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A Vibrant Seattle Through Transportation Excellence.

Getting roads and sidewalks ready for school. Communities lend a hand (or a #SharedShovel) to help reopen schools on Thursday.

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Community members, Walter and Undra were out shoveling and salting curb ramps and sidewalks in front of their homes and near the church across the street.

Today was all hands on deck – we need all the help we can get! Parents and kids, local businesses, faith communities, community groups and organizations, and neighbors, joined our effort to shovel local sidewalks near elementary schools. This was a great opportunity to meet and bond with neighbors.

 

While the weather looked better today, we’re expecting more freezing temps tonight. The snowy slush you walked, rode, and drove on may become ice by morning. Our crews are still out in droves, 24/7, on 12-hour shifts to clear city roads before tonight’s freeze. And while we don’t mean to keep reminding everybody, we think it’s important that you should know the dedication behind the care for the great city we live in.

 

Our teams have not stopped working since before the first snowflake.

 

Our main city roads are clear but many wet so we continue to pre-treat the critical routes to prevent ice from forming overnight. We’re also clearing many neighborhood streets around town, especially the ones that lead to schools so that they’ll be safe for families by morning.  

Before and after glamor shots of neighbors across Seattle clearing their walkways for pedestrians.

Clearing the way for safe routes to school.

Our goal is to do everything we can to ensure safe routes for kids if the school district reopens tomorrow.

Many City department directors and staff from the mayor’s office demonstrating #OperationSharedShovel at Graham Hill Elementary on Wednesday afternoon.

We’re working closely with Seattle Public Schools to make sure that roads around schools are safe to drive, ride, and walk on. The district provided us with a list of nine public schools needing the most help:

  • Cascadia Elementary School,
  • Graham Hill Elementary,
  • Olympic View Elementary,
  • Eagle Staff/Cascadia,
  • Sacajawea,
  • View Ridge,
  • Wedgwood,
  • Thornton Creek, and
  • Decatur.

While these schools have been our priority, we’ve also been working in other areas of town too. We’ve:

 

Plowed near schools.

Crews and contractors have plowed many side streets within a three-block radius of these schools.

 

Cleared sidewalks near schools.

Hand crews, with the support from additional teams from other Seattle City Departments: Seattle Parks and Recreation, Seattle Public Utilities, and Finance and Administrative Services, focused on clearing sidewalks leading to schools.  

Community members, Dan and Daryl cleared the way for peds for their families and their neighbors.

 

Our goal is to do our part to help get the roads ready for school, but ultimately the decision about whether or not to reopen will be up to the Seattle Public School district and will be based on many factors besides just the condition of the roadways.  

Community members across the cities were out clearing, salting, and shoveling snow to clear walkways, sidewalks, curb ramps, and storm drains. Pictured: Community members Undra and Walter.

 

If you haven’t done so yet, please help the city-wide effort of #SharedShovel by shoveling your sidewalks, curb ramps, driveways, and storm drains. 

Sam Zimbabwe, SDOT Director, helped clear walkways and storm drains near Graham Hill Elementary.

Many City department directors and staff from the mayor’s office demonstrating #OperationSharedShovel at Graham Hill Elementary on Wednesday afternoon.

 

Why don’t we plow every street in the city? 

We’re doing our best to clear the streets that we can plow safely, but there are many challenges that make it impossible to clear every single street.  

Many streets are just too narrow for us to plow safely, especially when cars are parked on both sides of the street. There’s not always room for plows to get through without damaging cars or blocking them in behind piles of snow. So it’s simply not possible to plow these roads without also towing all the parked cars.  

We’re also doing our best to reopen streets on hills which were closed due to ice and snow. But this also presents challenges because some of these roads are too steep to safely operate a plow in icy conditions.  

 

Learn more about our #WinterWeatherResponse.

Learn more about our city-wide #WinterWeatherResponse. Visit our website. Download our full winter weather brochure for winter weather tips and our plow map – available in the following languages:

See where our plows have been.

 

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Say what, now? Learn how to talk #WinterWeatherResponse nerd speak.

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Hi, I’m a skid steer.

 

Sometimes we talk nerd.

From time to time, we SDOTTERS have been known to speak in some really ridiculous technical nerd transportation speak that resembles what most would think might be an alien language👽 but really – English. During our #WinterWeatherResponse, our operations team go full throttle with strange words that may or may not mean anything to some who just wants to know what the heck is up with your wonderfully plowed PBLs (protected bike lanes)!😁

 

Psst, we’ve plowed our city’s fabulous bike lanes! See where we’ve been here.

