The Two-Way Columbia St Transit Pathway is On Its Way!

September 26, 2019 by Molly Wright

We’re working with King County Metro to install a two-way transit pathway on Columbia St between Alaskan Way and 3rd Ave, opening to transit in early 2020. This pathway will support all-day transit service between West Seattle and downtown Seattle by creating an efficient and reliable route for buses to access the new Viaduct-free Alaskan Way in early 2020, relocating these routes from 1st Ave and 4^th Ave.

These changes are crucial to the next step in opening up the Waterfront for transit use and are the final step of the larger project to reconstruct Columbia St to accommodate two-way transit operation.

Here’s what you can expect.

Click here to download our Columbia St transit pathway flyer:

Two-Way Columbia Street Transit Improvements

Between 1st Ave and 2nd Ave:

The southern curb lane will be changed to a 24-hour bus-only lane to allow buses to travel eastbound on Columbia St.

The existing left turn only lane will be converted to a left turn plus through lane.

A new bus signal will be installed at Columbia St and 2nd Ave to keep the new eastbound buses moving.

Between 2nd Ave and 3rd Ave:

The southern curb lane will be changed to a 24-hour bus-only lane to allow eastbound buses on Columbia St to turn left onto 3rd Ave.

The existing westbound through lane adjacent to the new lane will be converted to a left turn plus through lane.

A new bus signal will be installed at Columbia St and 3rd Ave to manage the new left turning bus traffic.

Which buses will use the Columbia St Transit Pathway?

West Seattle, Burien, and neighboring area buses including the 21x, 37, 55, 56, 57, 113, 120, 121, 122, 123, 125, and the RapidRide C Line will use this new pathway.

West Seattle bus riders, we heard you about the extended travel times on 1st Ave through Pioneer Square this summer. Working with King County Metro, we moved southbound buses to 4th Ave S and temporarily moved northbound buses to that pathway while S Dearborn St was closed.

Northbound buses will remain on the 1st Ave pathway and southbound buses will remain on 4th Ave S until early 2020, when these buses will move to Alaskan Way and begin using this two-way transit pathway on Columbia St to access 3rd Ave.

Keeping buses reliable during the Seattle Squeeze.

Ensuring reliable transit in and out of downtown is a priority during the “Seattle Squeeze,” the period over the next five years as Seattle’s downtown continues to change to meet the needs of a growing city. Regional transportation partners including the Seattle Department of Transportation, the Washington State Department of Transportation, King County Metro, Sound Transit, and the Port of Seattle are all working together to keep people and goods moving safely to and through downtown.

Want more information?

Please contact Jonathan Dong, our Transit Spot Improvement Manager, at jonathan.dong@seattle.gov

The Anatomy of a Curb Ramp

September 18, 2019 by Kari Tupper

Completed curb ramps at E Republican and 16th Ave E

Curb ramps make our city more accessible for everyone, & they’re a high priority for our Maintenance Operations Division (MOD) Concrete Crews.

Pursuant to a Consent Decree, the City of Seattle builds at least 1250 curb ramps per year, and our MOD Concrete Crews complete a significant portion of that required total. Their goal for this year was to complete 300 ramps, and as of Friday, September 13, they’d exceeded their goal! They’ve installed 328 ramps and completed 6 retrofits , for a total of 334 ramps. They’ve done all this with a team of 57 regular concrete crew members and 10 temporary staff (all of them do many other kinds of concrete work, too). They also are supported by our asphalt crews, who assist with drivers and operators when needed.

Here’s a step-by-step guide for you.

Concrete crew member Alex Savini took some great photos documenting two curb ramp projects recently, and we’d like to share them with you, along with a step-by-step explanation of how curb ramps are built. These photos are from two sites: E Valley and 24th Ave E, and E Republican and 16th Ave E.

Step 1: demolishing the old sidewalk at E Valley St and 24th Ave E

Building a curb ramp is a complicated & multi-stage process.

After demolishing the old sidewalk, curb, and connecting structures, we clear and prep the area for the new curb ramp. Our crews form up the ramp, wings, sidewalk, and landing pad.

Forming up a new curb ramp

Once the forms are in place, we level and complete a rock base, which is then compacted. After this is finished, we’re ready for a forms inspection.

I Esponoza works on compacting the rock base at E Valley and 24th Ave E

Our team tackles challenges as they arise. Many of these curb ramps present design complexities & execution challenges.

