Eric Widstrand’s last day as Traffic Engineer at SDOT was July 5. The search to fill his position will begin “shortly,” according to SDOT.
From Rick Sheridan at SDOT:
Eric Widstrand left SDOT on July 5th. He will be returning to consulting as he opens the Los Angeles office of Sam Schwartz Engineering. Eric has been the city traffic engineer for the past two years and has been a leader in implementing multi-modal improvements for SDOT. We will miss his progressive vision and good humor.
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SDOT will begin a recruitment process shortly to hire his replacement. Until then, Luke Korpi, PE, will be serving as the acting manager in the Traffic Operations section and Brian Kemper, PE, will serve as the interim city traffic engineer.
Widstrand has been a defender of so-called road diets and other effective traffic solutions in the city.
In other SDOT staffing news, Gina Coffman — who worked on bicycle, pedestrian and neighborhood projects — has also left the department. Among other responsibilities, she handled projects like signed bike routs and the annual bicycle counts.
According to discussion at the Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board meeting, there are currently no plans to fill her position amid budget cuts (more on those cuts soon).
Comments
2 responses to “Widstrand steps down as SDOT Traffic Engineer”
I wish Ethan Melone would step down.
Widstrand is still listed in Seattle’s staff directory (which, in the past, seemed to be updated promptly). Maybe he’s still there.