 

We don’t mean to, Seattle! So to #justdobetter (haha!) and in an effort to speak more clearly, and also help you up your snow response lingo game, we’ve curated an assortment of familiar and not-so-familiar words to de-code SDOT operations update.  

 

We know you’re secretly a nerd at heart. So – here – you – go.

 

Salts 101:

Anti-icing

Anti-icing is an application of enhanced (we’re so fancy) salt brine (Magnesium Chloride, defined below) to specified city streets when a winter weather event is forecasted. Anti-icing is the pre-treatment snow crews use to prevent ice from bonding to the pavement and allows for easier removal.

 

Brine

Brine is a mix of rock salt and Magnesium Chloride, dissolved in water and sprayed on the road as anti-icing or pre-wetting measures.

 

De-icing

De-icing is an application of salt on top of snow and/or ice after it has accumulated. De-icing accelerates the melting of snow and ice that has already accumulated on city streets.  

 

Magnesium Chloride

Magnesium Chloride is the newest de-icing salt. It continues to melt snow and ice until the temperature reaches -13 F. The salt releases 40 percent less chloride into the environment that either rock salt or Calcium Chloride.  

 

Snow Routes 101: 

Gold Routes

We established service level goals within our 2018-2019 Snow and Ice Plan. Gold Routes provide regional connections. Our main goal with Gold Routes is to achieve wet and bare pavement for all travel lanes within 12 hours of a significant lull in the storm.  

 

Fun fact: Approximately 476 lane miles of Gold Level streets are located within the city.  

 

Emerald Routes

Emerald routes provide citywide connections. Our Emerald Route goal is to plow and maintain snow and ice-free pavement for one lane in each direction within 12 hours of a significant lull in the storm.  

 

Fun fact:  Approximately 650 lane miles of Emerald Level streets are located within the city.

 

Check out the winter weather response map to see all the Emerald and Gold routes and get the inside scoop on Seattle’s snow and ice street network.

 

Snow Equipment 101: 

Hi, I’m a grader.

Grader

A grader is a vehicle that plows, like the one pictured above.

 

Skid Steer

A skid steer is a smaller plowing vehicle for tight areas like protected bike lanes (PBLs). Big shout out to our partners at the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreations who are helping our amazing transportation crews clear PBLs! 

 

Plows

A plow is a general term for all plowing vehicle equipment.  

 

Snowblower

A snow blower is a machine that clears fallen snow by blowing it to the side. 

 

Hand Crews

Hand crews are people who shovel snow by hand (thank you hand crews!)  

 

Boom – there you have it! We dub thee a transportation nerd!

 

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SNOW & ICE IN SEATTLE — It takes a city!

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Yep! We’re in for more snow.

Snow in Seattle – it doesn’t happen often, but when it does (“Yaaay – snow days!” said all the kids in Seattle), it can impact our transportation system and the way we all get around. In Seattle, some winters bring heavy snowfall and other years see no snow accumulation at all.

 

What’s up with our weather?

A weather phenomenon called the Puget Sound Convergence Zone causes some parts of the city to get inches of snow, while other parts get rain or even sun.

Visit the National Weather Service for the latest forecasts. Also, a heads up – cold temperatures and more snow are in the forecast for the rest of this week.

We might see more snow showers persisting through Monday with a 10-percent chance of snow Thursday evening, increasing to 50 percent chance Friday day with new snow accumulation of less than 1/2 inch.

 

We’re committed to working hard for you!

When winter weather brings precipitation and freezing temperatures, our team go on high alert. We commit to using all the tools possible to make sure the people of Seattle and our interagency partners are fully informed and involved in our snow response. If you’re curious about the work our crews have accomplished during this year’s winter weather like how:

  • We’ve developed a snow and ice response plan that’s made for Seattle’s weather to keep major streets open and passable to the greatest extent possible.
  • We plow major streets, which are the most important for getting to major institutions such as hospitals and schools; police, fire trucks, and buses; and streets leading to Seattle’s major employers. Read up on it in our recent blog post.
  • We work together with King County Metro to keep bus routes as clear of snow and ice as possible. The goal is to enable people to get around the city by bus, making it easier to leave your cars at home. Learn more on King County Metro’s Winter Weather page.

 

It takes a village city!

It really does take a city to help clear the way of snow and ice. Although we wish we can be omnipresent at all times, we rely on businesses and residents across Seattle to keep their sidewalks clear of snow and ice to make sure people can travel on sidewalks safely. If you can, please help a neighbor who might not be able to clear their sidewalks. Clearing snow before it turns to ice is best, and having a bag of street salt on hand is a good winter-preparedness move.

