Let the record show, the northward extension of Chief Sealth Trail is a thing of beauty, as evidenced by photos posted here. Much of the work to extend the trail, from Beacon Avenue S to S Angeline Street/15th Avenue S, was completed in 2010. Recently final elements wrapped up, including some concrete paving, storm drainage, permanent signage and hydroseeding. This is just a reminder to get out and enjoy this great new addition to Seattle’s trail system…
You are heading home from a late night dinner on Aurora Avenue N and the traffic signals seem to be working in your favor. Cruising at the speed limit, you are getting through each intersection on green lights. If you are sitting at the light on a side street like N 77th Street , you may be wondering why the light isn’t changing for you since there is no vehicle in sight on Aurora and no pedestrian crossing Aurora from N 77th.
SDOT has begun changing the timing of lights on selected major corridors so that you won’t experience the delay from the side street as described above. How? Well, SDOT is taking away the guess work of signal timing by adding technology using wireless magnetometers which are embedded in the pavement. The magnetometers collect data and feed the information to SDOT’s traffic signal system as well as the department’s Traveler’s Information Map. [Read more…]
More than 960 people packed the Seattle Aquarium to kick-off an effort to re-shape Seattle’s waterfront post-viaduct. James Corner of james corner field operations gave an exciting slide presentation that walked people through their approach to redesigning the waterfront.
You can check out the slide show, and watch a video of the event by visiting the Waterfront Seattle homepage.
The event provided another opportunity to share comments on re-designing Seattle’s waterfront. There’s still an opportunity to comment on the homepage.
Whether you choose to honor George Washington, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, or all the American presidents, today is President’s Day and a holiday for city of Seattle workers. We will resume posting the SDOT Blog tomorrow, February 22nd.
Happy President’s Day!
Most of us are well aware that cell phone use while driving is a primary offense in Washington State yet we still see drivers violating this law daily. One quick and simple way to make our streets safer is to put away the phone when we get behind the wheel and focus on the road. Still need convincing? Watch this video:
In SDOT’s Capital Projects Division alone, public outreach work is going on for approximately 30 projects currently in design or construction. With a small outreach staff, we are always on the lookout for partnerships that can help us raise awareness.
Following planning during the last quarter of 2010, this month the new SDOT/Puget Sound Energy outreach partnership launched with letters to residents and businesses along Dexter Avenue N, from Fourth Avenue N to Roy Street. The letter asks those considering a conversion from oil to natural gas, for their home or business, to please schedule the work before street reconstruction.
The idea of the letter is to coordinate work to save time and money. To help save taxpayer dollars spent on new construction there is a three-year moratorium on cuts to any newly repaved street. When requesting a permit to do work, such as switching utility fuel sources, you would learn of this moratorium and the fees imposed should one choose to cut into a new roadway during the protected time period. Scheduling work around that window, instead, is much better for all concerned.
The SDOT/PSE letters have also gone out to addresses in the last phase of the 15th Avenue NE reconstruction project. If this pilot outreach partnership proves effective for better coordinating private/public construction it will likely be expanded for use on upcoming projects. If you’ve received an SDOT/PSE letter, let us know what you think so we can continue to improve our outreach efforts!
Remember the design finalists’ presentations event held at Benaroya Hall back in September?
The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Puget Sound Chapter recently honored the Central Waterfront Project Team with a “2011 Totem Award Certificate of Excellence” for the Central Waterfront event held at Benaroya Hall on September 15, 2010. The competition was open to all public relations and marketing professionals in the region and there were 47 entries this year. Awards were presented to the best public relations programs, tactics and practitioners. Sonia Palma, SDOT, and My Tam H. Nguyen, Department of Planning and Development, received the award on behalf of the entire team at a recent Totem Awards Banquet.
The city is gearing up for another exciting public event tonight. James Corner and his project team will be presenting an analysis and aspirations for the Central Waterfront, and the public will have an opportunity to engage on design priorities. The meeting will take place tonight, February 17, at the Seattle Aquarium from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (RSVP at rsvp@waterfrontseattle.org).
What makes a great waterfront? Please take a moment to fill out a short waterfront survey at waterfrontseattle.org and let us know.
Interested in learning more about Seattle’s existing transit services, people’s travel patterns and new transit markets? Perhaps you’re curious about how other cities are dealing with transit challenges? Or want to find out about transit best practices around the US and the world?
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, our Transit Master Plan Briefing Book has something for you! With eight different chapters that cover the questions above and many more, the Briefing Book is a high-level snapshot of the state of the Seattle transit environment. It describes the system’s current condition and projects future conditions through a travel and transit market analysis.
The briefing book also summarizes the feedback that the project team received from our advisory groups, stakeholder interviews and other early outreach efforts. It examines pedestrian and bicycle connections to transit, considers the important relationship between land use and transit, and provides examples of policies that prioritize transit services.
Brought to you as part of the Walk Bike Ride effort, the briefing book is an excellent resource that provides a foundation for Seattle’s Transit Master Plan. Take a few minutes to learn a little more about transit by visiting the project Web site …and don’t forget to tell us what you think!
Last month’s Walk Bike Rider E-newsletter has info about changes that happened in early February to thirty bus routes that serve downtown. So if you’ve noticed your bus isn’t at the same stop….we can help you find it.
Or consider these savvy tips in the newsletter: One elevator connects light rail directly to the monorail. An elevator in the northeast section of the Westlake Transit Station connects directly to the Monorail station in the Westlake Mall. It also stops at street level under the monorail station for easy transfers to buses and streetcar.
Or… Get to the slopes by bus or Zipcar. Between Seattle Ski Shuttle and the Crystal Mountain Express Bus by Gray Line, you can go from Seattle to Crystal Mountain, the Summit at Snoqualmie or Alpental. Another option is one of Zipcar’s six AWD Subarus with a roof rack for skis/snowboards, tire chains and a state Sno-Park pass. 
Click here to subscribe. The Walk Bike Rider is your monthly newsletter with quick tools, information and inspiration to help you walk, bike and use transit. Subscribing is quick, and you may unsubscribe any time.
Great cities have great public spaces, such as Millennium Park in Chicago, and Seattle is no different. The redeveloped Waterfront will be Seattle’s new ‘front porch’ – a place where there is something for everyone: from parks and public spaces, to streets that balance all uses, opportunities to enjoy the water’s edge, places for walking and biking, public art and more.
Signifying the start of the project’s design process, James Corner will serve as keynote speaker for the event, providing a 30-minute presentation at 7 p.m. that outlines what he sees as the project’s big opportunities and challenges in this stage of the design process. Following will be opportunities for the public to provide comment and, ideas, and interact with the City and Project teams.
Help shape Seattle’s future waterfront by visiting www.waterfrontseattle.org and taking a quick eight-question survey from the design team, which will help them create Seattle’s new waterfront. Be sure to RSVP for the event after completing the survey.
Thursday February 17, 2011
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Seattle Aquarium
1483 Alaskan Way
Seattle, WA 98101
