PLEASE NOTE: Starting January 14, 2019, we will retire the On the Move blog channel and all traffic advisory blogs will be posted on the SDOT blog channel.
Visit our SDOT blog for traffic advisories.
by Jeanne Clark
by Jeanne Clark
We’re making progress on the Holman Rd NW and 13th Ave NW new signal. We’re conducting work in Crown Hill Park that will result in the closing of one westbound lane of Holman Rd NW. Work will start Tuesday, Dec. 11 and last for two to three weeks. The lane will be reopened each night. Please note this work is weather dependent and may change. Thank you for your patience while this work is completed.
Starting Tuesday, Dec. and lasting two to three weeks, travelers can expect:
Visit our website or contact Peter Kitchen, our Neighborhood Street Fund Outreach Lead by calling 206.775.8720 or emailing NSFHolman@seattle.gov.
The Green Lake and Wallingford Paving & Multi-Modal Improvements project has been out talking to the community about changes coming to Green Lake and Wallingford. Design is nearly complete, and we’ve made changes based on the design feedback we heard from the community earlier this year.
Map of Green Lake and Wallingford paving area; new/upgraded bike facilities and connections with existing bike facilities; and on-street parking removal.
In July, more than 670 people joined us at drop-in sessions and many visited our online open house, to learn about streetscape improvements and give feedback.
In review of design and construction planning, we heard support for our general safety and mobility goals, and some suggestions for changes. We’ve summarized everything we heard and our response to the feedback; for details, read our Feedback and Action Plan: What We Heard and What We’re Doing document!
Improving safety for people walking on N 40th St | We’re adding rapid flashing beacons and repairing some stretches of sidewalk on 40th.
Reviewing east-west bike connections in Wallingford | We’re taking a step back to reconsider the design for bike improvements on N 40th St. In the coming months, we’ll evaluate other potential improvements to east-west bike connections in Wallingford.
Evaluating options for people walking and biking through the N 50th St, Stone Way N, and E Green Lake Way N intersection | We’re looking at ways to make improvements at this intersection by clearly marking crossings and improving visibility and sightlines.
Partnering with Seattle Parks and Recreation to explore an alternative to the planned bike improvements on Green Lake Way N | Our original design included a new signal on Green Lake Way N at N 52nd St. We’re now partnering with Seattle Parks and Recreation to explore transforming a portion of the planting strip bordering the Lower Woodland Parks Playfield parking lot into a 1-way protected bike lane.
Making the NE Ravenna Blvd, NE 71st St and E Green Lake Way N intersection more predictable | We’re squaring up this intersection as much as possible by adding curb bulbs and widening the west side sidewalk. We’re also adding a rapid flashing beacon one block south of the intersection.
Improving safety and visibility at intersections | We’re adding “no parking” signs 20 feet from all intersections in the project area; on the north side of N 80th St on either side of the Ashworth Ave N intersection, we’ll add paint and post curb bulbs to improve visibility.
Reducing speed limits to improve traffic safety for all | We’ll post a 25 MPH speed limit around the east side of Green Lake, which is a reduction from the current 30 MPH speed limit.
Visit the project web site for details!
We’ll continue to engage you this fall and next year as we prepare for construction. This includes opportunities for public comment in early 2019 regarding bike improvements on N 40th St.
We anticipate completing the design by the end of 2018, beginning construction in late spring of 2019, and completing the project in 2020. For more information, please visit our project webpage.
Phase I of the South Lake Union Streetcar Improvements go live November 2018! Signs have been installed and parking restrictions are set to change on November 5, 2018.
The South Lake Union line connects the fast-growing South Lake Union neighborhood to Seattle’s vibrant downtown core. We are planning to install a set of improvements to reduce travel delays and improve travel time for the streetcar.
Changes Planned Starting November 2018 | Phase 1
Contact Jonathan Dong at Jonathan.Dong@Seattle.gov or 206.233.8564.
Crews are installing metal poles for a new intersection today, in SE Seattle.
October 21 | 8 AM – late afternoon
Impacts |
Contact |
Know before you go. Use the map controls to see real-time traffic, travel times, camera footage, if a bridge is up or down, and if a railroad crossing is open or closed – select by neighborhood if you choose.
Follow us for breaking news, real-time traffic, project updates, events, surveys, policy, advisories, blogs, & more.
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King County’s Get Ready website
There’s no way around it—getting around Seattle is going to be tricky during the SR 99 closure. Expect traffic delays and be prepared for full buses during peak travel times. Check out the travel options below that can help you get around in anticipation of the new SR 99 tunnel opening.
Commute Seattle’s Employer Resources
For over 10 years, Commute Seattle has helped Seattle businesses of all sizes unlock their potential and empower employees to utilize convenient, affordable, and sustainable transportation options.