 Title 15 of the Seattle Municipal Code calls on property owners and contractors to clear, clean, or repair the public right-of-way adjacent to their property.
Caring for sidewalks and other rights-of-way (ROW) next to private property is the responsibility of the property owner or contractor working at the adjacent job site. More information on property owners’ responsibilities can be found on our website.

 

Access for people walking and biking is a priority for us.

What about sidewalks on bridges, bike lanes, or other areas where there’s not an adjacent property owner?

Access for people walking and biking is a priority for us during our winter weather response efforts. Our crews will monitor and identify bike lanes and sidewalks on gold and emerald routes to ensure they are clear as providing access for emergency responders and freight and transit are our primary access. Other priorities include sidewalks and paths across bridges and bike lanes leading to and through downtown.

 

Let us know!

While our crews are out plowing, salting, and patrolling the city (around the clock) to identify trouble spots and treat them, if you’re noticing sidewalks on bridges, bike lanes, or other streets that need a bit of attention, please let us know through the Find It, Fix It app, by emailing 684-ROAD@seattle.gov, or by calling 206.684.ROAD.

We’ll let our crews know as they continue to patrol the city, and they’ll work to identify priority locations to get them addressed in a timely manner. We appreciate your patience as our crews perform this work across the city – it’s a big job!

Read more about SDOT’s Winter Weather Response here. 

 

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WE’RE READY: The coldest air of the season arrives this Sunday w/a chance for snow.

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SDOT snow plows

We might finally see some snow this weekend.

Does anyone else think that winter has been a month off this season? Starting this Sunday, February 3 until the middle of next week, we’re expected to have the coldest air of the season. Here’s what the National Weather Service is predicting:

 

SATURDAY: 🌦️ Lingering shower.

SUNDAY: 🌨️/🌧️ Scattered showers, some snow may mix in, north of Seattle. There’s a potential for snow showers in all areas Sunday night.

MONDAY: 🌨️ Chance of snow showers, mainly during the morning hours, Seattle south.

 

We’ve prepared our snow and ice equipment & the plans are set – we’re ready!

Salt – winter weather preparations

We’ve been monitoring conditions and following weather reports and do so around the clock/ 24-hours a day all year long with a direct line to the National Weather Service and live Doppler radar feeds.

Our crews will go on 12-hour shifts beginning Sunday, February 3, at noon. We’ll have about 33 trucks per shift pretreating the roadways. 

Loader pours salt into the back of an SDOT truck.

 

Our commitment:

SDOT snow and ice team

Our goal is to achieve bare and wet pavement on snow and ice routes within 12 hours after a significant lull in the storm.

We commit to using all the tools at our disposal to make sure the people of Seattle and our interagency partners are fully informed and involved in our snow response. We work together with Metro to keep bus routes as clear of snow and ice as possible. The goal is to enable people to get around the city by bus, making it easier to leave their cars at home.

We plow the busiest streets that connect Seattle’s neighborhoods and the greater Puget Sound region. These are routes to hospitals, schools, and major employers but also streets that are frequently used by first responders and buses.

 

Plan your trip + some safety tips.

During major winter storms, plan your trip by seeing where the snow plows have been and viewing traffic cameras. View the interactive Winter Weather Response Map

Know the routes on the Winter Weather snow and ice route map.

Follow us on Twitter at @SDOTtraffic for real-time traffic updates.

 

✔️ Drivers

If you need to drive, please take extra care when traveling, and if possible avoid commuting in the snow. Drivers have some special responsibilities. If driving is unavoidable, you’re responsible for outfitting your cars for winter weather, including chains or other traction devices.

 

✔️ Safety

Look out for each other. If you’re driving, be extra mindful of pedestrians and people biking. If you’re walking or biking, make sure you can see and be seen. We have safety lights if you need any! Let us know. Drivers, be sure to turn your headlights on.

 

✔️ Trains, buses, & ferries

If you are plan on using the bus, train, or ferry, know before you go:

  • See the latest information on Metro’s blog. They’ll keep their eye on the King County Metro Transit commute from 6-9 AM and again from 3-7 PM and will post about service disruptions.
  • Follow Metro’s RSS feed for real-time updates, bookmark their blog, or visit the Metro Online website for additional information and services.
  • If you take the train, find Sound Transit alerts and information here.
  • For Ferry info, please visit Washington State Ferries’ Travel Alert Bulletins, Kitsap Transit’s Fast Ferry, and/or WSDOT’s ferries site regarding your ferry commute.

