Buses Piling Up At NE 45th Street Turn-Around

 

Metro bus revised its bus service in Laurelhurst and throughout the city last fall. 

Laurelhurst went from one to 2 new bus routes, 31 and 32 route, running from 5:45am to 11:30pm, stopping at the NE 45th Street Hospital turnaround, and no longer going through the neighborhood.

Metro said that the Routes 31 and 32 were revised to provide improved east-west transit connectivity along NE 45th Street and to make connections between the new U District Station and Seattle Children’s Hospital. 

However, with 2 busses running the same route at around the same times, neighbors report that many times it results in 3-4 busses at the NE 45th Street turnaround, with one bus usually hanging out on to NE 45th Street.

One neighbor said: 

NE 45th is a very busy street in and out of the neighborhood. If they all happen to be there at the same time, can't the schedules be changed so they don't all show up there? Especially since ridership is very low. Why don't the busses wait at a previous stop to get back on their schedule?  Seems very odd to have 3-4 busses piling up in a low ridership neighborhood.

The Laurelhurst Blog contacted Metro and a representative responded: 

Our staff spoke to a neighbor to hear their perspective on driveway concerns, and we are glad to hear drivers are courteous and are able to quickly move a bus that might temporarily be blocking a driveway while they are in service. By working with operations staff, we expect these instances to become less frequent through better coordination.

Buses run approximately every 15 minutes during most of the day, and every 7-8 minutes during the peak periods. No more than two buses are expected to share the terminal at the same time at Seattle Children’s Hospital. 

 

Based on some initial observations, there is sufficient room for three buses to enter the turnaround without hanging out in the sidewalk area. We’ll work with drivers on those routes to ensure they are pulling far enough ahead to make enough room for each other.

 

Based on scheduling, the pace of buses serving that location should not cause backups or bunching.  However due to traffic or boarding delays, or other issues on a trip, it can affect the spacing between buses, and following trips can catch up to delayed trips. While we do not schedule more than two buses to share the terminal, there may be instances where a third bus may arrive at the terminal as a result of some of these kinds of impacts. Our scheduling staff will be looking at the trip timing to see if there are refinements or revisions to smooth out the rhythm of service.

I’ve informed our scheduling and service quality staff so they can take steps to work with the bus drivers of these routes to better avoid these situations to the extent possible.

Metro Bus Route 78, ran  for about four years and replaced long-time neighborhood route 25, which was deleted due to low ridership. The route went throughout the neighborhood with multiple stops, but only ran once an hour and ridership was low. Route 78 ran from Children's Hospital to the UW Light rail station at Husky Stadium.

Go to Metro's website for more information.

 

New Neighborhood Bus Service Starts This Week

Many new Metro bus routes started this week, as well as some routes removed, to better feed into the new Link light rail stations.  In total over 20 existing King County Metro routes were affected  - including 14 routes deleted, 7 new routes created and 10 routes revised.

Laurelhurst has 2 new bus routes, 31 and 32 route, running from 5:45am to 11:30pm, stopping at the NE 45th Street Hospital turnaround

Metro published this information:

Routes 31 and 32 have been revised in the University District to provide improved east-west transit connectivity along NE 45th Street and to make connections between the new U District Station and Seattle Children’s Hospital. 

Routes 31 and 32 no longer have stops along Stevens Way on the University of Washington campus, and the route is no longer connected to Route 75, which now connects with Route 45 to provide direct service to the University of Washington Campus along Stevens Way.

Alternative service is provided by routes 31, 32, 45, and 75.Between the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s, use revised routes 45 and 75, providing connected service along Stevens Way, NE 45th St, and Sandpoint Way NE. 

Between the U District Station and Seattle Children’s, and Laurelhurst Elementary School, use revised routes 31 and 32, providing a combined frequent, all-day service along NE 45th St to/from 45th Av NE.

Metro Bus Route 78, ran  for about four years and replaced long-time neighborhood route 25, which was deleted due to low ridership. The route went throughout the neighborhood with multiple stops, but only ran once an hour and ridership was low. Route 78 ran from Children's Hospital to the UW Light rail station at Husky Stadium.

Children’s Hospital recently installed new lighting at the NE 45th Street bus stop and sidewalk to improve pedestrian safety, including  three new light poles and one additional light fixture. Metro installed two small signs within the bus turnaround.

Go to Metro's website for more information about Metro’s fall service revisions.

Hospital Construction Activity This Week

Building Care, also called Forest B, of Phase 2 of Children's Hospital expansion is underway and the new building is planned to open in Spring of 2022.

