E Marginal way south closure status?

[mpento]

How long is that piece of East Marginal way south from Safeco field to the bridge going to closed? Is it all tied in together with the work on the viaduct? I thought it was closed for some port of Seattle work but it is tough to find good information.

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[metrognome]

here’s the link to the latest Port newsletter on the project:

http://www.portseattle.org/downloads/seaport/EMWGradeSeparation_20100203P.pdf

according to the city’s ‘construction look ahead’ website, the SB lane closure is supposed to last thru mid-May:

http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/constructionlookahead.htm#sodo (scroll down about 2/3 of the way)

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[mpento]

From the Seattle.gov site

“Southbound East Marginal Way will be reduced to one through lane at the intersection with S Spokane St. The southbound to westbound turn movement will be maintained.”

I still can’t find information that says how long this street is closed. It is kind of bugging me espcially as there seems to be so much information about all the other closures/modifications in that area

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[redblack]

it’s not all closed. the state is working the stadium end, and the city and port are working the spokane street end. i regularly take 4th south to horton street to east marginal to spokane street and over the low bridge.

but regarding the stadium end, i think this is what you’re looking for:

Long-term closures:

* Until further notice – Colorado Avenue S. will be restricted to southbound traffic only between S. Atlantic Street and S. Massachusetts Street around-the-clock.

* Until further notice – Alaskan Way S. between S. Jackson Street and S. King Street will be reduced to a single lane in each direction. Northbound Alaskan Way S. between S. Royal Brougham Way and S. King Street will be closed around-the-clock.

* Until further notice – The center-turn lane on Alaskan Way S. will be closed between S. Massachusetts and S. Atlantic streets.

* Through 2013 – Both directions of Alaskan Way S. are closed between S. Royal Brougham Way and S. Atlantic Street 24 hours a day.

* *** Driver alert *** Monday, May 16 – 2013 – Both directions of the southern mile of the viaduct corridor will be reduced from three to two lanes between the West Seattle Bridge and Seattle’s sports stadiums. This lane configuration will remain in each direction through 2013 and possibly longer, until the central waterfront section of the viaduct is replaced.

from http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Northwest/King/Seattle.htm (about 1/4 of the way down the page)

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[mpento]

Well currently going south on Alaskan Way S I can get as far as S Atlantic street and then I have to take a left. It looks like according to the part you high lighted (which is kicking in next week?) I will have to take a left (if I can) at S Royal Brougham Way instead. But in theory I could still be able to go west on Atlantic St and turn left, if it was to open up,and go south Alaskan Way S onto the start (according to google map ) of E Marginal way S. and then cut redblack off as he/she tries to get onto the road from Horton :P So its that part of Alaskan way s and E marginal Way S (between Atlantic St and Horton) that I’m interested in. (it is currently closed at atlantic going south. Not sure what the status is coming noth from horton) (I’ve got way too many brackets in this post!)

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[redblack]

mpento: i have XY chromosome pairs. but you can just refer to me as an “it” if you want to leave gender out of it.

your route is okay when looking at google maps or whatever. but you have to realize that the improvements to atlantic street are largely to facilitate freight movement between I-5 and the port. in other words, you gotta fight the big rigs, and in my experience, the big rigs always win.

it’s going to take patience and route planning to get through the south-end viaduct replacement until 2013, but the wait will pay off.

to answer your question: no. southbound alaskan way to east marginal way is also going to be rebuilt from royal brougham to about holgate. starting now. that’s why they moved the train tracks.

first or fourth ave are the best ways to go. or sixth. or beacon hill.

bonus! once spokane street – upper and lower – are open (hopefully about this time next year) things will get a lot better: a new first ave on/off ramp to the westbound bridge; 2 general-purpose lanes and an HOV/bus/right turn lane on the upper roadway; and a new 2-lane roadway below.

the new port construction at spokane and marginal, to be done around the same time, i think, will open a huge new roadway for freight, and they won’t have to wait on trains anymore. that alone will take a lot of pressure off of the swing bridge.

by 2013, the new alaskan way at atlantic will also be free and clear of train crossings with a big, weird overpass.

yeah. the next 2 years are going to be painful, but the end result – with or without a tunnel – is going to be a good thing. all 3 or 4 projects in concert will improve access to/from the downtown street grid.

but mainline 99 is going to suck for a long time.

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[mpento]

Well I guess the commute could be worse

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[metrognome]

redblack — nice answer; it’s refreshing to see someone taking the long-term view on the results of all these projects. The concept of ‘freight mobility’ from the waterfront to I-5 and other roads is key to the economic health of our area. By providing more avenues for freight to move and by eliminating some obstacles, such as trains, from their path, Seattle can be more competitive cost-wise with other ports. It also helps keep the cost of goods lower for consumers.

The other, more direct, benefit to the WS travelers (whether car, bus or bicycle) is that moving slow-moving, slow-accelerating semis from popular surface roadways means less congestion, fewer accidents, faster driving times, etc. Trucks merging onto the WSB from Harbor Isl on their way to I-5 cause huge, otherwise unnecessary, slowdowns; their inability to accelerate at ‘car’ speed up the ramps onto the freeway creates additional delays; providing quick alternatives for semis makes everyone’s travel quicker and safer.

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