You can also follow:

 

✔️ Outages

If you notice a downed power line, DO NOT touch or approach it. Please report downed wires or outages to Seattle City Light at 206.684.7400. Check out City Light’s outage map and tips for what to do when your power goes out. When traffic lights are out, treat the intersection as a 4-way stop. You can also stay connected, even when the power is out by downloading Puget Sound Energy’s (PSE) mobile app, to track and report power outages in your neighborhood and check status and estimated restoration times, all in the palm of your hand. Follow PSE on Twitter.

 

✔️ Fallen trees or branches

If you notice fallen trees or other debris blocking streets or sidewalks, contact our 24-hour dispatch crews at 206.386.1218.

 

✔️ Park facilities

Park programs and facilities may be affected. Please check the @SeattleParks Twitter channel, blog, and/or website.

 

✔️ Winter storm planning

For information on planning for the winter storm season, like what you should include in your emergency preparedness kit, check out Take Winter By Storm, our multi-agency preparedness site. For the latest emergency notifications, sign up for Alert Seattle to get alerts via text, tweet, and more. You can also follow the National Weather Service Seattle’s Twitter.

 

Learn about our Winter Weather Response.

Check out our Winter Weather Response webpage for a winter weather response map, winter weather brochure, and snow route map. Learn about our winter environment and what to expect if it snows.

 

We’re ready!

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#SeattleSqueezeAlert – More Changes to Seattle’s Streets Beginning February 1

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Image credit: Chun Kwan. SR 99 Alaskan Way Viaduct 2019. Looking north.

Preparing for more changes to traffic patterns downtown.

As we say #GoodbyeViaduct and hello to the new SR #99Tunnel, we’re preparing for more changes to traffic patterns downtown. Read on for details about:

  • The Battery Street closing for good.
  • Planning ahead for the Aurora Ave N detour and construction impacts.
  • Temporary parking restrictions and uniformed police officers – keeping transit and emergency responders moving.
  • Lane changes – be prepared for changes to your commute.

We’re almost there! When the new SR 99 tunnel opens, which is on schedule to open before the morning commute Monday, February 4, traffic patterns will change as travelers encounter this new tunnel and new route options. This will affect everyone who travels to and through downtown Seattle, even if you’re not using the tunnel!

WSDOT’s website for the new SR 99 tunnel, www.99tunnel.com, is your best resource for learning all about the new tunnel. Watch these videos that show you how to use the new tunnel and how connections to downtown will be different. Check it out!

Read on to learn about some upcoming street changes and actions we’re taking to keep people and goods moving safely, including reconfiguring key streets and restricting parking downtown.

 

Bye-bye, Battery Street Tunnel!

This photo shows the three streets – Harrison, Thomas, and John – that will be reconnected as part of the #Realign99 work.

The Battery Street Tunnel will close for good at 10 PM on Friday, February 1. The tunnel is vulnerable to earthquakes, just like the Alaskan Way Viaduct (it’s over 60 years old!), and continuing to use it for any purpose would cost lots of money in restorations and repairs. Additionally, closing the Battery Street Tunnel allows us to “reconnect” streets at the north end of the tunnel that was previously cut off by the approach to the tunnel. Over the next year and a half, John Street and Thomas Street will be reconnected, and Aurora Avenue North rebuilt between Harrison Street and Denny Way. Learn more about the project here!

 

Plan ahead: Aurora Ave N detour and construction impacts.

Traffic Detours: Between Friday, February 1 at 10 PM and the opening of the new SR 99 tunnel, traffic will be detoured off of Aurora Ave N at Valley Street. Please note that 5th Ave N will be closed for Saturday’s Tunnel to Viaduct 8K Run/Walk from 7 AM until the end of the event. Please be aware of these changes to traffic and plan ahead if you’ll be heading either northbound or southbound on Aurora Ave N.

Temporary parking restrictions and uniformed police officers – Keeping transit and emergency responders moving!

During the #Realign99 closure, we restricted parking in key locations and placed uniformed police officers at specific intersections to keep traffic moving and to make room for transit and emergency responders. Since traffic patterns will again be changing when the tunnel opens, we are continuing to restrict parking and keep UPOs in certain locations to maintain that capacity.

The parking restrictions will continue from February 4 for up to two weeks. The parking restrictions are from 6 AM to 7 PM, Monday – Friday.

The uniformed police officer locations are also in place Monday-Friday and will be stationed during the peak morning and evening commute periods: 6 – 10 AM, and 3 – 7 PM.

Click here to view our flyer: Seattle Squeeze Alert – Parking Restrictions and Uniformed Police Officer Locations

Lane Changes – Be prepared for changes to your commute.

Tunnel is open, single NB off-ramp near stadiums still closed.

We reconfigured lanes around downtown to make space for transit and freight vehicles during the Realign 99 closure.

