Cyclists with Black Girls Do Ride and the Rainier Riders use a bike lane to cross the street. Photo: SDOT In case you missed it, we’re sharing highlights from the SDOT Blog each month. Here are some of our top blog posts from September.
SDOT Blog Monthly Highlights – September 2022
Please note: You can click on the headlines to go directly to any specific blog post (#1-5) – or just read on for a shorter recap of each post and a photo.
1) Summer outreach recap: Thank you for coming out and speaking with us at community events!
We started off September recapping a great summer connecting with you at community events.
This summer, we attended events throughout Seattle to hear from you about your transportation needs and share updates about some exciting projects happening in neighborhoods across the city. Our staff and consultants participated in over 30 events, farmers markets, and festivals.
Our outreach efforts would not have been possible without you coming out to these events, so thank you for taking time to speak with us!
2) Roadside Chat | Welcoming Greg Spotts to SDOT as our incoming Director!
We welcomed Greg Spotts as our new director!
Welcome to Greg Spotts! Greg was sworn in as SDOT’s new director this week after his appointment was unanimously confirmed by City Council in September.
In his first weeks and months, Greg is meeting with staff, media representatives, community advocates, non-profit organizations, and many other groups as part of a listening tour. He wants to get to know the communities we serve and build connections as a foundation for our work ahead. To request a meeting, walk, or transit ride with Greg, please visit our online portal and fill out the information requested.
3) West Seattle Bridge reopens after 2 ½-year closure
After a 2 ½-year closure to complete essential repairs, we reopened the West Seattle Bridge on September 17.
The repairs to the West Seattle Bridge included nearly 60 miles of steel cables post-tensioned to form the new backbone of the bridge. Each of the cables was anchored into new specialized concrete blocks woven into the bridge and capable of holding more than 20 million pounds of force. The new post-tensioning system works in tandem with other repairs to the bridge, including an extensive network of more than 100,000 square feet of reinforced carbon fiber sheets wrapped inside and outside the bridge walls and over 240 gallons of epoxy injected into cracked concrete.
These repair systems have prepared the bridge to handle the weight of vehicles and decades of seasonal temperature changes. With these repairs complete, the bridge is much stronger than it was before and will last for decades to come.
4) Roadside Chat | Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month with Dahvee Enciso, Sr. Civil Engineer Specialist
In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, we talked to Senior Civil Engineer Specialist Dahvee Enciso about what his heritage means to him.
National Hispanic Heritage Month started on Wednesday, September 15 and ends Friday, October 15. This month recognizes the culture, contributions, and history of Hispanic Americans in U.S. history.
We’re proud to celebrate our colleagues’ and community members’ cultures, diverse heritage, and interests through our Roadside Chats blog series. This month we talked with Dahvee Enciso, who shared details about his career, interests, and what National Hispanic Heritage Month means to him personally.
5) #WeekWithoutDriving 2022: Reflections from Team SDOT
Finally, our staff reflected on lessons learned from participating in Disability Rights Washington’s Week Without Driving.
The Week Without Driving challenges elected leaders and transportation and transit agency staff to abstain from driving themselves for a week. The goal of this week is to gain a better understanding of the challenges that people with disabilities, young people, seniors, and people who can’t afford cars or gas face navigating their everyday lives.
After the valuable lessons we learned participating in last year’s Week Without Driving, we knew that we wanted to participate again and encourage others to take part in the 2022 challenge. As employees at the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), we play important roles in planning decisions and implementing policies that shape mobility throughout the city.
Thoughtfully considering the transportation needs of people of all ages and abilities guides our work to create a more inclusive and accessible Seattle. It also upholds our commitment to providing people with disabilities an equal opportunity to access city services, programs, and activities.
