Keeping you in the Levy loop.

April 1, 2019 by Casey Rogers

We completed a comprehensive reassessment on the Levy to Move Seattle.

Last fall, we completed a comprehensive reassessment on the Levy to Move Seattle under the leadership of Mayor Durkan. The update was based on more realistic assumptions than we used in 2015.

This is an update on the improvements we’ve made since the levy work began in 2016. We also published the 2018 Annual Levy to Move Seattle Report which details our performance and financial progress from last year. The report provides a status update for the planned levy deliverables. This is our most detailed report yet, giving the Levy Oversight Committee, elected officials, and the general public the information needed to track progress and hold us accountable.

While work is still underway, here’s a look at the levy work completed so far between 2016-2018:

4,170

Repainted crosswalks

9

Miles of new protected bike lanes

85

Repaved lane miles

4 & 44

4 Newly installed traffic signals

44 Additional improved traffic signals

88

Safe Routes to School projects

Our crews & contractors are progressing on completing projects that carried over from 2018.

We’re also getting started on the 2019 plan. This year, we’ll continue making maintenance and safety improvements on lane paving, protected bike lanes, neighborhood greenways, new sidewalks, curb ramps, tree plantings, and traffic spot improvements. We’re also excited about three cornerstones progress-making Move Seattle projects on the horizon:

Lander Bridge

We’re constructing a new bridge over the train tracks on S Lander St between 1^st and 4^th Avenues S to improve access and relieve congestion in SODO.

Fairview Bridge

We’re replacing the existing bridge to meet current seismic standards and improve traffic flow.

Northgate Ped/Bike Bridge

We’re designing and constructing a new pedestrian and bicycle overpass across Interstate 5 to improve neighborhood connection and access in Northgate.

We’ll continue to keep you informed on Levy progress through quarterly & annual reports.

Keep a lookout for our Bike Master Plan 2019-2024 Implementation Plan and project list.

Resources:

April 2 Move Seattle Levy Presentation

2018 Annual Levy to Move Seattle Report

2019 Planned Accomplishments

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35TH AVE NE PROJECT: Safety for all in NE Seattle.

March 26, 2019 by admin

We’ve heard from many people advocating for safer ways to travel in NE Seattle.

Since planning for the 35th Ave NE Project began in 2016, we’ve heard from many people advocating for safer ways to travel in NE Seattle. We’ve welcomed every comment, phone call, email, and conversation and taken those into consideration. We appreciate everyone who has reached out to share their thoughts, concerns, and support for the proposed safety enhancements.

Moving forward with a new design for 35th.

When the project began, the goal was to better organize the street, increasing safety for everyone. To meet this goal, we proposed a design that included bike lanes consistent with recommendations from the Bike Master Plan adopted by City Council in 2014.

In response to the feedback we heard about the design, and based on industry best practices, data analysis, and continued conversations with the community, we’ve chosen to move forward with a new design that includes 1 travel lane in each direction, a center turn lane (north of 65th) and parking maintained on the east side of the street (between NE 47th and NE 85th streets). In addition, we’ll be making enhancements to the neighborhood greenway on 39th Ave NE.

Better street design can lead to safer streets.

The new design helps us improve safety and operations for all travelers on 35th by providing a dedicated space for turning vehicles. We’ve seen decreased vehicle speeds and decreased collision rates on streets with one lane in each direction and a center turn lane. Examples include NE 75th St, NE 125th St, and Nickerson St. By slowing vehicle speeds and better defining the travel lanes, this helps increase safety for everyone on 35th, including people crossing the street.

The new design will also allow efficient transit travel through the corridor with southbound buses making in-lane stops at the curb. Based on community feedback, the new design keeps the northbound and southbound bus stops at NE 68th St for riders wanting access at this important location.

New design elements:

NE 47th St to NE 65th St

Parking will be maintained on the east side of the street, instead of both sides
One lane in each direction
No center turn lane given the narrow width of the road

NE 65th St to NE 85th St

Parking will be maintained on the east side of the street, instead of both sides
One lane in each direction
Center turn lane

NE 85th St to NE 89th St

Parking will be maintained on both sides of the street
One lane in each direction
Center turn lane

Throughout the corridor

Pedestrian crossing improvements at 60th St and 80th St, with further evaluation of additional requests after the project is complete
New left-turn pockets at NE 75th St as well as space for left-turning vehicles to pull out of the travel lane at many other intersections
Signage and crossing enhancements on the 39th Ave NE greenway
New load zones and short-term parking changes, in coordination with nearby businesses

We’ve heard consistently that safety along this corridor is the neighborhood’s number one priority.

Throughout the lifetime of this project, we have continued to receive feedback about the original design and participated in additional conversations with community members for and against this project in an attempt to find common ground. We have heard consistently that safety along this corridor is the neighborhood’s number one priority.