In the case of this curb ramp at E Valley St and 24th Ave E, the ramp and sidewalk were adjacent to private property steps and other structures. When our projects connect to private property, we must obtain “right of access” to pour the ramp. In this situation, the ramp landing was at base of the homeowner’s steps.

Darryl Shears, I Espinoza, Savang Suth, and Alex Savini work on finishing the first pour

The process by which concrete is formed & poured varies by project.

In these photos, the ramp, wings and gutter were all poured at once. After that, the sidewalks around the ramp are completed. While the concrete is wet, team members score it.

Robert Pasquariello, Troy Perry, and I Espinoza score the sidewalk and landing pad

And now for the final steps!

After all the pours are complete, the concrete must cure completely over a 24-hour period before it can be walked on.

Bricks are placed on the warning tactile to hold it in place while the concrete cures

Finally, we replace the adjoining street surface (which may be cobblestone, asphalt, or concrete) so that the street meets the edge of the gutter smoothly.

The finished product at E Valley and 24th Ave E

We’re so proud of their great work! Our concrete crews are a committed team, and will continue on their mission to go above and beyond in building curb ramps throughout the fall.

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A critical safety project to replace the aging Fairview Ave N bridge kicks off construction next week.

September 16, 2019 by Molly Wright

Thousands of people travel on Fairview Ave N between South Lake Union and Eastlake every day without even realizing that they’re passing over Seattle’s last remaining major road on a wooden bridge. The road next to the historic Lake Union Steam Plant building just south of where Fairview Ave N splits off from Eastlake Ave E is held up by wooden posts built over 65 years ago which desperately need to be replaced. On Monday, September 23, this section of Fairview Ave N will close for approximately 18 months so that crews can rebuild this aging bridge which does not meet current seismic standards.

Your Move Seattle Levy tax dollars at work!

Peeking underneath the Fairview Ave N bridge, which will be rebuilt to improve safety and seismic vulnerability.

This critical public safety project will be funded by the Levy to Move Seattle passed by Seattle voters in 2015. The Levy will provide a $27 million investment in the Fairview Bridge Replacement project, which is one of three major bridge projects funded by the Move Seattle Levy. The Levy committed to replacing Seattle’s aging and seismically vulnerable Fairview Ave N bridge, improving safety and updating the street design to accommodate all people.

With funds from the Levy’s Maintenance & Repair category, the Fairview Bridge Replacement project is an investment in the future with improvements to move people and goods more safely and efficiently. We’re proud to begin construction on this cornerstone project and deliver on our commitment to voters.

Getting around during construction.

A map showing how to get around during the Fairview Ave N Bridge closure.

To replace the bridge, we will need to close this section of Fairview Ave N for 18 months starting on September 23. We know this will be a challenging period as we’re all dealing with the ongoing traffic created by the Seattle Squeeze, but this is an absolutely critical investment in public safety. Learn more about the details of the closure and detour on the Fairview Ave N Bridge Replacement Project web page.

This is a critical safety investment.

Decaying timber piles hold up the Fairview Ave N bridge.

While the 65-year-old bridge is safe to travel on today, it will not last forever and does not meet current seismic standards.

The timber posts which hold up the western half of the bridge are decaying and the concrete girders which stabilize the street on the eastern half of the bridge are cracked. Rebuilding the bridge is essential for public safety.

Concrete girders which stabilize the street on the eastern half of the bridge are cracked

The final bridge design has many benefits for our community.

The final bridge design includes improvements for pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles.

When the bridge is completed in 2021, all people will be able to move through the corridor more safely. A new wider street will benefit all users and provide more room for people to drive, walk, bike, and get to transit.

Unlike the current bridge, the design will feature sidewalks on both sides as well as a protected 12-foot, 2-way bike lane on the west side of the bridge. Just like today, there will be three lanes for cars and buses.

Along with seismic improvements, we’re building 3 new lookout points along the west side of the bridge to provide viewing platforms looking out to Lake Union. They will replace the current lookout area located on the northern end of the bridge.

Right-sizing citation fees

September 4, 2019 by Jeanne Clark

If you’re walking or biking to work, busing to school, driving goods across town, or enjoying a meal at a sidewalk café, you’re using a shared public resource known as the right-of-way.

