many of them here. If you’ve routinely parked closer to a stop sign than the signs say you’re supposed to, DON’T. Wheels on the sidewalk, like us? DON’T. Car pointed the wrong way? DON’T. Precinct leaders mentioned recently that another parking-enforcement officer was going to be headquartered at their facility soon and we’re checking to see if perhaps this officer has arrived, concurrent with this stepped-up activity. Meantime, besides the link mentioned earlier, here’s the complete Seattle Municipal Code parking section; we see the sidewalk rule we broke is here; the stop-sign rule we’ve undoubtedly broken before is here; the rule about pointing in the correct direction is here.
ADDENDUM: Southwest Precinct Lt. Steve Paulsen‘s reply to our question: The third PEO is NOT here in West Seattle yet; he adds, “We don’t direct our Parking Enforcement into the residential neighborhoods unless there are complaints coming in to 911 or parking enforcement. The priorities are business districts for the turnover of parking. We also provide priority to RPZ enforcement as well.”
The official announcement of the “Snake Hill” sidewalk work on 30th SW (see the city “concept” rendering here) is just in from SDOT – it’s scheduled to start next week:
30th Avenue SW Sidewalk Improvements to Start April 6
The Seattle Department of Transportation’s contractor plans to begin construction of 30th Avenue SW sidewalk improvements on Monday, April 6. The sidewalk will be constructed on the eastern side of 30th Avenue SW from SW Brandon Street to the existing sidewalk at the top of the hill (just north of SW Juneau Street and High Point). Some preparation work such as surveying will start later this week.
The construction is expected to take five to six weeks, depending on the weather. For the duration of construction, 30th Avenue SW between SW Findlay and Brandon Streets will be closed to through traffic. A detour route will be signed for through traffic to use 29th Avenue SW.
Parking will be restricted in the area under construction. Access to driveways will be maintained.
Work hours will typically be from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Also from the same city news release, this P.S. of what’ll happen when the sidewalk work is done:
Seattle City Light will be moving the utility poles closer to the new curb on 30th Avenue SW between SW Findlay and Brandon Streets. This work will occur after SDOT’s sidewalk project and is expected to take two months. After the new utility poles are placed and the old utility poles are removed, SDOT will return to fill in any gaps in the sidewalk that remain.
Like the Alki Point sidewalk project, the 30th SW sidewalk work is a Neighborhood Street Fund project first announced in November 2007 (WSB coverage here). The project’s official city webpage is here.
From SDOT, shared in the interest of the many West Seattleites who drive through SODO:
Royal Brougham Way is now closed east and westbound between 4th Ave S and Occidental (map). The closure will continue through to late Saturday, April 4. A signed detour will guide motorists. Pedestrian access will be provided on S Royal Brougham Way. The closure is necessary so crews can relocate utilities and prepare for bridge pier construction for the SR 519 project
SIGNS: SDOT crews have been back in West Seattle in recent days replacing more street signs – in a process that’s been under way for the past two years – and we noticed something interesting: Signs like this one, with an icon to signify “street” sections that are really stairways (this is on the east side of California at Hudson, just south of The Junction). By the way, the city is still selling the old street signs it’s taking down as the bigger, more reflective new ones go up: Inventory updates are posted periodically here (the one there now is dated January).
SCOUTS: Have no idea how often this happens, but we discovered belatedly that a slew of NFL scouts were at Southwest Athletic Complex in Westwood Saturday afternoon to watch Washington State receiver Brandon Gibson show his stuff in hopes of getting drafted. He played high-school football in Puyallup, which is why the Tacoma News-Tribune covered it (report with video here)
POTLUCK: Also from Saturday – Delridge Produce Cooperative organizer Galena White, speaking to attendees at the community potluck event at Youngstown Arts Center:
Next events (calendar here) in the ongoing process of trying to get the coop off the ground: A meeting Tuesday at Pearls on Delridge, and a table at the Gathering of Neighbors next Saturday, 11 am-3 pm at Chief Sealth‘s Boren campus – we’ve got a table there too (offering early discount registration for West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day!), so hope you’ll be there to find out more about 70-plus West Seattle organizations and businesses.
