— Advertisement —

⇟ Jump to sidebar ⇟

⇟ Jump to sidebar ⇟

  • Alert: Fremont Bridge closed overnight early Saturday

    By

    Tom Fucoloro

    | Posted

    Heads up to anyone out late Friday or working early on Saturday: SDOT is repairing the metal bridge decking on the Fremont Bridge from midnight to 6 a.m. Saturday morning.

    The bridge, including the sidewalks, will be closed except for 15-minute openings at 1, 2, 3 and 4 a.m. So you might be stuck waiting 45 minutes or having to reroute to the Aurora Bridge.

    More details from SDOT:

    Our crews will be conducting preventative maintenance from midnight on Friday, October 21 until 6 a.m. on Saturday morning to repair the Fremont Bridge’s metal bridge deck. The drawbridge will be raised overnight so that crews can repair sections of the metal grating of the bridge deck. This work is weather-dependent.

    The Fremont Bridge is over a century old and is believed to be the most frequently raised drawbridge in America and one of the busiest drawbridges in the world. Over time, the fasteners which hold the metal bridge deck in place have worn down and loosened, causing the metal grating to shift when a vehicle drives over it. It is important to repair and maintain the bridge deck in order to prevent the metal grates from moving around and damaging other bridge components.

    Crew members will be lifted as high as 100 feet above the water to complete the welding work. This will be done using a truck with a movable arm to reach the sections that need to be repaired. The process will involve super-heating the metal bridge deck with a welding torch to burn off layers of accumulated dirt, and then repairing the attachments that hold the metal grating in place.

    Performing this work while the bridge is raised is the most efficient way to complete the repairs. This gives crews the best access to the underside of the bridge so that they can finish the welding work more quickly and minimize the disruption for the traveling public.

    We hope to finish the work in one night, but if that is not possible, we will schedule a similar overnight closure the following week.

    tags: , ,
    — Advertisement —

  • New trail connection to 1st Ave NE bridge opens in Northgate

    By

    Tom Fucoloro

    | Posted

    Photo of the new trail with light rail tracks in the background.
    Photo from Sound Transit.

    Map of the new trail between NE 115th Street and 1st Avenue NE.Two years after Sound Transit construction closed a short walking and biking connection to the 1st Ave NE/N 117th Street bridge over I-5, the agency has opened its replacement.

    The new trail connection is short, but it is a significant improvement for people trying to access the only somewhat bike-friendly crossing of I-5 in a 3-mile stretch between the John Lewis Memorial Bridge and NE 155th Street in Shoreline. I say “somewhat bike-friendly” because the 1st Ave NE bridge doesn’t have bike lanes, but it is lower-traffic than the closest alternatives: NE Northgate Way and NE 130th Street. I-5 crossings are so rare that every possible walking and biking option is precious. The Seattle Bicycle Master Plan does call for protected bike lanes on the bridge, but they are not yet funded.

    The new trail is not a copy of the previous one. It connects to NE 115th Street, a block south of the old trail which is now buried beneath light rail tracks. From 115th, the connection travels south a block before passing under the new tracks and connecting to 1st Ave NE. It does not connect to any major citywide or regional bike routes, but it is a huge improvement for people who live or work nearby.

    tags: , , , ,
    — Advertisement —

  • Photo: Finally, an improvement to 9th Ave near Mercer

    By

    Tom Fucoloro

    | Posted

    Photo of a handwritten sign on a sign post that says "no parking bike lane."I noticed an improvement to 9th Ave this morning.

    I will admit that I was hoping for more, such as some physical bike lane protection or implementation of this $0 fix to help improve crosswalk and bike lane safety and accessibility. But hey, it’s something.

    tags: , ,
    — Advertisement —

  • Burke-Gilman Missing Link permit approved, though litigation is not over yet

    By

    Tom Fucoloro

    | Posted

    Proposed cross-section of the NW 45th Street section.
    Concept design for NW 45th St from SDOT.

    SDOT has gained permit approval to build the Ballard Missing Link of the Burke-Gilman Trail, though the project is not out of the woods yet. Litigation is ongoing and will continue into 2023. But the Shoreline Permit brings the trail one more step closer, and the official timeline calls for construction in the middle of 2023 if legal challenges are resolved in time. That is one of the longest-running “ifs” in Seattle transportation project history, as the city has been trying to build this connection for at least two decades.