The right-of-way is the space above, below, and at the surface of places like public streets, sidewalks, alleys, planting strips, and alleys. Occupying nearly 30% of Seattle’s total land area, the right-of-way is used in many ways.

Naturally, careful management of these spaces is essential to keep Seattle moving; however, it’s especially important as we work through the Seattle Squeeze – the period of the next five years where private and public construction projects will put pressure on our transportation system.

Issuing permits for activities that impact how the right-of-way is used is to everyone’s benefit.

We have a team (our Street Use Division) that oversee this process.

When we first adopted citations for violations of Street Use permits in 2002, the impacts on the right-of-way, whether construction-related or not, were considerably different from what they are today.

Since then, we’ve made some minor updates to our citation penalties, but we’ve not done an overall review of them until this year.

In our review, we found that penalties are lower than the cost of obtaining a typical permit to use the right-of-way for construction or utility work. Meaning, there’s little incentive to obtain a permit. Additionally, citation fees are the same in all parts of the city and do not account for the higher and lower impact activities.

Seattle’s South Lake Union street market (Photo by Jeanne Clark)

With this in mind –

We drafted a proposal to update our penalties to achieve a few goals:

Make our citation penalties more equitable.
Create an escalation scale before issuing a stop-work order.
Simplify the penalty sections of the Street Use code.

Now that we’ve completed this work, we’re sending it to the Seattle City Council for their consideration at the Sustainability and Transportation committee meeting on 9/17. Our proposal provides essential updates which we outline below.

A sidewalk cafe is on a public right-of-way.

As part of the legislative package, we’d adjust our citation penalty amounts & create a schedule for violators of Title 15 (Street & Sidewalk Use) of the Seattle Municipal Code.

Penalty amounts are based on the type of right-of-way use and nearby zoning to ensure that the fees encourage people to get the necessary permits and adhere to the requirements, while not disproportionately affecting individuals and small business owners. To keep the proposed fee scale flexible, we’ll ask that the amounts be adjusted annually with the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

A community garden growing in a planting strip (the public right-of-way). Photo by Jeanne Clark

We’re proposing to lower penalties for certain permitted activities (such as vending, sidewalk cafés, block parties, urban forestry, & building maintenance), while increasing penalties for utility permit & code violations.

We’re not asking for any changes to penalties for construction permit and code violations in single-family zones, though we’re requesting an increase in all other zones. With these changes, we hope to help minimize lopsided impacts on small and minority-owned businesses. Here are our proposed changes:

By making these changes, we hope most people will run into fewer un-permitted uses of the right-of-way. Otherwise, only people and businesses working without a permit or outside the terms & conditions of their permit should be affected.

Bicyclists on a bike path and sidewalk (bike paths and sidewalks are public right-of-ways). Photo by Jeanne Clark

We hope to adopt the new fees in early October.

Please send any questions or concerns that you may have to publicspace@seattle.gov.

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Seattle needs more crossing guards. Sign up today!

August 30, 2019 by Salma Siddick

Miss Shirley, a Crossing Guard helps a child cross the street safely

Miss Shirley, Crossing Guard. Photo credit: Mary Ellen Russell

Crossing guards serve as community ambassadors. They’re friendly faces kids see every day crossing to and from school.

Crossing guards help kids cross busy streets near their schools at 122 locations at the start & end of the school day.

With Seattle’s heavy traffic plus approximately 27,000 students in Seattle not being bused to school, this role is more important than ever.

30 crossing guard positions are open!

Plus, there many other locations where guards would be helpful. Seattle Public Schools is looking for reliable adults interested in working in a community-building role to apply.

This is a paid position involving one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon. Arrangements can be made to split positions for morning or afternoon postings. Holidays, school breaks, snow days, and summers are off! The school district supplies the gear: a flag + clothing options: safety vest, long light-weight rain jacket, and a heavy winter coat.

Anyone interested should contact the Seattle Public Schools crossing guard coordinator: Yvonne Carpenter at 206-252-0907 or ylcarpenter@seattleschools.org.

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Dear Summer, it’s been great knowing ya! School is back!

August 27, 2019 by Jeanne Clark

There’s only one more weekend to soak in those school-free-summer-vibes.

Because classes are back in sesh for Seattle Public Schools on Wednesday, Sept. 4!

Oh my gosh, we know!! Kids are cryin’ – parents are cryin’ (with happiness).

