Seattle Area Traffic and Roads Thread

[CityView Jim]

Originally Posted by Capitol Hill

I see the new choke point in Seattle Traffic! I understand it must be a logistical nightmare trying to rebuild a heavily used existing roadway, but sheesh. Traffic through this area is going to absolutely crawl.

The smart people will find alternatives - now's the time. After all, the tunnel ultimately will only carry two lanes of traffic in either direction so it will really be no different other than some wiggle waggles on the temporary reroute.

[Capitol Hill]

Originally Posted by CityView Jim

The smart people will find alternatives - now's the time. After all, the tunnel ultimately will only carry two lanes of traffic in either direction so it will really be no different other than some wiggle waggles on the temporary reroute.

Yes, but have you seen how Seattle Driver's negotiate change? Yikes!

[CityView Jim]

I disagree. I've noticed whenever something major happens - like a road shut down - give notice Seattleites prepare and adapt. A few cases in point: When the Wilburton tunnel came down, when several miles of 405 were closed for repaving, when I-5 was closed for resurfacing. Bottlenecks were rather limited nad not the nightmares predicted.

This won't be that much different. There will be some extended closings (6 weeks of northbound SR99 at a time I saw), but again with planning we may do better than you think.

I'm just always hopeful.

[Capitol Hill]

Originally Posted by CityView Jim

I disagree. I've noticed whenever something major happens - like a road shut down - give notice Seattleites prepare and adapt. A few cases in point: When the Wilburton tunnel came down, when several miles of 405 were closed for repaving, when I-5 was closed for resurfacing. Bottlenecks were rather limited nad not the nightmares predicted.

This won't be that much different. There will be some extended closings (6 weeks of northbound SR99 at a time I saw), but again with planning we may do better than you think.

I'm just always hopeful.

Okay, I'm game. I'll take a puff of what you're smoking. (just kidding, you bring up good points, I'm just looking at all the sharp curves and changes in those diagrams. That's what I'm concerned about).

[Seasun]

update on the 45th street viaduct from yesterday afternoon. Seems to be coming along pretty well.

[Bond James Bond]

I was stunned to learn today that they're FINALLY enlarging the little stretch of Sunset Way in Issaquah just to the south of I-90 as it goes down the hill. That was the most pathetically under-sized road I have ever seen in my life.

[Vashon118]

East Marginal Way Grade Separation (07/18):

[IMG]http://i27.************/2u41ngi.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i26.************/2ibi39e.jpg[/IMG]

Spokane St. Viaduct (07/10):

[IMG]http://i27.************/2lc69z6.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i31.************/15o9yqh.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i29.************/rbxsn6.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i26.************/t7fo00.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i25.************/sngev6.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i27.************/4iov9x.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i32.************/o7672w.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i31.************/258y0bk.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i25.************/2wf3fw8.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i31.************/2sadl77.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i31.************/2dadtf4.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i30.************/2z9i9zm.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i29.************/2qsz1br.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i25.************/esjgw3.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i25.************/t816d0.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i29.************/2wn6x01.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i25.************/2z3q6u0.jpg[/IMG]

[Grayproduct]

Thanks for the updates, it's mighty interesting to watch these projects progress.

[pwalker]

A lot of these projects have been approved due to little public opposition, mainly due to the low residential population in this area of the city. In this paticular situation that works "for" development, as so few actually live in the area. The result is greater infrustucture for the city, which is much needed. Good planning and stragetic thinking by Seattle leaders.

[Capitol Hill]

Originally Posted by pwalker

A lot of these projects have been approved do to little public opposition, mainly due to the low residential population in this area of the city. In this paticular situation that works "for" development, as so few actually live in the area. The result is greater infrustucture for the city, which is much needed. Good planning and stragetic thinking by Seattle leaders. Bravo.

My understanding is there was also a lot of pressure to get this work done prior to the beginning of the Highway 99 through downtown. Wasn't there also some whispers of squeezing in an additional lane of I-5 through downtown? I don't know how they'd do it, but I thoiught that was part of the equation.