This included a temporary bus-only lane on the Spokane St Viaduct and 4thAve S. This bus lane will remain in place until the new northbound SR 99 off-ramp to S. Dearborn St opens, which will open about one week after the new SR 99 tunnel opens.

We also installed freight and transit-only lane on Alaskan Way during the closure, which will be removed this weekend between February 2 – 3.

Visit King County Metro’s Get Ready site to view bus routes once the new tunnel opens.

We are striping a bus-only lane on Cherry St between 1stand 3rd Ave to keep transit moving eastbound once the S Dearborn St northbound off-ramp from SR 99 is in place.

Now that buses will not be traveling on the Alaskan Way Viaduct, this dedicated bus lane allows these bus lines to keep people moving quickly and efficiently through downtown.

  • This work is scheduled to occur the weekend of February 9 – 10 at the latest but may occur during the week of February 4 to ensure that crews have good weather to restripe this lane. If work occurs over the weekend, it will begin at 5 AM. If work occurs during a weekday, work will begin at 3 AM to be completed before the peak morning commute period begins at 6 AM. Work will take up to two hours and impacts to traffic will be minimal.

 

Why are we making these changes?

These changes are going to make travel times more reliable and help keep people moving during this time of increased traffic. By installing temporary and permanent changes to Seattle’s streets, we will keep transit and vehicle travel reliable and improve our emergency response times as responders address incidents downtown.

 

What does this mean for you?

On-street parking options downtown will be limited. People, businesses, schools, manufacturers, and many others rely on the timely delivery of products and goods, and we want to ensure they move as predictably and efficiently as possible.

If you need to drive, plan ahead and be prepared for your new route and parking locations downtown. Use the Seattle Parking Map to make a plan before you leave. Keep our Vision Zero goal in mind, follow the rules, take a deep breath and travel safely.

This is a great time to try a new commute! Try transit, biking, walking, carpooling or vanpools. View our Tools page at www.seattle.gov/traffic for helpful resources.

We recognize the impacts that parking restrictions can have on local businesses, and we’re here to provide support during this time. We’ll closely monitor our downtown streets to confirm traffic is moving smoothly and adjust as needed. If you have any concerns, please contact our Customer Care Center team at 684-ROAD@seattle.gov or call (206) 684-ROAD.

We’re working hard to make sure we’re keeping people and goods moving safely and efficiently, and we appreciate your patience and understanding as we all adjust to this new normal.

Notice of future impacts related to the closure of SR 99 and other projects impacting traffic during the Seattle Squeeze are posted to our blog at www.seattle.gov/traffic. 

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Meet Sam, SDOT’s new director!

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Welcome, Sam!

Monday marked the first day on the job for SDOT’s new director, Sam Zimbabwe. Here’s a snip from his first email to the City team:

Thank you for welcoming me so enthusiastically to Seattle! I can’t express what an honor it is to be a part of this internationally recognized transportation agency and have the opportunity to work with all of you. Seattle is one of the coolest cities in America and one of the best places to live, work, play, and travel. Thanks to SDOT’s commitment to a strong mission and to your remarkable achievements, all eyes look to Seattle as a transportation leader.
– Sam Zimbabwe

The entire City transportation team is thrilled to welcome Sam and eagerly anticipates his leadership in advancing our mission of delivering a high-quality transportation system for Seattle. Since Mayor Jenny Durkan announced his selection in December, we’ve been excited to get to know him. Sam is learning quickly and has been enthusiastically meeting staff, learning about key projects and programs, and helping us plan future priorities.

 

He’s a multimodal leader for all.

Sam comes to SDOT from Washington, DC, where he served in senior management positions at the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) for the past 7 years, first as the Associate Director for Policy, Planning & Sustainability. He moved on to become DDOT’s first Chief Project Delivery Officer, responsible for transportation planning, capital project design and construction, traffic engineering and signals, and transit service delivery.

Prior to joining DDOT, Sam was the Director of the Center for Transit-Oriented Development, a national nonprofit partnership dedicated to leveraging transit investments to preserve and create equitable communities.

Sam also has a background in urban design and transportation planning and spent five years working for urban design and architecture firms in the San Francisco Bay Area. Sam holds a master’s degree in City Planning from the University of California, Berkeley and a bachelor’s degree in Urban and Regional Studies from Cornell University.

 

He’s a quick study.

Sam will absorb an enormous amount of information in the next several weeks as he learns about Seattle. He’ll be getting to know staff throughout the organization as he meets with City teams and departments over the next month to get an overview of SDOT’s work program. He’ll also be meeting with residents and businesses to understand their multimodal transportation challenges.

