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Check out our final quarterly report for Reconnect West Seattle – Quarter 4, 2022

by on January 20, 2023
We’ve made improvements to the Corson Ave S / S Michigan St / S Bailey St intersection, including an improved slip lane (a lane where free right turns are allowed), new pedestrian crosswalk signs to alert drivers of people crossing the street, and other safety upgrades. Photo: SDOT

Blog stats: 700 words | 4-minute read

Since March 2020, we have completed 63 of the 70 projects identified in the Reconnect West Seattle Implementation Plan. We have completed 56 of the 64 Home Zone project elements in South Park, Highland Park, and Georgetown. And we have completed 319 traffic mitigation projects.

Overview

Reconnect West Seattle was developed in response to the unexpected closure of the West Seattle High-Rise Bridge in March of 2020, which dramatically impacted West Seattle and nearby Duwamish Valley communities. Through Reconnect West Seattle, we worked towards a vision to restore travel across the Duwamish and reduce the effects of increased detour traffic in the Duwamish Valley neighborhoods. The Reconnect West Seattle Home Zone program focused on pedestrian and safety improvements in the neighborhoods of South Park, Georgetown, and Highland Park, while the West Seattle High-Rise Bridge was being repaired.

Each quarter, we’ve shared a “mini-report” letting you know what we’ve done recently to help advance the Reconnect West Seattle projects, as well as a preview of what you can expect to see next. This will be the final report of the program.

Quarterly Report Contents

We recommend you check out these sections of our latest quarterly report (Quarter 4, 2022):

Recent Highlights

In Quarter 4, we were hard at work designing and implementing improvements throughout West Seattle, including:

  • Completing the 14th Ave S Safety Corridor Project to ensure increased visibility of all travelers by re-marking the travel lanes, re-situating stop bars, improving intersections, and replacing signage.
  • Planning intersection improvements at Dallas Ave S and 14th Ave S. This upgrade is at 100% level of design and construction is expected to begin in 2023.
  • Completing 11 Vision Zero intersection visibility improvement projects.

To date, we’ve completed 56 safety and mobility improvements throughout Home Zone neighborhoods with the remaining projects to be constructed in 2023. These neighborhoods are South Park, Georgetown, and Highland Park, whose residents faced heavy traffic impacts from the West Seattle Bridge detour route. In Quarter 4, 2022, we completed sidewalk repairs on S Concord St between 5th Ave S and 7th Ave S. We’re currently building five Implementation Plan projects, two of which include work by our partners at Seattle City Light to upgrade and add pedestrian-scaled lighting in South Park.

Natural drainage with native plants installed in a neighborhood. The street, sidewalk, parked cars, and a tree are in the background, on a cloudy day.
Natural drainage with native plants installed in the Georgetown neighborhood. Photo: SDOT

As part of traffic mitigation efforts, we completed 9 overhead sign replacements in Quarter 4, bringing the total to 34 since March 2020. We also completed 1.45 lane miles of paving in West Seattle, bringing us up to 10.45 of 12.2 anticipated lane miles to be repaved.

Upcoming Work

Most Reconnect West Seattle projects are permanent improvements that were installed while the West Seattle Bridge was closed. We have seven remaining projects scheduled for 2023 delivery. Construction has begun on 2 of the 7 projects and the remaining projects will begin in 2023.

The two projects already underway include:

  • Corson Ave S/S Michigan St/S Bailey St: raised pedestrian crossing in the slip lane and sidewalk repair project
  • 12th Ave SW/SW Holden St: new pedestrian signal 
Map of 7 remaining Reconnect West Seattle projects. The projects are shown on a map with orange icons numbered 1 through 7 as follows: 1. Corson Ave S / S Michigan St / S Bailey St: Raised pedestrian crossing and sidewalk repair project. 2. Dallas Ave S / 14th Ave S: Pedestrian signal and neighborhood greenway bike connection. 3. 12th Ave SW and SW Holden St: Pedestrian signal and ADA curb ramps with Highland Park Neighborhood Greenway wayfinding. 4. 4th Ave SW/SW Roxbury St/Olson Way SW: Pedestrian safety intersection improvements. 5. SW Holien St and Highland Park Way SW: Permanent signal improvements. 6. WMW Duwamish Longhouse: install permanent signal, ADA curb ramps, and sidewalk. 7. West Marginal Way SW: Safety Corridor Improvement Projects.
Map of 7 remaining Reconnect West Seattle projects. Graphic: SDOT.

Since the West Seattle High Bridge has reopened, the Reconnect West Seattle Program has largely concluded.

Please contact us if you have questions about any of the following projects:

  • 4th Ave SW / SW Roxbury St / Olson Way SW intersection improvements
  • Dallas Ave S / 14th Ave S intersection improvements 
  • Highland Park Way SW and SW Holden St permanent intersection improvements 
  • Duwamish Longhouse permanent signal 
  • W Marginal Way SW Safety Corridor improvements 
  • Home Zone conveyance swale and wheel stop projects

To contact us, please email 684-road@seattle.gov or call 206-684-ROAD. You can also visit us online at the Reconnect West Seattle website.

Read our previous quarterly reports

Graphic icon depicting Safety as a core value and goal of SDOT. The graphic has a yellow heart and the SDOT logo, and says "We believe everyone should be able to move safely throughout the City. Our goal is to create safe transportation environments and eliminate serious and fatal crashes in Seattle.
Graphic icon depicting Equity as a core value and goal of SDOT. The graphic has a yellow icon with three people standing and the SDOT logo, and says "We believe transportation must meet the needs of communities of color and those of all incomes, abilities, and ages. Our goal is to partner with communities to build a racially equitable and socially just transportation system."
Graphic icon depicting Mobility as a core value and goal of SDOT. The graphic has a yellow icon a forward facing arrow and the SDOT logo, and says "We believe transportation choices are critical to accessing opportunities. Our goal is to build, operate, and maintain an accessible transportation system that reliably connects people, places, and goods."
Safety, equity, and mobility are three of SDOT’s core values and goals. Graphic: SDOT.
Filed Under: Community Involvement, Pedestrians, Safety, SDOT, Traffic and Construction, West Seattle Bridge Tagged With: , , , , ,