It’s time to make the switch – Friday PM to Monday AM – to #realign99 from under the Alaskan Way Viaduct to just west of it. The traffic switch is an important step towards viaduct demolition, which starts after the new tunnel opens in early 2019.
Also, this weekend, is SR 99 and I-5 work, making it important to plan ahead for any travel!
Closure: 9 PM Oct. 12 to 5 AM Oct. 15
South end of Battery St Tunnel to Spokane St to complete paving near Atlantic St – critical preparation for next year’s SR 99 tunnel opening.
Closure: 8 PM Oct. 13 to 10 AM Oct. 14
Alaskan Way along the waterfront, between Railroad Way S and Wall St to finish striping a new four-lane alignment and begin striping almost 250 new, temporary parking spots underneath the viaduct. Washington State Ferries’ Colman Dock will remain accessible.
Reduced to 2 lanes: 8 PM Oct. 13 to 10 AM Oct. 14
Martin Luther King Jr Way to Olive Way, plus several ramps to replace pavement and expansion joints.
To limit congestion, consider:
How you get around downtown is changing. The Alaskan Way Viaduct will permanently close January 11, 2109, for three weeks of work to #realign99 into the new SR 99 tunnel. WSDOT encourages everyone to plan ahead for this closure – the longest highway closure ever in the Seattle area!
Rendering of planned Judkins Park Station | E Link Extension.
Sound Transit East Link Extension work includes a new Judkins Park Station, taking the place of the now closed Rainier Freeway Station. To construct entrances to the new station, crews must first remove one of the WB I-90 bridges crossing Rainier Ave S.
The bridge segment noted in the project flyer will be demolished over three one weekends (the team finished early!), making way for future station entryways. The adjacent pedestrian bridge will remain, becoming a pedestrian walkway connecting the W side of Rainier Ave to the new entrance.
Contractors will incrementally demolish sections of the closed bridge, removing small pieces of rubble from rubber mats and a sand/soil mixture placed below. The rubble will then be hauled off in truck loads to be recycled.
Update: weekends of October 19 – 22 and 26 – 29 now canceled, after early completion!
October 12 – 15; 19 – 22; and 26 – 29 | 11 PM Fridays – 5 AM Mondays
Closures |
Detours |
General |
Get project updates at soundtransit.org/subscribe; Contact the Community Outreach team at 206-398-5465 or eastlink@soundtransit.org; learn about the project at soundtransit.org/eastlink.
Remember early August, when a mast arm set sail for 6th and Seneca? On August 6, crews did install a new signal pole, but lifting up the mast arm had to wait.
To make room to lift and place the 35-feet-long steel mast arm, the team needs extra clearance. That’s why this time around, on Saturday, Metro trolley lines will be temporarily deactivated at the 6th and Seneca intersection.
Steel mast arm signal poles, like those at 2nd and University downtown, can double the life expectancy of signal equipment. They also decrease maintenance needed after wind storms (assuming actual sails are’t attached to these masts).
Saturday, September 22 | 6 AM to 1 PM
Closures | During work hours
Email 6thAvePaving@seattle.gov or call the project voicemail line at (206) 727-3669. Visit the 6th Ave Paving web site for more project information.
Know before you go. Use the map controls to see real-time traffic, travel times, camera footage, if a bridge is up or down, and if a railroad crossing is open or closed – select by neighborhood if you choose.
Follow us for breaking news, real-time traffic, project updates, events, surveys, policy, advisories, blogs, & more.
Sign up for ALERT SEATTLE, WSDOT, and Metro Alerts. AlertSeattle is the official emergency notification system used by the City of Seattle to communicate with city residents during emergencies. Sign up now to receive free alerts from the City via text message, email, voice message or social media.
King County’s Get Ready website
There’s no way around it—getting around Seattle is going to be tricky during the SR 99 closure. Expect traffic delays and be prepared for full buses during peak travel times. Check out the travel options below that can help you get around in anticipation of the new SR 99 tunnel opening.
Commute Seattle’s Employer Resources
For over 10 years, Commute Seattle has helped Seattle businesses of all sizes unlock their potential and empower employees to utilize convenient, affordable, and sustainable transportation options.
We’re enhancing safety and mobility on 23rd Ave E/24th Ave E, a key corridor connecting the University District and Capitol Hill. It’s part of our Vision Zero plan to end traffic deaths and serious injuries on city streets by 2030.
Data shows that people driving northbound between Boyer Ave E and E John St average 39 MPH. The posted speed is 30 MPH. The chances of someone being fatally or seriously injured increase significantly when struck at 40 MPH versus 30 MPH.
To improve safety for people walking, biking, and driving this corridor, we are converting one northbound lane of 23rd/24th avenues E to a center turn lane, from E John St to Boyer Ave E. The change encourages speeds closer to 30 MPH.
