by Kirby Lindsay Laney, posted 6 November 2015
At the November 2nd meeting of the Lake Union District Council (LUDC,) attendees heard about several on-going road projects, including updating of some pedestrian pathways. LUDC meetings, held publicly at the Fremont Branch of the Seattle Public Library on the first Monday of the month at 5p, gather representatives from the neighborhoods surrounding Lake Union with city representatives, especially Tim Durkan of the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, who facilitated the November meeting.
Waterway 22 Pedestrian Path Delayed
Art Brochet, of the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT,) came to report on pedestrian improvements to North Northlake at the end of Stone Way (officially called Waterway 22.) The LUDC submitted a neighborhood generated request for the improvements to SDOT, under the Neighborhood Parks & Street Fund.
Unfortunately, Brochet came to report that SDOT will not move ahead on making the improvements – most of which focused on installing a sidewalk on the south side of Northlake, at Stone Way. Currently, the area has a traffic barrier and a mud path behind it, created by a century of pedestrians passing through. Without the mud path, pedestrians must either walk a block north to cross three roadways, or walk in the road.
One hundred years ago, Stone Way ended here at a bridge. The bridge was removed, by storms and the city, before the Fremont Bridge was completed in 1917. No retaining wall, or other finishing, was ever done to Waterway 22 beyond installation of the traffic barrier.
The improvements requested would require SDOT to either build a retaining wall or cantilever the sidewalk over the waterway, and narrow the road. Studies show that there is not room enough for vehicles, for the channelization of left turns and for freight vehicles to turn in this industrial area, if SDOT builds the sidewalk.
Brochet did say that they will continue to study the area, and look for greater funding for a retaining wall. SDOT currently must deal with the failure of a retaining wall one block west, at Fremont Boat Company, discovered when the road surface there collapsed. SDOT hired a consultant to evaluate the seriousness of the problem, and suggest possible repairs that could be done that would not impede the access for businesses, residents and owners of boats docked at the marina.
One potential change to the status of a sidewalk at Waterway 22 could be the Combined Sewage Overflow (CSO) Improvement Project that will be done over the next decade. This extensive, and big ticket, project will require changes and upgrades to the sewage overflow pipe at Waterway 22, and its connection to a storage tank potentially located at North 35th Street. Read more about that project on the City of Seattle website, and in the Fremocentrist.com column from September 2015.
Aurora Bridge Review Underway
Ahmed Darrat, also of SDOT, gave a comprehensive report on safety statistics for the Aurora Bridge. Following the tragic September 24th traffic accident on the bridge deck, SDOT has been collecting information on the roadway to evaluate its safety and make improvement recommendations.
A 2008 safety study shows relatively low collision rates, especially when comparing the Aurora Bridge to parallel, and somewhat similar, bridges in the surrounding area. For 10 years, between 2005 and 2015, there are no recorded traffic fatalities on the bridge, although 124 collisions occurred, with 102 injuries (3% were reported as serious.) According to the numbers, Aurora Bridge carries a higher traffic count than the parallel bridges of Fremont and Ballard, but it has the lowest traffic accident rate.
SDOT compiled the information, but they have not yet proposed any action. Representatives from the Eastlake neighborhood asked about regulations and restrictions against the Ride The Ducks vehicles on City roadways (mechanical failures on a Duck tour bus precipitated the tragic accident.) Darrat explained that such regulations are not the SDOT mission, but actually fall to City leadership and State regulators.
Pending Update of the Pedestrian Master Plan
Michelle Marx, also of SDOT, came to report the City update of the Pedestrian Master Plan (the City recently completed an update of its Bicycle Master Plan, and has promised a Freight Master Plan in the future.) The original plan, finalized in 2009, started with some assumptions. According to Marx, “We didn’t have the safety data we have now.”
The SDOT mission is, ‘to deliver a high-quality transportation system for Seattle,’ and they’ve identified five core values ‘to create a city that is: safe, interconnected, affordable, vibrant, and innovative for all.’ The Pedestrian Master Plan vision is for Seattle to be the most walkable city in the nation. They’ve identified areas of vibrancy (or most demand,) the need for equity and areas where traffic corridors function. They also have identified areas of dangerous crosswalks and difficult walking areas, based on safety data.
“The funds are limited, but the needs are infinite,” Marx observed. SDOT must identify where improvements will be made, and find low-cost improvements (painted crosswalks, and utilizing natural barriers between pedestrians and traffic,) for as many as possible.
SDOT created a public survey for input on the Pedestrian Master Plan. Please fill it out and give your perspective on what the City priorities should be for pedestrian improvements.
LUDC Agenda Items
In addition to the three roadway reports, the LUDC also discussed potential changes to the City Neighborhood Council, as they evaluate the historic 13 district councils of the Department of Neighborhoods and the newly-defined 7 districts of the Seattle City Council. Discussion then moved briefly to the November 1st Westlake Avenue marina fire, and Seattle Small Sparks Fund grants now available for neighborhood Shop Local campaigns.
For more information on the LUDC, or any of these roadway projects, contact Tim Durkan at tim.durkan@seattle.gov Also contact Durkan about upcoming LUDC meetings, and the agenda, if you have interest in attending in person.
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©2015 Kirby Lindsay. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.