With a year’s worth of comments, targeted outreach, and additional analysis, we have chosen a new design that reflects the neighborhood priority to enhance safety along 35th. While there would be no protected bike lanes on 35th, people riding in the street would still benefit from slower vehicle speeds and clearly defined travel lanes. We will also be making enhancements to the parallel neighborhood greenway on 39th Ave NE that provides a route for people that prefer to bike on a quieter street.

To make space for the center turn lane, parking will be maintained on the east side of the street, instead of both sides. Throughout this project, we’ve worked with businesses and religious organizations along 35th to better understand parking, loading, and access needs. With the new design, we have decided to prioritize parking on the east side of the street. This decision is based on community feedback and the location of several existing load zones and ADA parking spaces on the east side of the street. We’ve heard that these spaces are critical for people with limited mobility that are attending services at the religious institutions on 35th.

We’re moving forward to implement this new design in order to improve safety for everyone.

The design is conceptual and still needs to be further developed. We’ll share additional details with the community in the coming weeks.

The new design addresses many concerns we’ve heard from the community, however, we’ve also heard requests for additional enhancements along the corridor. SDOT is evaluating these requests and will share more information as we have it. We hope to continue developing a strong relationship with community members to help us take a holistic look at future transportation and mobility projects in northeast Seattle.

We anticipate construction, including final paving and striping, to resume this spring. If you have questions, please contact us at 35thAvePaving@seattle.gov or 206.512.3950.

#SeattleSqueeze Alert: More Uniformed Police Officers on downtown streets Mar. 25–27, 2019.

March 25, 2019 by Jeanne Clark

Uniformed Police Officers (UPOs) will be at key downtown intersections to keep cars, transit, and people moving.

To help keep transit moving during the first commute days of the buses coming out of the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel, with the help of our partners at King County Metro and the Seattle Police Department, we’re placing uniformed police officers (UPOs) at key downtown intersections on weekday evenings.

Beginning Monday, March 25, officers will help direct traffic, keeping bus lanes and intersections clear, and keeping cars, transit, and people moving. Officers will not override traffic signals; rather, they will ensure intersections are kept clear. This helps everyone traveling through Seattle at peak commute hours. Our traffic engineers worked closely with our partner agencies to identify the appropriate locations and number of officers staged.

If you’re not a bus, then you (generally) shouldn’t be in the transit lane.

Stay in your lane. If you’re not driving a bus, then you (generally) shouldn’t be in the transit lane. In some instances, you can hop into a bus lane to turn off the street, but for the most part, bus lanes are for buses, so please don’t use them to get around gridlock.

Please, don’t block the box. Keep the intersections clear.

Don’t block the box. Keep the intersections clear. When you pull into an intersection, make sure you can clear it before the signal changes to a red light. Wait your turn. Don’t be that person who holds up traffic and blocks the crosswalk – it’s not safe for anyone involved, plus, it negatively impacts those with mobility challenges. Also, there’s nothing like being honked at and getting the warranted evil eye from people trying to cross the street.

Thanks for doing your part to help keep Seattle moving safely during the #SeattleSqueeze!

#SeattleSqueeze, Seattle’s new normal.

Over the next five years, Seattle’s downtown will be in a state of transition to meet the needs of our growing city and region – #SeattleSqueeze. We’re making changes to our city and to our regional transportation system and help people get where they need to go safely and efficiently. New mobility projects are being developed and constructed to connect communities to downtown with fast, regular service and to create the public spaces our growing region needs. For more information, tools, and resources on #SeattleSqueeze, please visit our website!

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Another new normal. Another new chapter. 7 buses make their final ascent to surface streets.

March 22, 2019 by Jeanne Clark

Image by Wyatt Olson via https://www.instagram.com/cvtydreamer/

Another new normal. Another new chapter.

Tonight, we bid our final farewell as the buses exit stage left and right of the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel platform.

By the time most of you wake up on Saturday morning (3.23.19), seven bus routes will have made their permanent ascent from the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (DSTT) to Seattle’s surface streets. Another new normal, another new chapter for our growing city as we make changes to accommodate the Washington State Convention Center construction and future Link light rail expansion.

We’ve prioritized transit by streamlining and improving transit operations.

With these additional buses operating on downtown streets, we’ve partnered with King County Metro to streamline and improve transit operations as we continue to squeeze some more, #SeattleSqueeze. Here’s what we’ve delivered and what it means for you:

N E W !

We expanded Third Ave bus-only hours.

We expanded the bus-only hours on Third Ave from Stewart St to just south of Yesler Way. This means for seven days a week, from 6 AM in the morning to 7 PM at night, Third Ave is reserved for buses, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

N E W !