When school begins, more people will be traveling the streets and because we care about everyone, we’re asking you to be all the more watchful, careful/caring, thoughtful, and all the other ‘fuls’ and ‘ings’ when it comes to traveling safely.

Your City is on a Vision Zero mission.

While we live in one of the safest cities in the country, we still see more than 10,000 crashes a year resulting in an average of 20 people losing their lives and more than 150 people seriously injured. These are our friends, neighbors, and family members. Our goal is to end traffic deaths and serious injuries on city streets by 2030.

Traffic collisions aren’t accidents – they’re preventable through smarter street design, targeted enforcement, and thoughtful public engagement.

We have a Safe Routes to School program that works to encourage more kids to walk and bike to school and improve safety in areas around schools.

Safe Routes to School is a national movement to make it easier and safer for students to walk and bike to school.

We partnered with Reel Grrls – a non-profit org that teaches the youth to engage critically and creatively with digital media to create positive social change. Reel Grrls invited the City of Seattle youth to participate in a video challenge to educate people about the City’s Safe Routes to School Program and Vision Zero.

This video program is part of the education component of our Safe Routes to School five-year action plan. The goal is to uplift youth voices and improve our messaging around safety, and what better way to do that than to use content created by the youth themselves?

While a lot of you were summer vibin’,…

We’ve been busy working on traffic calming projects (like installing school zone flashing beacons) as well as sidewalk installations to help kids get to school safely. Here are two featured ones:

In South Park, there’re new 20 mph flashing beacons on S Cloverdale St between 7^th Ave S and SR99. This is a key walking and biking route for Concord Elementary School students – connecting the school, the library, the community center, and playfield.

We’re replacing a painted walkway with a permanent concrete walkway on 8^th Ave S between S Southern St and S Sullivan St. By upgrading sidewalks, we’re creating a safe and accessible place for children to travel to and from school, home, sports games, and other activities.

Together, we can make Seattle’s streets safer for everyone. Remember these 3 things when traveling through a school zone.

👆 PAY ATTENTION

Paying attention is absolutely crucial. Whether you’re behind the wheel, on wheels, or on your feet – please, please put the phone away + anything that will take your eyes off the road. Because taking your eyes off the road for even a couple of seconds could be a life or death decision.

✌️ SLOW DOWN

Speed is a critical factor for how likely someone is to survive a crash. A person hit by a car traveling 40 mph has a 90 percent chance of being killed, but if that car is moving 20 mph then they have a 90 percent chance of surviving.

When you’re passing a school that’s in session, the speed limit is always 20 mph. That’s also the speed limit for residential streets in Seattle. Major roads in Seattle are 25 mph.

🤟 LET PEOPLE CROSS

Every intersection is a crosswalk according to the law, whether or not it’s painted. If you see someone waiting to cross the street, then stop so that they can walk across the street safely.

Find your best & safest routes to school with our interactive Safe Routes to School Walking Maps.

Our maps show walking and biking conditions to help you navigate the best and safest route to school. And on that note, take much care, Seattle. Safe travels to you all and welcome back to school!

The plan to make bike share work better for everyone.

August 23, 2019 by Jeanne Clark

Parked bike share on 5th Avenue, Seattle. Photo by Jeanne Clark.

We released our Q2 2019 Bike Share Report today, which shows that people took nearly 900,000 trips on Lime & Jump bikes in the first half of 2019.

We’re excited that so many people are embracing bike share as a healthy and environmentally friendly way to get around. We also need to address the problem of improperly parked bikes which are left blocking sidewalks and creating barriers for people with disabilities.

Improperly parked bike share bikes blocking sidewalk access. Photo by Jeanne Clark.

We want the bike share program to be successful, & to do that we must have a program that makes it easier for all groups of people to travel safely.

To address the problem of bikes creating obstacles for residents with disabilities, we’re building 1,500 more bike parking spaces by the end of the year, improving education about correct bike parking, and holding bike share companies accountable for where their bikes are parked.

Here’s the right way to park a shared bike: read a blog post & watch a video.

We’re over halfway to building 1,500 new bike parking spaces this year.

Newer bike share parking installed on Alki.

At the start of 2019, there were parking spaces for about 10,000 bikes in Seattle and we announced a plan to build 1,500 more spaces by the end of the year. We’re over halfway to this goal and have built parking for over 830 bikes as of August 16.