POOCH: As of today, you can get an online sneak peek at the City Dog Magazine cover featuring Sophia, the Italian greyhound who lives with High Point’s Wendy and Stephen Hughes-Jelen. (CDM is headquartered in West Seattle.)
These photos and mini-report were sent by a WSB’er who wants to be anonymous (but isn’t a salesperson, we verified – just wanted to share the news about this acquisition):
West Seattle resident Floy C. recently leaped into the future with the purchase of a Miles Electric Vehicle, becoming at age 80 an early adopter of the new wave of road-legal electric cars. Her new Miles, courtesy of MC Electric Vehicles (on Dearborn, down by Goodwill) has a range of 40 miles, a top speed of 35 mph, and plenty of cargo space – as demonstrated by her adventures transporting groceries, lumber for a new stairwell, and various household supplies.
The car is pure electric, not a hybrid, so burns no fuel – instead of fueling off a gas pump, it fuels off a standard power outlet – with a “full tank” costing about two dollars – a REALLY green car perfect for local errands and commuting, or for anyone who doesn’t need freeway speeds.
List price is about $19K, according to this page on the Miles website. Here’s what Floy’s new car looks like inside:
… but WSDOT says the Alaskan Way Viaduct remains safe. Here’s the full news release just sent out about the results of last weekend’s inspections:Read More
SDOT just announced a new web feature with color-coded traffic info, live-camera links, and transit info all in one place: seattle.gov/travelers. Read on for the full announcement:Read More
As reported here last Thursday, the Water Taxi is now the King County Water Taxi, no longer the Elliott Bay WT. With its April 5th season kickoff (remember – free rides all day!) now just a week and a half away, the county’s issued a new fact sheet with a reminder of some of the other changes – see it here.
News release this afternoon from the King County Council:
Paying your fare to ride the bus, ferry or light rail throughout the Puget Sound region will soon be as simple as swiping a single card, following approval today by the Metropolitan King County Council of a plan for rollout later this spring of the long-awaited ORCA regional fare coordination system.
“This system makes various forms of transit more accessible to all riders,” said Councilmember Jane Hague, sponsor of the ordinance and chair of the Council’s Physical Environment Committee that oversees transportation. “The new ORCA card will help riders have a more seamless and enjoyable transportation experience.”
The One Regional Card for All (ORCA) will be a non-touch smart card used for payment on seven transportation systems: Sound Transit, King County Metro Transit, Community Transit of Snohomish County, Pierce Transit, Everett Transit, Kitsap Transit and Washington State Ferries.
The system is easy and fast. ORCA uses an electronic smart card that automatically calculates any fare due. Passengers will simply “tap” their ORCA Card on target card readers and enjoy their ride. The card will register a valid pass or deduct the appropriate fare from a customer account. Customers can load transportation value or products on their card online or in person at select retail outlets.
The Council today authorized an updated interlocal agreement with the other six transit agencies that clarifies the roles of all the partners for the rollout of ORCA later this spring. Approvals must still come from the Everett City Council and the state of Washington. The regional fare coordination system has been under development since 2003.
Work on the ORCA system is now in final system design, software and Web site development, and testing to implement system updates and changes based on lessons learned in a customer Beta test. Concurrently, work is underway to complete installation of all equipment, develop employee training programs and plan for the rollout of the new ORCA card to customers.
ORCA has its own website, here.
As reported here on Saturday, this weekend’s Alaskan Way Viaduct shutdowns were for more than the semiannual inspection — lanes were restriped, soil samples were taken for the proposed tunnel, and more. And now – WSDOT sends word, The Viaduct is officially open again – and the Battery Street Tunnel has reopened early too.
Video, photos, and text by Christopher Boffoli
WSB photojournalist
WSDOT maintenance crews closed the Alaskan Way Viaduct for 12 hours today for its semi-annual inspection and repairs, and are scheduled to do it again 6 am-6 pm tomorrow.