TO Team SDOT: Your contributions to helping me get up to speed will be invaluable. I deeply appreciate all the time and energy staff have already contributed—and will continue to dedicate—to help me get the lay of the land so that I might lead the department in a manner that will make you and Seattle proud.  – Sam Zimbabwe

 

Sam is committed to fulfilling the SDOT mission.

Sam is committed to fulfilling the mission of delivering a high-quality transportation system. In his first year as a director, his goals for himself and SDOT can be captured in six broad areas:

 

Getting to know Seattle.

Sam plans to immerse himself in the city and get to know it well by hearing from residents, modal boards, community groups, and other stakeholders – and by learning about the past as much as about plans for the future.

 

Getting to know SDOT.

Sam plans to get to know the agency from top to bottom while he works to identify any additional changes necessary to ensure we can meet Levy and ongoing program commitments.

 

Maintaining downtown mobility.

The Seattle Squeeze is well underway with the permanent closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Sam understands this is one of many changes we’ll face with respect to moving in and around downtown Seattle over the next few years. While we’ve now operationalized plans to mitigate traffic impacts, Sam will also work over the next year to make sure we’re doing all we can to provide safe, efficient, affordable options for today while continuing to create a mobility framework for the future.

 

Delivering on Levy and other capital project commitments.

We have more major capital investments underway than at any time in SDOT’s history, including the Move Seattle commitments and the Center City Connector Streetcar. Sam understands the challenges these projects have faced. Over the next year, we’ll need to follow through on our promise for more openness and transparency as we continue building the public’s trust in our ability to deliver projects, large and small.

 

Working with partner agencies to continue improving transit in Seattle.

The next year will see some critical decisions for how Seattle and the region invest in public transportation. Seattle’s success is tied to public transportation, and this region is building, operating, and riding transit in ways the rest of the country envies.

Sam knows that working collaboratively with partners will be essential as we determine the ST3 Locally Preferred Alternatives and the future of the Seattle Transportation Benefit District. We’ll also be working through the upcoming changes from the ST2 light rail buildout while continuing to shape how people interact with our public transportation system on a daily basis.

 

Improving our delivery of the basics.

SDOT is fundamentally a service delivery organization. While we’re building for the future, we must also deliver on the present day-to-day needs of Seattle residents and visitors to get around the city safely and efficiently. Over the next year, Sam plans to understand where we are performing well, where we need to improve, and what changes are necessary to strengthen our delivery of services and our capacity to maintain, improve, and safely operate today’s system.

 

Zimbabwe – a strong foundation of stone.

Did you know that Zimbabwe derives from the Shona name for an ancient town believed to mean “large houses of stone?” Great Zimbabwe was such an important part of its national identity that the country in southern Africa was named for the historic town. Obviously, Zimbabwe is also Sam’s last name; when he and his wife got married they combined the beginnings of each of their four family surnames to form the name “Zimbabwe” — and thereby established their new home and family on a “strong foundation of stone.” Sam looks to bring the same foundation to SDOT as we work together to build the city of the future.

 

Welcome to SDOT, Sam!

 

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Monday, Feb 4: We’re closing the west side of the 23rd Ave S & S Judkins St intersection.

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We’re placing conduit. Here’s what you can expect.

As the initial closure of the east side of the intersection wraps up, we’ll be moving to the west side of the 23rd Ave S and S Judkins St intersection on Monday, February 4. We will be digging a trenching across the intersection to place conduit. Once the conduit is in, we will back-fill the hole. We will need to close that side of the intersection at least one more time to pour the permanent concrete. Please expect this first closure to last about one to two weeks.

 

Why do you keep the west side of the intersection open?

One question we continue to hear is, why can’t we keep the west side of the intersection open? The short answer is there isn’t enough room for the workers to work and cars to go by. It’s not safe for you as a motorist and it’s not safe for our contractors. The good news is that the closure is temporary and there are alternate routes to get in and out of the west side of the neighborhood (see map below).

We appreciate your patience. If you have any questions, please send an email to 23rdAveCorridor@Seattle.gov.

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Here are the #SeattleSqueeze numbers you’ve been waiting for.

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WSDOT Photo: View from the new SR 99 off-ramp near the stadiums.

 

One week down, Seattle.

We made it through our first week of the #SeattleSqueeze and the #Realign99 closure.

We’re making history and we think it’s important that you know this – that you, we, us, we’re all part of this epic Seattle transportation story. And whilst you’re sitting on the brand new Seattle waterfront in all its seaside people-watching glory, you’ll start to tell stories about the days when Seattle had a viaduct along the waterfront and how we, as a region, worked together to get through one of the longest closures of a major highway.

 

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We’re still going!