We’ve built over two-thirds of these bike parking spaces in the street, mostly in areas near crosswalks with “No Parking Within 30 Feet” signs. This takes advantage of space that isn’t currently being used and helps keep the sidewalk clear so everyone can get around. It also enhances safety by preventing cars from parking illegally in a way that blocks other drivers view of oncoming traffic and people crossing the street.

We need everyone to their part to park bikes the right way.

Bike share parking installation locations from January 1 to June 30, 2019.

We’re optimistic that most people want to do the right thing but might not realize the right way to park a shared bike or the harm that they can cause by parking bikes carelessly.

To help get the word out, we teamed up with Disability Rights Washington and with Rooted in Rights to create a video showing how real people are affected when bikes are left blocking the sidewalk.

At our suggestion, Jump and Lime emailed the video to every bike share customer in Seattle. So far, the video has been watched by over 50,000 people.

We’re holding bike share companies accountable.

While we’re confident that getting the word out and building more bike parking will help, we also need bike share companies to do their part as well.

One way that we’re keeping companies accountable is by conducting neighborhood audits to measure how bikes are parked. This Spring, we found that 2% of bikes were parked in a way that violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and that 17% of bikes were parked in ways which could block access for people with disabilities under a stricter and more comprehensive standard we adopted earlier this year. This is based on audits conducted between April through June.

In order to keep bike share companies in compliance with their permit requirements, we recently notified Lime & Jump that we’re reducing the maximum number of permitted bikes to about 4,500 each (about 2000 less than originally allowed).

People who are blind sometimes use the walls of buildings to get around. It’s really important that we keep the sidewalk, from the edge of buildings to the “planting strip” clear.

Neither company had deployed the maximum number of bikes, so they won’t need to remove bikes from city streets but this does limit how much they can expand their fleets until they take steps to reduce the number of improperly parked bikes. Our goal is to keep sidewalks clear and accessible for everyone and to encourage bike share companies to take stronger action to address this problem.

Since we notified Lime & Jump, both companies have committed to taking new steps to improve bike parking.

Lime has launched a team of people who will help educate customers and move problem bikes to keep sidewalks clear. Jump is taking steps to encourage customers to lock their bike to a rack at the end of a ride. We’re excited and optimistic that both companies are trying innovative strategies to address the problem, and will continue to keep a close eye on the results.

If we see positive progress then we’ll consider restoring the maximum fleet size. This will allow us to grow a robust bike share program which makes it easier for people of all abilities to get around Seattle.

Correctly parked bike share.

Thank you to everyone who has been doing your part. We need the bike share program to work for everyone.

Many aspects of the bike share program have been successful and are benefiting a lot of people, and we’re optimistic that we’ll be able to work collaboratively with the bike share companies to address parking challenges. We know that most people in Seattle really want to do the right thing, and are thankful for everyone who is already doing their part by parking bikes considerately so that everyone can have an easier time getting around Seattle.

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Don’t Blend In

August 20, 2019 by Salma Siddick

Mother and children walking across the street with crosswalk flags.

Smith Family. Photo credit: Tariqa Waters

Commuters watch out for our neon friends!

Seattle’s highest collision corridor occurs on Rainier Avenue South. On average, Rainier Avenue South sees one crash per day that takes 45 minutes to clear.

Why Rainier Valley?

Rainier Valley is home to some of Seattle’s most culture-rich and diverse residents and schools. Rainier Valley’s Safe Street project “Don’t Blend In” safety awareness campaign seeks to empower youth and communities of color throughout Rainier Valley with a creative campaign to share safety and mobility information and build awareness. Special thanks goes to NONWHITEWORKS for their vision and support of this campaign emphasizing communities of color and safety in Rainier valley. The campaign was funded by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

Community members cross the street on Rainier Ave. S. Photo credit: Ishisaka

The campaign kicked off in early summer with community outreach events in Rainier Beach, Pioneer Square, and Columbia City that featured local performance and visual artists, button making, safety information and giveaways to community members, offering safety tips and increased awareness to commuters. In July, we sponsored posters and advertisements at Rainier Beach Light Rail Station, on Sound Transit Trains and King County Metro buses. In August, we sponsored two billboards along Rainier, with imagery targeting vehicle drivers. To conclude the campaign, we will be distributing custom “Back to School’ themed safety items and information to the community.