    Mayor Bruce Harrell’s proposed 2023–24 budget includes $2.5 million for the redesign work needed for the new trail concept.

    The permit (PDF) is a big deal because the Department of Construction and Inspections has confirmed SDOT’s assertion that the redesigned trail design is exempt from the State Environmental Policy Act and is legal under all other relevant development policies such as the Shoreline Management Act. The revamped design is a scaled back version of previous ambitious and high-budget designs, which have been held up in court for many years. By reducing the amount of space that is being repaved and significantly modified, SDOT says the project is no longer big enough to require environmental review under state law, which project appellants have successfully used to delay the project in court.

    You can see details of the new design in our previous story. In short, the new design does not move the train tracks, does not restore two-way car traffic on NW 45th Street, and is a bit skinnier along Shilshole. It also trades some planned traffic signals for crosswalks. While some of those trade-offs are bummers, they are worth it if it finally gets the thing built.

    But the legal fighting is not over. Appellants have 21 days from October 11 to appeal the decision to the State Shorelines Hearings Board, which we can pretty much assume will happen. There is also an ongoing case in King County Superior Court that is currently scheduled for trial March 20 (though these things have a way of getting pushed back). Hopefully the city’s arguments hold firm this time and we can finally build this damn trail already.

    Meanwhile, people continue to crash on the unfinished section and get seriously injured. The longer this delay continues, the more people will be injured.

    tags: , , ,
    — Advertisement —

  • With his new SDOT Director in place, Mayor Harrell centers safety amid rising traffic deaths

    By

    Tom Fucoloro

    | Posted

    With traffic deaths rising to horrific levels, Mayor Bruce Harrell has signaled his support for prioritizing and taking ownership of Vision Zero.

    Harrell spoke before a memorial ride Seattle Neighborhood Greenways organized in honor of Robb Mason last week, and he said knowing traffic deaths are happening on his watch makes them personal, Ryan Packer reported.

    “Tonight I stood with our community to honor Robb Mason before a memorial bike ride,” Harrell said via Twitter. “My administration will lead with people and our ultimate goal is safety. I remain committed to achieving Vision Zero so that every neighbor – no matter how they get around – can do so safely.”

    Harrell said he puts his full support into the Vision Zero work his new SDOT Director Greg Spotts has made a centerpiece of his first days on the job. Spotts has only been on the job for a month, but he has already been very active in going on community walks and bike rides to learn about issues and meet people. He also started a 90-day review of the city’s existing Vision Zero program with the promise that it will lead to published findings and changes to make it more effective.

    Spotts rode with the memorial riders before speaking at the end alongside Claudia Mason. West Seattle Blog recorded his speech along with others:

    (more…)

    tags: , ,
    — Advertisement —

  • Green Lake Inner Loop will detour to Outer Loop for boathouse construction

    By

    Tom Fucoloro

    | Posted

    Map of the detour route, showing the lakeside path routed onto West Green Lake Way N.
    From Seattle Parks.

    A short section of the Green Lake Inner Loop Path near the Aqua Theater will be rerouted to the Outer Loop path for about a year starting today.

    Seattle Parks is replacing the existing boathouse with a new 10,800 square-foot boathouse that will allow for additional boating instruction and storage. It will also be able to offer accessible rowing to the public, which is pretty great.

    It’s interesting to see Parks already taking advantage of the new outer loop bike route, showing yet another benefit of having more than one safe walking and biking option. Hopefully city staff will observe whether the outer loop gets too crowded and will be prepared to widen the path if needed. This stretch of West Green Lake Way N was completely closed to car traffic in 2020 and much of 2021.

    SDOT is currently constructing the final section of the Outer Loop path, including a section along the edge of Aurora Ave N. The new section should be open for use by December.

    More details from Parks: (more…)

    tags: ,
    — Advertisement —
— Advertisement —

Join the Seattle Bike Blog Supporters

As a supporter, you help power independent bike news in the Seattle area. Please consider supporting the site financially starting at $5 per month:

Latest stories

— Advertisements —

Latest on Mastodon

Loading Mastodon feed…