[Seasun]

I've heard the ideas about taking away on and/or off-ramp(s) maybe Seneca Street(?) to get another lane on I-5. Besides getting another lane it would just be good get rid of as many "fast lane" on/off-ramps as possible. I don't have too much use for an extra lane going north on I-5 unless it was bus only or maybe HOV. We gotta have our choke-points somewhere and that's at the I-5 ship canal bridge/520 if it's not downtown.

[CrazyAboutCities]

I don't think the city of Seattle/State of Washington should wide its I-5 freeway at all. We should invest more on public transit and rebuild some infrastructures. That should help reduce the I-5 traffic and pollution in long run.

[CityView Jim]

Pretty cool video of the proposed westside of 520 preferred plan:

http://blog.seattlepi.com/transporta...ves/215519.asp

[Seasun]

good video (it's not embedded in the PI webpage correctly so be sure to "watch in youtube" if you want to see the whole image.). Seems like about as good a compromise as might be gotten but it is an awful lot of concrete and car lanes in a time we're supposed to be trying to drive less. I think the bike/ped pathway should go across Portage Bay too so it connects north Capitol Hill more directly to 520 for bikers. Being dumped off at Montlake makes bikers have to navigate curvy, hilly, busy streets to get up to Cap Hill.

[CrazyAboutCities]

Thanks for the video! It helped me to get idea of what new 520 bridge would look like when it got built. I am little surprised to see it will be very wide bridge than I saw on the proposed 520 replacement bridge designs a while ago. There is one thing they didn't show... Where future light rail will be built on. I am curious how it will get built at same time when people still using existing 520 bridge.

[meku]

Definitely a good compromise, though only if in fact it will be able to accommodate light rail in the future. I still don't see how it will help reduce the backups where it meets I-5.

[meku]

Crazy - there's only two ways to do it. Take away the HOV lane and put the light rail there or widen the bridge on one or both sides to accommodate the tracks. Not sure if that latter is an option with the new design.
Having said that, we're probably a decade away from having serious talks about putting light rail on the bridge.

[CityView Jim]

Originally Posted by meku

Crazy - there's only two ways to do it. Take away the HOV lane and put the light rail there or widen the bridge on one or both sides to accommodate the tracks. Not sure if that latter is an option with the new design.
Having said that, we're probably a decade away from having serious talks about putting light rail on the bridge.

Yeah, looks like the pontoons are extra wide for adding on to the outer sides of the bridge.

[alexjonlin]

No it's designed so that light rail can go down the middle of the bridge where the HOV lanes will be. The City got WSDOT to change the plan to put a gap between the EB and WB lanes in a certain section there wide enough for a future light rail guideway from next to Husky Stadium to come in to the middle of the bridge.
I really like what they did to make the bridge better. Sure, I'm not super excited about the extra SOV capacity, but at the same time it'll be really great to have HOV lanes and the bike/pedestrian path across the bridge, and the lids will reconnect those neighborhoods that are currently cut off straight down the middle. The 45-mph-speed-limit Portage Bay bridge is a nice touch for the neighborhoods around there but I agree, a path should've been added along the side.
The thing I'm most excited about in the 520 preferred alternative is the new plan for north of the Montlake Bridge, which wasn't included in this video. It would have a cap over Montlake Blvd between Husky Stadium/UW Station and the Triangle, and a cap over Pacific Pl. between the Triangle and Rainier Vista, so that Rainier Vista will continue all the way down to UW Station, and pedestrians and bicyclists will have no conflicts with cars to get to the Station.

[jam5]

Originally Posted by alexjonlin

The thing I'm most excited about in the 520 preferred alternative is the new plan for north of the Montlake Bridge, which wasn't included in this video. It would have a cap over Montlake Blvd between Husky Stadium/UW Station and the Triangle, and a cap over Pacific Pl. between the Triangle and Rainier Vista, so that Rainier Vista will continue all the way down to UW Station, and pedestrians and bicyclists will have no conflicts with cars to get to the Station.

It's a shame that the Pacific Place and Montlake Blvd. caps can't be built before Husky Stadium opens.