These efforts follow a collaborative process that was launched in 2014 to improve Rainier Avenue South, as part of Seattle’s Vision Zero initiative to end traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030. Vision Zero takes a three-pronged approach: smarter street design, targeted enforcement, and public engagement. We are in Phase 2 of the project and recently:

Added bus lanes
Optimized signal timing for better signal coordination
Added leading pedestrian intervals for safer pedestrian crossing
Repainted crosswalks so that they are more visible

Our upcoming work later in 2019 and in 2020 will continue to enhance access and safety through Rainier Valley.

We’re studying the feasible rehabilitation & replacement options for the Ballard Bridge.

June 19, 2019 by Jeanne Clark

Ballard Bridge northern bascule pier

We’re launching a planning study to assess the future of the Ballard Bridge.

The study explores feasible rehabilitation & replacement options & provides a comparison of associated costs & critical metrics, including community priorities.

While the study won’t recommend a preferred option, it’ll help us better understand, prioritize, and look for funding opportunities to reduce our maintenance backlog. The study is funded through the Levy to Move Seattle and will also inform our upcoming Ballard-Interbay Regional Transportation Corridor Study pending receipt of state funding.

Ballard Bridge circa 1957 (Seattle Municipal Archive)

We’re just getting started and plan to work closely with agency partners, modal advisory boards, and community members over the next six months.

To develop bridge options that incorporate the broad needs & values of the community & people using the bridge, our 1st step is surveying people on current & desired bridge use.

TAKE THE SURVEY! HERE!

Share your input on the future of the Ballard Bridge.

The survey will be open until Sunday, July 7. This summer, we’ll host a public event sharing what we heard and how the study is being developed. Later in the year, we’ll return to have you compare and comment on the feasible options.

To receive project updates and stay informed about upcoming opportunities for community feedback, sign up for the Ballard Bridge Planning Study news.

We look forward to partnering with you!

Ballard Bridge facing East.

If you have questions, please contact the outreach team at BallardBridge@seattle.gov or 206.775.8894. Thank you for your interest in the Ballard Bridge Planning Study!

DON’T FORGET, TAKE THE SURVEY! 😉

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Travel Alert: 4th Ave S Road Repair

June 14, 2019 by Molly Wright

Crews will perform an interim repair at 4^th Ave S near S Industrial Way on Friday, June 14 and Saturday, June 15. The interim repair will entail removing the steel plates placed during the emergency repair and constructing a full-depth asphalt patch in the damaged pavement area. The interim repair will provide a smooth pavement surface and allow crews time to prepare for the permanent concrete repair.

Here’s what you can expect:

SCHEDULE

On Friday, June 14 and Saturday, June 15, crews will be repairing the pavement in asphalt. Work is being done over two separate days to avoid rush hour and to minimize lane reductions. Crews will complete a full concrete repair within 4-6 weeks.

Crews will perform work between 8 AM and 5 PM.

CLOSURE | DETOUR

Please travel carefully through the area. Speeds have been reduced to 10 MPH. There is still a noticeable bump. Drivers should plan ahead for lane reductions and delays and consider alternate routes.

NOISE

There will be noise impacts during sawcutting, excavation, and paving operations. These are typical impacts associated with almost all of our paving projects.

PROJECT OUTCOME

This work is to repair the pavement that was damaged during Wednesday’s heat wave. The temperature hit 95 degrees on Wednesday afternoon, and this caused significant damage to a section of pavement on 4th Ave S, just south of Industrial Way in the northbound lanes. The high temperatures caused materials embedded in the pavement to expand. This type of pavement failure is known as a blowup, buckle, or heat bump.

A BIG thank you to our teams for all of their hard work!

SDOT staff worked on this project until late into the night. Our crews are really the ones who make these types of repairs happen, often under difficult circumstances. Since they are dispersed about our field offices, people don’t often see the critical work they do keeping the city running day-to-day.

Our Maintenance Operations team worked hard during the night to temporarily repair the damaged road to remove the parts of the buckled pavement and press the concrete slabs down. Then, they filled the area where pavement was removed with crushed rock, and they placed steel plates over the opening.

Our crew of signal engineers in our 24/7 Transportation Operations Center quickly alerted drivers of the closure through the @SDOTtraffic Twitter account (follow it if you don’t already!) and through providing alerts on dynamic messaging signs (DMS) in key locations.

We are so proud of our hardworking staff who do everything they can to keep people moving, no matter what time of day. We appreciate you!

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