Central Area Neighborhood Greenway - 2 Way Update

(received October 12th: apologies for delay in posting. AFT)
Dear Neighbors,

Many of you have written in and I want to begin by thanking you for your organized efforts. We appreciate your feedback regarding the traffic changes planned for 21st Ave E between E Aloha St and E Roy St as well as on 21st Ave E between E Republican St and E John St.

I apologize for the delay in responding, however, after having received so many emails I wanted to ensure that those internal to SDOT were aware of your concerns and that we were able to respond accordingly. That being said, I’d like to start out by clarifying a few key points that may help to ease some of the concerns we’ve heard.

21st Ave E between E Aloha and E Roy Streets

The change on 21st Ave E between E Aloha and E Roy streets is intended to allow for two-way bike traffic on the Central Area Neighborhood Greenway. It will not remove parking and is also not intended to change the current operational movement of vehicles. In order to achieve this we plan to keep the “Do Not Enter” signs currently in place at E Roy St to prevent northbound vehicles from entering, and we will remove the “One Way” sign at E Aloha, so southbound drivers are aware that bicyclists may be coming northbound. Because there are no driveways along this stretch of 21st Avenue E, our expectation is that there should be no northbound vehicle traffic movement.

We have heard your concerns regarding coordination with Holy Names and have had conversations with the school as recently as September. We have done our best to keep them informed and involved in both the route selection and design of the Central Area Neighborhood Greenway. When we met last month and discussed the changes described above, Holy Names administrators and faculty understand that for drivers, the street will continue to operate as it does today.

21st Ave E between E John and E Republican Streets

The traffic change on 21st Ave E between E John St and E Republican St will again not remove any on street parking. The “Do Not Enter” sign and curb bulb at E John Street will remain in place to prevent northbound traffic from entering. In addition and after hearing your concerns, our traffic management team has decided instead of removing the existing “Do Not Enter” sign at E Thomas St, that we will leave the signage and add “except bicycles” to be placed underneath the “Do Not Enter” sign. This will keep vehicular traffic traveling southbound only, as it does today.  In sum, 21st Ave E between E John and E Republican streets will be one-way southbound for vehicles and two-way for bicycles.

We are working with the new Meany Middle School, which shares the greenway goal of reducing vehicle traffic and promoting walking and biking, to incorporate the Greenway design into their traffic operations plan. We are also working with Seattle World School, who currently occupy the Meany site, to relay information about the changes for bikes to faculty, students and staff. 

Thank you again for being in touch. Your feedback helps us make Seattle’s greenways work for everyone. If I’ve missed anyone on this email that you know would be interested in knowing about this project or the topic at hand, your help forwarding this on would be greatly appreciated. Otherwise, please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Maribel Cruz

Maribel Cruz

Sr. Communications Advisor

City of Seattle Department of Transportation

O: 206.684.7963 | F: 206.615.1237 | maribel.cruz@seattle.gov

23rd Ave construction update: Major detour changes begin November 30, Cherry St work this Saturday

Major construction detour changes begin November 30 On Monday, November 30, crews will extend the northbound closure of 23rd Ave from E Cherry St to E Union St (Zone B) as construction progresses north. This means northbound 23rd Ave will be closed from S Jackson St to E Union St with detours to Martin Luther King Jr Way. Southbound traffic will be maintained in Zones A and B. 23rd Ave will remain open to traffic in both directions from E Union St to E John St. Read the latest construction notice for more information, including a map of the upcoming detour configuration. Schedule update Crews have made good progress rebuilding 23rd Ave since construction began in June, and the project is on schedule for completion in early 2017. However, the timing and phasing of the northbound detour has changed from original plans and now includes some overlap between Zone A and B. This overlap is needed to keep the overall project on schedule as a result of construction challenges encountered in Zone A with the planned locations for the new trolley poles. Here is the latest schedule by zone: Zone A (S Jackson St to E Cherry St) Full northbound detour began June 2015 and is expected through spring 2016 Zone B (E Cherry St to E Union St) Full northbound detour to begin November 30 and continue through summer 2016 Zone C (E Union St to E John St) Early utility work is underway now through January 2016 Full northbound detour is anticipated to begin in spring or summer 2016 and extend through early 2017 We know construction can be difficult, and we appreciate your patience as we construct important safety and mobility improvements. For more information about the schedule update, read the new Frequently Asked Questions document on the website. Intersection closure at E Cherry St November 21 Crews plan to close the E Cherry St and 23rd Ave intersection this Saturday from 7 AM to 10 PM to continue storm drainage and electrical work, though this work is weather dependent. View the detour routes for the intersection closure here. Don’t forget you can enter local access areas to get to businesses and residences near the intersection. Mark your calendars for our December drop-in session Tuesday, December 8, 4:30-6:30 PM Garfield Community Center Multipurpose Room 2323 E Cherry Street, Seattle, WA 98122 Other construction activities Crews will conduct night work near the intersection of E Pike St and 23rd Ave on November 20 – 21 in order to make temporary water main connections. Neighbors should expect construction activities throughout the night and into Saturday morning. This work will coincide with temporary water service interruptions. On November 12, crews closed Garfield High School's southern driveway on 23rd Ave for up to two weeks in order to demolish and pave a nearby section of 23rd Ave. During this closure, school buses are using a temporary load zone on E Alder St between 23rd and 25th avenues. Expect increased bus traffic and travel delays long E Alder St during school pick-up and drop-off times. Crews continue replacing the water main in Zone C. During this work, drivers can travel both north and south on 23rd Ave, though travel is reduced to one lane in each direction. Crews continue to demolish and repave sidewalks from S Jackson St to E Yesler Way on the east and west sides of 23rd Ave. Please use caution and pay attention to sidewalk closures and pedestrian detours. For more information Visit: www.seattle.gov/transportation/23rd_Ave.htm Email: 23rdAveCorridor@seattle.gov Call the 24-hour project hotline: 206-727-8857

SEEKING CLUES IN THE CASE OF THE MISSING PARK BENCH

Have you seen a green park bench painted "miller park neighborhood"?

A couple of weeks ago, some parents were waiting our usual 5-20 minutes for the elementary school bus to reach its stop at 19th/republican.  We thought about how nice it would be to have a place to sit.  Feeling inspired and neighborly, a park bench was procured and placed in the dirt patch at 19th/republican, by the utility pole.  It was painted "miller park neighborhood".

It disappeared overnight.

The next day it was found along Republican, presumably by mistake/prank, and brought back to 19th/republican where it was secured by a heavy-duty cable & lock.

Within 24 hours, it disappeared again!

There was no evidence of the presumed cut cable, lock, or bench.  I erroneously assumed the adjacent property owner (apartment) was involved, but the manager/owner confirmed no.

Any information leading to recovery of this donated community resource would be much appreciated. It can live somewhere else if needed, I would just like to know where it is and why it was offensive in its prior location.

Thanks!

Stephanie

stephstone@gmail.com