We installed ORCA transit card readers & real-time bus arrival signs.

New ORCA transit card readers and real-time bus arrival signs are at every single stop on Third Ave between Yesler and Denny. This means starting on March 23, you’ll be able to tap your ORCA transit card prior to boarding the bus to speed up your bus on-boarding.

Permanent off-board fare readers are already installed at 21 of the corridor’s 31 bus stops, and installation at the remaining ten stops is scheduled April through December 2019. Until permanent equipment is installed, transit operators will serve as ORCA boarding assistants and will scan riders’ ORCA cards using handheld fare readers at ten stops during weekday commutes between about 3 – 7 PM, the busiest period for boarding on Third.

N E W !

Peak-only bus pathways on 5th & 6th avenues.

To keep transit moving reliably, we installed a new bus pathway on 5^th and 6^th avenues to serve as a PM peak-only bus lane to help buses move travelers north. These buses are traveling to northeast Seattle and the Eastside, and we’re thrilled to be providing a quick and reliable commute for these travelers, as well as working with Metro to make sure our other downtown streets are clear for transit.

The King County Metro routes that will use the pathway include 74, 76, 77, 252, 255, 257, 301, 308, 311, and 316.

If you ride one of these buses, your bus route has changed.

If you ride one of these routes: 41, 74, 76, 77, 101, 102, 150, 252, 255, 257, 301, 308, 311, 316, 550, you will now get on and off at the new bus stops downtown.

NEW MAP: Bus stops on 2^nd to 6^th avenues.

Adjusting and prioritizing transit is a key way to making sure people can keep moving reliably and affordably throughout Seattle. We really appreciate our partners at King County Metro for their collaboration and hard work with us to make these critical transit improvements.

And finally, thank you, again and again, Seattle, for adjusting with us as we grow together as one of the best cities of the world!

#SeattleSqueeze, Seattle’s new normal.

For more information, tools, and resources on #SeattleSqueeze, please visit our website!

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March 23-24: Get ready for round two of closures at S Massachusetts St & 23rd Ave S.

March 22, 2019 by Casey Rogers

This weekend, March 23-24, our work continues from last weekend at the 23rd Ave S and S Massachusetts St intersection to replace the existing concrete panels on S Massachusetts St as part of the larger 23rd Ave Corridor Improvements project. This weekend we’re completing the second half of the project and replacing the concrete panels on the east side of the intersection. Our goal is to improve safety and mobility for people who drive, walk, bike, and take transit in this area.

Here’s what you can expect:

S C H E D U L E

This weekend we’re focusing on the east side of the intersection. Starting at 7 AM on Saturday, we’re closing the east leg of the 23rd Ave S and S Massachusetts St intersection to dig up and remove the old concrete panels, then form, and pour new ones. The road will stay closed Sunday to allow the concrete to cure and will return to normal on Monday, March 25, at 5 AM.

C L O S U R E | D E T O U R

The east leg of the 23rd Ave S and S Massachusetts St intersection will be closed. For the duration of the closure, motorists will be detoured to the arterial. Local access will be maintained along S Massachusetts St between 23rd Ave S and Martin Luther King Jr Way S.

N O I S E

We’ve obtained a noise variance to start work at 7 AM on Saturday. Neighbors will see and hear construction activity throughout the weekend. Thanks for your patience!

Want more information about this project?

Visit our website!

If you have questions or concerns, please contact the project team at 23rdAveCorridor@seattle.gov or call the project information line at 206.727.8857.

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We’re making emergency repairs to the University Bridge tonight.

March 18, 2019 by Jeanne Clark

Emergency repairs to the University Bridge – tonight.

We’re making emergency repairs tonight on the center lock of the University Bridge. Repairs will be made starting tonight at 11 PM until 7 AM Tuesday, March 19. We do not anticipate any traffic impacts or closures.

The University Bridge was built in 1919 and is a 217-foot, double-leaf bascule bridge that carries travelers over Portage Bay between Eastlake and the Unversity District.

For more information:

Visit our Bridges webpage for more on the 7 vehicular moveable bridges over navigable water – four of which are owned by us, SDOT! Contact our Bridge Operations and Structural Maintenance Manager if you have any questions.

Paul Jackson
Bridges and Roadway Structures
paul.jackson@seattle.gov
206.684.8325

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March 16-17, The intersection at S Massachusetts St and 23rd Ave S will be closed

March 15, 2019 by Casey Rogers

Over the next two weekends, March 16-17 & 23-24, we will be working at the 23rd Ave S and S Massachusetts St intersection to replace the existing concrete panels on S Massachusetts St as part of the larger 23rd Ave Corridor Improvements project. The work will take place over two weekends, doing one side at a time. Our goal is to improve safety and mobility for people who drive, walk, bike, and take transit in this area.