Remember: keep up your new commutes! We still have over two weeks until the new SR 99 tunnel opens, and it is going to take everyone’s help to change your transportation habits so that we keep people and goods moving safely and efficiently during the Seattle Squeeze.

 

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We’ve rallied. We’ve changed how we travel.

Many of us who travel to and from downtown Seattle made small to large changes that have resulted in some seriously incredible travel numbers. While many are taking to walking, biking, taking transit/ferries, and sharing rides, others who were able to worked away from their offices. All of our collective actions resulted in these fascinating numbers that we’re about to share with you.

 

Helping you get through this era of tough traffic are many people taking action behind the scenes. These are your City leaders and departments and partnering agencies and organizations who vigorously planned, anticipated, and are working together to create a unified transportation system that gets you where you need to go safely and efficiently at all times. As you read this, there are countless men and women working around the clock – many even while you sleep – to make sure the transportation system is moving.

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Now, here are the stats.

What you’ve been waiting for: here are the latest transportation stats from the first week of the #SeattleSqueeze.

 

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Seattle Department of Transportation

 

. BIKING .

The following bike counts reflect Saturday, January 12 to Wednesday, January 16. We took a look at our numbers from this time last year in 2018 and compared them to our numbers for 2019, and we’ve seen ridership numbers increase across the board! Please note that we are comparing this year’s Monday to last year’s Monday, which fell on Martin Luther King Jr Day, a major national holiday.

2nd Avenue 

2nd Ave

 

Fremont Bridge  

Fremont Bridge

Spokane Street Bridge

Spokane St Bridge

Thanks to everyone who is choosing to commute by bike during the #Realign99 closure. Keep it up!

Read our blog post about biking during the SR 99 closure here!

. BIKE SHARE .

Bike share is a popular option during the SR 99 closure!

Jump has expanded to over 800 available bikes as of today! Since launching in November 2018, they’ve seen an increase in weekly ridership, with over 2,600 rides during their first week of service and over 3,000 rides in the first week of January. Jump has expanded to cover all of West Seattle and South Seattle, and it is waiving the $1 unlock fee between January 11 and February 15.

Lime is expanding as well – they had over 4,500 bikes available as of today! Lime continues to cover all of Seattle and, starting January 9, has been offering $1 off all rides beginning in West Seattle with the promo code PMCLIME.

 

. MYTRIPS .

Curious about what City employees are doing to squeeeeeeze? Our City leaders are leading the way by creating alternative work guidelines and a telecommuting pilot for employees during the #Realign99 closure.

Over 56 percent of City employees and about 80 percent of our team who are located downtown have logged into MyTrips, the City’s commute tracking software. 15 percent of all employees are recording trips to the MyTrips Commute Calendar in January, up from 11 percent in November – December 2018. We’re working hard, just like you, to shift our commutes to keep traffic moving downtown!

 

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WA State Department of Transportation

Read WSDOT’s Blog on their Alaskan Way Viaduct project website for the latest updates on the #Realign99 closure.

Follow WSDOT on Facebook and Twitter for the latest construction news!

 

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King County Metro

Read King County Metro’s Blog, Metro Matters, for the latest updates on ridership numbers on King County Metro buses, water taxi, and carpool/vanpool users.

You can also follow King Country Metro on Facebook and Twitter!

 

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Sound Transit

 

Read Sound Transit’s Blog, The Platform, for the latest updates on ridership numbers on Sound Transit buses, Link Light Rail, and Sounder Trains.

You can also follow Sound Transit on Facebook and Twitter!

 

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Community Transit

Read Community Transit’s News Releases for the latest updates on ridership numbers on Snohomish County transit.

You can also follow Community Transit on Twitter or on their Community Transit Blog!

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Want more info?

For information, tools, current traffic, and resources for all things #SeattleSqueeze, visit our website!

 

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TOP 6 things you can do to avoid #SeattleSqueeze traffic.

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Image result for viaduct closure seattle

We’re day six in the #Realign99 Alaskan Way Viaduct closure and here’s how traffic has been:

 

Friday: meh, great final drive and fireworks . . .
Monday: not totally unbearable.
Tuesday: much worse than Monday.
Wednesday: worse than Tuesday.
Thursday: who knows? But you can make help make a difference.

 

Over the next three weeks or so, the City of Seattle and the region will continue to feel the effects of the Alaska Way Viaduct. This major connection of the State Route 99, which served as a trusted daily route through the City of Seattle for millions since 1954 is gone forever (insert tear), as part of the Washington State Department of Transportation’s work to #Realign99.

