The city is ready to start construction on a much-needed trail connection improvement between the Delridge neighborhood and the trail hub under the West Seattle Bridge.
Today, people biking or walking from the bridge to Delridge are spit out onto a skinny sidewalk on the east side of Delridge Way SW that is not wide enough for comfortable two-way travel and is directly adjacent to fast-moving traffic entering the freeway. As you move south and cross 23rd Ave SW, the sidewalk gets even skinnier.
But not for long. Construction on improvements start next week and should wrap up in April, depending on weather. Expect detours and delays in the meantime.
More details from SDOT:
Beginning next week, SDOT will begin construction of pedestrian and bike improvements near the intersection of Delridge Way SW and SW Andover Street. This project will help improve safety and access for all roadway users in the neighborhood.
Project elements include:
Sidewalk widening and extension along the east side of Delridge Way SW
Curb ramp installations at Delridge Way SW and SW Andover St
A redesign of 23rd Ave SW where it meets Delridge Way SW to reduce the pedestrian crossing distance and provide an uninterrupted sidewalkProject timeline:
2/16-3/6 – Construction will begin at the intersection of SW Andover Street and Delridge Way SW where SDOT will remove the existing asphalt surface and install new storm drainage and curb ramps.
Construction impacts: Pedestrians and bikes should expect detours, construction activity and transit stop relocations. Leading up to construction, you will see increased activity in the area such as the mobilization of construction equipment and placement of temporary “No Parking” signs.3/9-3/27 – Work begins north of SW Andover Street on Delridge Way SW to widen and extend the sidewalk, rebuild the 23rd Avenue SW/Delridge Way SW intersection, and install storm drainage. The existing path along Delridge Way SW, from SW Andover Street to 23rd Avenue SW will occasionally be closed.
Construction impacts: Pedestrians and bikes will be detoured around construction activity via 23rd Avenue SW or may use an alternate route.Note: Construction barriers have already been installed near the project site to aid in the safe installation of new Seattle City Light poles.
More information on the project background, funding and schedule can be found on the project webpage at www.seattle.gov/transportation/DelridgeImprovements.htm. Construction information will be posted there as it becomes available.
Comments
15 responses to “Work to finally widen W Seattle trail connection to Delridge starts Monday”
Yeah for this! Now fellow bikers, we need to be good citizens and watch our speed on that blind corner of the trail by the ramp. I have heard complaints from pedestrians who feel threatened and discouraged from using the trail by fast cyclists on that blind curve.
+1
agreed.
Actually the work has been under way for several weeks. New utility poles have been placed in the street, protected by jersey barriers. This has pushed bikes leftward into the traffic lane, which is not so different from before when there were parked cars and broken glass in the shoulder. The reduced lane width and construction seems to slow down the drivers, and the very important ones can still zoom past in the left lane.
Doesn’t the proposed detour have a pretty steep hill involved?
Hills: Get over them!
I once saw a fixie rider go flying up that hill. Partway. He made it, but I half expected to see him pull the pedals off his bike.
Quite steep. Also if you’re going south it’s a one-way street in the wrong direction (which is important when there are cars queued on 23rd to turn onto Delridge).
Northbound, those coming from west of Delridge that would accept extra delay for a flatter route can take Charlestown around to a little path just of Delridge that runs to the viaduct, then turn right on crosswalks and a little path under the viaduct to get to the bridge trail (that is, staying south of Chelan Street, across the street from the Chelan Cafe, so you only have to cross one direction at the 5-way). Southbound you can basically do this in reverse. The downsides to this route are lots of waiting at stoplights, and a pretty narrow way through the bit of Charlestown where cars are restricted.
There is a hill up 23rd. Of course, there are hills all over Seattle so probably not a huge issue for most. One could just continue up to 22nd and take the trail at the end of 22nd as well. Or, you can ride the west side of Delridge and the trail leads down to the 5 way intersection at Chelan Café and you could head up from there. Of course, that just take you to another crappy intersection for cyclists :-)
Yay!
Quick note on this: this project started as a 1-page Neighborhood Parks and Street Funds proposal from members of the North Delridge Neighborhood Council. The proposal was accepted by the city, and though the NPSF funding amount could only cover design, SDOT then took the reins and applied for a state infrastructure grant to complete the work. This particular grant program places value on demonstrated community support & buy-in and existence of alternate funding sources, and SDOT credited the community NPSF effort when the state agreed to fund the project.
All that to say, if there are other key bike/ped choke-points like this in your neighborhood that you think should change, it’s possible for any individual to start the ball rolling. Though this year’s NPSF grant deadline just passed, there are similar city proposal opportunities several times a year.
Hooray!!
The next move needs to be to revise the bike path descends WB toward the five-way lower intersection, ending next to a bridge column. An inexperienced rider could overshoot or coast into the blind area where drivers arrive from Delridge.
There are short-term improvements funded for 2015, and groups pushing for a long-term fix for that intersection. More info here: http://westseattlebikeconnections.org/2015/02/01/connect-seattle-summit-5-way-intersection/
I’ve only ridden that area a couple of times on my way to Faunterloy, and every time it seemed baffingily awful. Really happy to see its getting fixed.
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