Work kicks off this week with spray-painting the street to mark the new traffic layout; removing old markings; and laying permanent traffic lines. Next week crews install signs and finish details.
Similar design changes in other parts of the City have resulted in reduced vehicle crashes, and more drivers following the posted speed limit.
The will work will be done in two phases, over 2018 and 2019. The first phase happens this month.
Monday, August 20 – Thursday, August 23 | 7 AM – 10 PM
Friday, August 24 – Saturday, August 25 | 9 AM – 10 PM
Monday, August 27 – Friday, August 31 | 7 AM to 10 PM
Crews may be on site up to 1 hour before or after noted work times, for prep and wrap-up.
Closure(s):
For more info about the 23rd Ave Corridor Improvements, visit our website, email us at 23rdAveCorridor@seattle.gov or call the project info line at 206.727.8857.
This week marks the halfway point of Summer 2k18 (how did that happen so quickly!) and there’re events happening left and right, from block parties to parades and art fairs, oh my! So many ways to be outside! Scan this list below so you can plan your weekend travels accordingly.
As part of and funded by the Alaskan Way Viaduct Parking Mitigation Program, the Downtown Seattle Association is offering a FREE WATERFRONT SHUTTLE service! The shuttles provide FREE rides between the Space Needle and Pioneer Square, with stops along the waterfront. Anyone can ride, now through October 1, 10 AM to 8 PM, seven days a week! Visit DowntownSeattleParking.com/shuttle for details.
Alki Art Fair: Alki Beach summer festival celebrating art & music. 10 AM – 6 PM (music continues until 9 PM). About 9k attending.
SLU Saturday Market: Weekly market closes 9th Ave N between Denny Way and John St. 11 AM – 4 PM. About 3k attending.
Othello Block Party: Street fair celebrating the vibrant local music, visual arts and international community of South Seattle. The event will close 42nd Ave S between S Myrtle and S Othello streets. 12 – 9 PM. About 450 attending.
Freeway Park Fountain Festival: Blue grass, body art; kit painting; and water balloons all abound at this annual event, in Seneca Plaza on Seneca St, between 6th and 7th, downtown.
Seafair Torchlight Run: 5K and 8K run will start and finish on 4th Ave adjacent to Westlake Park. 6 – 7:30 PM. About 18k attending.
Seafair Torchlight Parade: The 69th annual Torchlight Parade features entries from clowns and pirates to drill teams and equestrian units. The parade continues to highlight and celebrate communities from the greater Seattle’s diverse cultural landscape including Children’s Friendship Festival, Indigenouz PlaceMakerz, Sikhs of Washington and many more. The parade begins at the Seattle Center and continues down 4th Ave to S Washington St. 7:30 – 11 PM. About 250k attending.
Alki Art Fair: Alki Beach summer festival celebrating art & music. 10 AM – 6 PM. About 9k attending.
Pista sa Nayon: Annual Seward Park event that celebrates the heritage and traditions of the culture of the Philippines. 10 AM – 7 PM. About 8k attending. Stop by and visit the SDOT table for safety swag, walking and biking maps, and more.
Seattle Sounders vs. New York City FC: 2 – 4 PM at CenturyLink Field. About 35k attending.
July 27 – 28: All lanes of SB I-5, between Stewart and Spring streets, will be closed overnight, 11:59 PM – 5 AM.
July 27 – 28: Mercer and Yale streets SB I-5 on-ramps will close overnight, 11:59 PM – 5 AM.
July 28: W Seattle Admiral Way ramp will be closed for safety-related maintenance, 7 AM – 4 PM.
July 28 – 29: WB I-90 will be fully closed from Island Crest Way in Mercer Island to I-5 in Seattle, 11 PM – 7 AM.
July 28 – 29: NB I-5 reduced to two lanes between SR 520 and NE 45th St, for Ship Canal Bridge Deck work 2 – 11 AM each day.
July 29: WB outside lane of Mercer closed for vegetation management, 7 AM – 3:30 PM.
July 29 – 30: WB I-90 will be fully closed from Island Crest Way in Mercer Island to I-5 in Seattle. 10:30 PM – 4:30 AM.
July 30 – Aug 6: Admiral Way Bridge structural testing, 7 AM – 4 PM.
Aug 2 – 5: I-90 Seafair & Blue Angels closures, 12:15 – 2:45 PM Th; 12:55 – 2:45 PM Fri-Sa-Su.
We want our This Week in Seattle and our Weekender posts to be as helpful as possible! As we tweak, please speak! Share your thoughts on how we can best package and deliver digestible events and construction impacts info nuggets!! What’s helpful? What’s missing? Thanks all!!
Email us at construction.coordination@seattle.gov or call 206-684-ROAD (7623). For more information on travel impacts, check out our construction look-ahead and traveler’s map links.
Information subject to change. Additional construction or events may be planned in the Seattle area.