As we await the opening of the brand-new tunnel, the traveling public still needs to travel but more conservatively. For now, the best way to maintain Seattle’s transportation system and traffic flow is by reducing the number of vehicles on the road in downtown Seattle.

Now for some us, this is an easy fix. But for others, work, family, health, and other life circumstances simply won’t allow for such an adjustment, which is why those who can must do their part to help maintain traffic flow and be a good neighbor to fellow Seattleites and King County neighbors who must hit the road each day, with no exceptions.

 

TOP 6 List 

“Things you can do to avoid traffic, plus help those who can’t.”

1. Be an Early Bird: Leave home early. Consider leaving at least an hour earlier during the morning commute.

2. Be a homebody: Work from home. If your employer is amenable, give it a go.Image result for telework

3. Get in Earlier or Later: Alter your work schedule. Check with your employer to see if you can arrive to work earlier and so you can leave earlier. Or the opposite. Schedule that happy hour with friends!

4. Travel in a group: Carpool with friends and neighbors. Organize a group going in the same direction during the week to take one vehicle. We have a list of bike and car share and carpool partners on our website.

Image by Waze Carpool via http://bit.ly/2QOxekp

5. Be multimodal: The possibilities are endless. Map out various ways to get there with a combination of walking to public transit, biking to public transit, park and ride and maybe reverse it all in the right order and transportation mode that works for you.


6. Take a post-holiday vacation. You deserve it!

For more tips and tools, visit our website!

 

 

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Squeezing in the rain. What’s a little water?

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When it comes to the rain, Seattleites say,

“what rain?” 

As IF we had enough sunshine, the rain is back in the forecast for the rest of the week. #NoBigDeal riiight? For a lot of us – it’s not a big deal. But for another lot of us who are taking a new mode to get around (perhaps by feet, bike, or transit) during the #SeattleSqueeze, you might need a little encouragement and a plan – we can help with that! What’s a little water, anyway?😙

We’re hearing a lot of positive feedback coming in through our social spheres about people’s first commute of the #Realign99 closure. Super awesome! Buuut (oh no, not the but!), our WSDOT partners say that folks tend to lose their steam and return to their pre-closure routine and as a result = higher volumes of traffic soon follow that first couple of amazing commute days. Let Wayne Campbell tell/show you how it works: 😁😆😂🤣

If you’re one of the new proud road peddlers or pavement trekkers, here are a few tips:

 

Be road wise.

Allow for extra time. When the rain returns, the roadways can become all the slicker because of accumulated surface oil mixed with the first return of rain. Take it slow when walking or riding. Be road wise! Plan out your walk or bike path to where you want to go. Now might not be the best time to blaze a new unfamiliar trail. We have online maps if you care to take a gander. Our walking map is designed to help Seattle residents and visitors choose a walking route that best suits their interests and fitness level and our bike maps show where our bike facilities are like:

  • Protected bike lane
  • Bike lane/climbing lane
  • Multi-use trails
  • Neighborhood Greenways
  • Sharrows

BIKE and WALK MAP. Take a look!

 

Be gear wise.

Image by REI via http://bit.ly/2ssznbw.

Plan ahead. This tip is an easy one. So you know it’s going to rain. Pack a lightweight waterproof shell for both your upper and lower body. This way, if it rains for your commute, you’re ready to go. Switchback Travel just released their top rain jackets of 2019. Also, if you have no idea where to start with rainwear, REI has a helpful writeup about rainwear basics – How to choose rainwear. Start here and slowly begin adding to your rain gear. For now, this is a good start and you don’t have to spend a fortune gearing up. Don’t forget, you can always grab cheap gear at a second-hand store.

 

Be safety wise.

We can’t stress it enough, no matter if you’re walking or biking, light yourself up! Being seen is key especially when it’s a double doozy like a.) being a dark winter month and b.) low visibility with rain. Help yourself to some #FREE ped/bike lights we have here at the transportation mothership (SDOT). We have both white steady lights for the front of your bike or body and red flashing ones for the back. We care about you, so get your free lights already. Contact our Vision Zero team.

Also, pretty please, if you’re planning to ride your bike or a bike share, please, pleeeease wear a helmet. Statistically, if you live in Seattle, odds are you’re one of the brightest people in America, so protect that brain!

One last thing, don’t be afraid to be #SeattleForward, make eye-contact with other fellow humans on various modes. It’s ok, look them in the eye, give them a wave, throw them the peace sign.

Whether you love it or hate it (or love to hate it?), Seattle wouldn’t be Seattle without our grey rainy days. We got this, Seattle. It’s time to #Squeeze in the rain!

 

Resources

For all kinds of cool #SeattleSqueeze and #Realign 99 resources, check out our website:

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