The holiday season is one of the deadliest times of the year for alcohol-related crashes. MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) estimates that “each year nationally, more than 1,000 people typically die during Thanksgiving to New Year’s in drunk driving crashes” (MADD, 2006). Because of increased consumption of alcohol and an increase in the number of special events and parties, drinking and driving is more prevalent. Ironically, drinking and driving crashes are one of the most easily preventable catastrophes.

So as we ring in the New Year, at the Space Needle and around town, we ask everyone to please be careful and make good decisions by not driving under the influence. Because buzzed driving is drunk driving.

[More]

If you were unable to attend one of the First Hill Streetcar open houses earlier this month, you can still provide feedback online. Our Seattle Streetcar website has information on the various alignments, the history of the project, and a place for you to tell us what you think. Click here to find more information and get involved.

[More]

The Community Parking Program (CPP) has studied parking in the West Seattle Junction (WSJ) this year and a final parking plan has been developed and mailed to community members. After studying how parking was being used and how well drivers complied with posted signage, the need for more short-term on-street customer parking became clear. New 2-hour time limits will be installed near businesses and community spaces to help visitors find parking easier. Additionally, old 1-hour time limits will be converted to 2-hour time limits to improve the predictability of parking regulations in WSJ.

This plan is the result of numerous meetings with stakeholders involving neighborhood groups and the Southwest District Council. There were also four SDOT-hosted “project committee” meetings that briefed interested community members on the progress of the project. Both the parking study and the final plan were influenced by these meetings, as well as two walking tours with the community to identify parking issues and door-to-door outreach to businesses.

More information on the WSJ project can be found on our website here. To learn about the other neighborhoods studied this year, First Hill and Capitol Hill, visit the CPP website here.

[More]

For the past several weeks we’ve been profiling the SDOT Art Plan, jointly developed in 2005 with the Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs and written by Daniel Mihalyo.  Below are examples of two great ways to incorporate art into everyday objects in the public right-of-way.  Seen any examples of everyday street furniture turned art in your travels to other cities?  If so, let us know!

[More]

Happy Holidays from SDOT!  Remember to be safe as you head out to all those post-holiday sales!

[More]

SDOT often encourages motorists to consider their transportation choices in order to reduce their carbon footprint.  Well, in an effort to “walk the talk,” SDOT and the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department were in a “fuel duel” over the past four months to see which department could save the most fuel during the course of their operations.  The contest was neck in neck; one month SDOT would win, then the next Parks, but now it’s official that the overall winner is SDOT!  Between August 1 and November 30, 2009, SDOT used 11.48% less fuel compared with the same period in 2008. The Parks department saved 8.22%. 

The contest is proof that everyone’s efforts add up and that together we can make a difference!  During the duel SDOT employees cut fuel usage by 11,625 gallons.  This saved SDOT $32,466, kept 244,451 pounds of greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide) out of the atmosphere and reduced oil imports by 277 barrels. 

Read more »

[More]

Now that the rainy season is upon us, have you noticed those automobile oil slicks snaking their way toward the drains on our streets? Some people have and they’ve expressed concern that all that pollution is dumping into Puget Sound. The good news is SDOT implements several different strategies to protect the Sound from pollution.

Seattle’s drainage system comes in two forms – in Downtown Seattle the existing sewer system is a “combined sewer” system meaning it conveys both waste water and stormwater to the West Point treatment plant prior to final discharge into Puget Sound. The rare exception is during an extraordinary weather event, such as a hundred year storm, when the system cannot keep up with the overflow. To prevent such combined sewer overflows from entering the Sound, SDOT and SPU are funding a larger regional flow control facility that will be built along the waterfront. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read more »

[More]

Last week, we wrote about Chapter One of the SDOT Art Plan, jointly developed in 2005 with the Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs and written by Daniel Mihalyo.

Chapter Two of the Art Plan is a nuts and bolts “toolkit” developed for SDOT project managers. The toolkit helps project managers incorporate art and aesthetic treatments into the normal design and construction process for everyday objects in the right-of-way. Sidewalks, railings, benches, tree planters and bike racks are just a few of the items SDOT designs and installs every year that provide a perfect opportunity for art.

Lessons learned from art plans in other parts of the country showed us that plans that emphasize specific one-off ideas tended to gather dust. In contrast, the SDOT Art Plan gives direction for improving the quality of urban spaces by simply expanding the range of creative options available to project managers as they go through the normal design and construction process.

Have you noticed any of the newer street furniture, sidewalk treatments or tree plantings that you suspect might have involved the hard work of an artist in your neighborhood? (Example: this special sidewalk in West Seattle we blogged about last summer.) If so, let us know what you think!

[More]

Whether your walk to school is just a few blocks or uphill for miles in the pouring rain against the rotation of the earth, SDOT’s Safe Routes to School program is doing its part to make your walk more comfortable.

Thanks to the Bridging the Gap Transportation levy, all Seattle schools both public and private are now equipped with school zone signage. As a result of this effort, all drivers must pass a “School – Speed Limit 20” sign when approaching a school. The reduced speed signs are accompanied by an advanced warning sign located 300 feet before the start of the school speed zone and an “End School Zone” sign to indicate the end of the school zone. These signs improve the walking environment for students and parents by slowing cars down and raising driver awareness to the presence of children.

In addition, our Safe Routes team installed flashing beacons at four schools in 2009. The new beacons are located at Blaine K-8, Kimball Elementary, Dearborn Park Elementary and Olympic View Elementary. We now operate flashing beacons at 39 schools around the city and we’ll be adding five more in 2010. Flashing beacons are generally installed for school zones on arterial streets with high traffic volumes and speeds. The beacons provided greater emphasis for the reduced speed limit and are programmed to flash during hours when most children are walking to and from school.

Though today is the last day of school before winter break, be mindful of these reduce speed zones when classes start up again on January 4th.

[More]

A busy 2009 construction season including ten downtown/SODO paving projects is wrapping up on-time and in excess of goals set by the Bridging the Gap work plan.  The goal for 2009 was 20 lane miles; SDOT paved 28.7 lane miles in 2009.  Since 2007 SDOT’s Arterial Asphalt and Concrete (AAC) program has reconstructed more than 95 lane miles all across the city. 

Fourth Avenue from Olive Way to Denny Way finished one month ahead of schedule and other projects, like the reconstruction of a block along Pike Street, wrapped up in just five days.  The paving program tackled several major thoroughfares as well this year such as First Avenue South, a high volume entry/exit point for Seattle.  Considerable coordination took place across multiple downtown paving projects to time the intersecting crews efficiently. 

Wall Street, Broad Street, Third Avenue and other projects were added to the 2009 list as part of an accelerated plan meant to ensure downtown streets will be completed by 2012 when the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement project begins.  The reconstruction of Fourth Avenue between S Jackson Street and Olive Way, originally set for a 2010 groundbreaking, is also in full swing. 

The City’s Arterial Asphalt and Concrete Program resurfaces and rebuilds multiple streets each summer toward the larger goal of enhancing both mobility and safety citywide.  The projects in the paving program are funded in part by the “Bridging the Gap” transportation levy approved by Seattle voters.

[More]