And as West Seattle drivers no doubt cursed the increased congestion as they navigated alternate routes off the peninsula, a select group of lucky people donned hard hats and reflective vests for walking tours of the 56-year-old structure. Transportation Department organizers said that the weekend’s public tours were open to anyone who signed up, though they filled up quickly. Hundreds of people were scheduled to tour the Viaduct this weekend and many more were put on waiting lists.
In addition to the public walking tours, a media tour was organized for first thing this morning, and WSB went along for a closer look at what’s being done this weekend – not just the inspection, but also some work related to the Viaduct’s proposed replacement.
Read More
Tonight we welcome a new WSB sponsor: Seattle 911 Driving School is about to start classes at Southwest Community Center in West Seattle. New WSB sponsors are always offered the chance to tell you about their business, and here’s what Seattle 911 Driving School wants you to know: Seattle 911 Driving School is the driver-training program where all instructors are police officers. We hire only the finest police officers with knowledge and expertise to prepare you for the great responsibility that comes with obtaining your driver’s license. The most important aspect of driver education is SAFETY, and the best safety feature you can add to your car is a well-trained driver. With police officers as instructors, our students get the most current real-world driving instruction. At 911 Driving School, instructors are highly trained in every aspect of controlling a vehicle and can teach the latest in defensive driving techniques and current traffic laws. Police officers see firsthand the devastation caused by poor driving. That’s why we take an active role in bringing back greater credibility to driver’s education. Our friendly team at the Seattle 911 Driving School is committed to excellence and knows that you’ll find our instruction to be fun, interactive, and comprehensive – the training cars are pretty cool, too. Classes are held on both weekday and weekend schedules to fit your needs and are available in both our main office at the corner of Northgate and Meridian and at Southwest Community Center in West Seattle, 2801 SW Thistle (map). Whether you are a first-time driver, in need of a refresher course, or a new resident to the US, we have the driver-education training you need. Enroll today – we look forward to serving you. You can call Seattle 911 Driving School at 206-366-9111 to find out more about upcoming classes; schedules and class descriptions also can be found online. Welcome to Seattle 911 Driving School; find all WSB sponsors listed on this page, along with information on how to join them!
**NOTE – SINCE THE SERVICE’S NAME HAS CHANGED, STORIES NEWER THAN THIS ONE ARE CATALOGUED IN OUR “KING COUNTY WATER TAXI” CATEGORY, HERE**
Since our Water Taxi update this morning, its website has been updated with all of this year’s information, including schedules – and you’ll notice one big thing: It’s not the Elliott Bay Water Taxi any more; it’s the King County Water Taxi. Online info starts here; note that the KCWT will now run till late evening 7 nights a week, among other changes.
We reported this in the WSB Twitter stream when it happened but just got a bit more info now: Two children were slightly hurt when their school bus was involved in a crash on westbound Highland Park Way just east of West Marginal Way (map) at midday today – the bus and a minivan both had front-end damage; still checking on circumstances of the crash. Fire Department spokesperson Dana Vander Houwen says the kids did NOT have to go to the hospital. Meantime, at Alki Point, the first week of work on the sidewalk-extension project now has an alert sign up at 63rd/Alki (by Cactus), noting the westbound road is for “local access only.”
The actual work is beginning at the Beach Drive/Alki Avenue end, with survey work for starters:
And of course, the biggest traffic alert of all – remember, the Alaskan Way Viaduct is scheduled to be closed 6 am-6 pm both Saturday and Sunday this weekend for its half-yearly inspection, and the Battery Street Tunnel is to be closed around the clock from Friday night till Monday morning. (Plus, if you see this before Thursday evening and plan to drive through Sodo/Pioneer Square, remember the huge crowd expected for the Seattle Sounders‘ debut rally/march/game.)
A month after first word that the Elliott Bay Water Taxi‘s new season will start April 5th (WSB coverage here), a few more Day 1 details just arrived – along with a coupon – so watch your mailbox. As has become traditional on the season’s first day, you’ll be able to ride the Water Taxi free all day on April 5; the kickoff festivities will happen at Seacrest from noon-2 pm. And for use after Day 1, clip the coupon that’s part of a postal-mailed postcard sent by King County Council Chair Dow Constantine (ours just arrived).
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