New concepts for three corridors chosen for repaving in Southeast Seattle have been released. The first draft for corridor concepts were released by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) in October. Through that process, SDOT heard clearly that bicyclist safety should be a high priority in the designs. The revised concepts reflect that in addition to other identified priorities like new crosswalks and traffic safety. Most of the repaving work will involve resurfacing asphalt and concrete repair that is planned for construction in 2018. Revised concepts for the 2018 Northeast Seattle repaving projects should be released soon.
S Columbian Way and S Alaska St
In the autumn, SDOT proposed three separate cross-sections for the S Columbian Way and S Alaska St corridor. One of the options would have retained on-street shoulder parking, but that has been dropped. Instead, SDOT is putting for a concept that would create nine-foot wide planter strips plus five-foot wide protected bike lanes. Travel lanes would be 11 feet wide separated from the bike lane by three-foot wide buffers with flexible posts. This means that on-street parking will be entirely removed on both sides of the road.
Two intersections would get special attention, including the Mountain View Dr S intersection which would get a new pedestrian refuge island and S Alaska Pl which would be tightened up for shorter pedestrian crossings and visibility. Other improvements would include sidewalk repairs, curb ramp and bus zone upgrades, and new visible markings.
Swift Ave S, S Myrtle St, S Myrtle Pl, and S Othello St
For this corridor, SDOT is sticking with their original draft concepts, which would include protected bike lanes from Othello Station through New Holly to 15th Ave S. The protected bike lanes would range from five- to six-foot wide lanes with two- to three-foot wide buffers separating them from motorized traffic. The project would also upgrade bus zones, repair sidewalks, and make curb ramp improvements. For about a three-block stretch of S Myrtle St between Beacon Ave S and 32nd Ave S, on-street parking would be removed.
Wilson Ave S: S Dawson St to Seward Park Ave S
The concept for Wilson Ave S has changed since the autumn. SDOT’s revised concept now places on-street parking on the outside of a new protected bike instead of to the inside. This should provide extra safety to bicyclists. Both bike lanes would be five feet wide, but only the bike lane on the east side of the street would have a buffer which is planned to be three wide. The road repaving work would also involve some sidewalk repairs, curb ramp upgrades, and consolidating on-street parking to the east side of the street.
If you have comments on the concept designs, you can contact project coordinator Dan Anderson.
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Stephen is a professional urban planner in Puget Sound with a passion for sustainable, livable, and diverse cities. He is especially interested in how policies, regulations, and programs can promote positive outcomes for communities. With stints in great cities like Bellingham and Cork, Stephen currently lives in Seattle. He primarily covers land use and transportation issues and has been with The Urbanist since 2014.