The 310,000 square-foot addition will add an eight-story building and will includes diagnostic and treatment facilities, primarily out-patient cancer and others) labs, new state-of-the-art operating rooms, 20 inpatient beds, and a lobby. There will be two floors of underground parking and sterile processing. This will bring SCH bed total to 409, up from 200 before its expansion 2012 plan.

The helicopter landing pad moved temporarily to the roof of Forest A (176’), now known as Friends of Costco Building, Phase 1 of the expansion. The landing pad will be active until Building Care is completed. Noise is expected to be louder than the former ground-based helipad. When Forest B is complete, the helistop will moves to its permanent location on top of the Friends of Costco Building (same height).

Lights were added to the horizontal swing arm (boom) portion of the tower crane to increase safety for helicopter landings. These are in addition to the lights at the end of the boom and on the crane operator’s cab. The additional lights will help the helicopter pilots in identifying the location of the boom when landing or departing the helipad in the dark. While the lights are visible from the ground, they are not bright enough to interfere with any neighboring properties. As a reminder, the tower crane is scheduled to remain onsite through August 2020.

The Hospital posted this information on their Construction Blog about specific construction activity this week:

• Pour concrete for walls and shafts
• Install fireproofing
• Framing
• Paint
• Install roofing
• Set exterior walls
• Install metal panels
• Install windows
• Install metal sheeting
• Install elevator equipment
• Install mechanical and electrical wiring and plumbing equipment
• Set air handling units
• Install drywall
• Install siding
• Build out electrical, mechanical, generator and pneumatic tube blower rooms
• Install insulation
• Install flooring
• Install sprinkler systems
• Build out interior spaces
• Install utility wiring, pipes, ceiling tiles, and flooring on River B level 3 in existing building
• Install paneling and wall coverings in new chapel location on River A level 7
• Demolition and relocation of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing on level 1 of Forest A
• Set walls, install seismic joints, and install mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and pneumatic tube connections on level 2 of Forest A
• Set walls and install seismic joints on level 3 of Forest A
• Complete framing and install mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and insulation on level 4 of Forest A
• Install mechanical, electrical, plumbing, insulation, drywall, and seismic joint covers on level 5 of Forest A
• Install insulation, drywall, and seismic joint covers on level 6 of Forest A
• Install mechanical, electrical, plumbing, insulation, drywall, and seismic joint covers on level 7 of Forest A
• Install seismic joint covers on level 8 of Forest A
• Install metal panels and drywall on level 9 of Forest A
• Sidewalk work: construction crews will repair sidewalks and install (ADA) ramps: 9/8-9/12 - on the north side of NE 45th Street, between 45th Avenue NE and the Metro route 78 bus stop; 9/14-9/18 - n the south side of NE 50th Street, between Sand Point Way NE and 44th Avenue NE; and 9/21-9/25 - on the north side of NE 50th Street, between Sand Point Way NE and Sand Point Place NE.  Affected sidewalks will be closed during construction, and pedestrian detour signage will be posted. 

All work will take place 8-6pm weekdays and 9-6pm on Saturdays.

Today NE 45th Street Bus Shelter Being Removed

Children's Hospital posted on their Construction Blog that starting today, work will begin to demolish the westbound bus shelter, located on NE 45th St near 42nd Avenue NE.  The Metro bus stop will remain. 

During the demolition, which will be noisy at times due to breaking up and removing the concrete pad the shelter sits on, Metro Route 78 bus riders should use the existing westbound bus stop further east on NE 45th Street. 

Children's Hospital told the Laurelhurst Blog Staff about the shelter, which is owned by the Hospital:

We are removing the shelter because it is in poor condition and concerns were raised about safety issues related to transient activity at the shelter. The shelter wasn’t being utilized by Seattle Children’s staff, patients and families as intended waiting for the bus, and Metro supported it’s removal.  There is another bus shelter up the hill that metro considers the primary bus stop for this route, and it gets much more use.

Once the shelter is removed, the area will be replanted and blended with the surrounding landscaping. 

Children's Hospital Construction Activity This Week And NE 45th Street Bus Shelter Removal

Building Care, Forest B, of Phase 2 of Children's Hospital expansion,Children's Hospital is underway, which is planned to open in Spring of 2022. 

The 310,000 square-foot addition will add an eight-story building and will includes diagnostic and treatment facilities, primarily out-patient cancer and others) labs, new state-of-the-art operating rooms, 20 inpatient beds, and a lobby. There will be two floors of underground parking and sterile processing. This will bring SCH bed total to 409, up from 200 before its expansion 2012 plan. 

The helicopter landing pad moved temporarily to the roof of Forest A (176’), now known as Friends of Costco Building, Phase 1 of the expansion. The landing pad will be active until Building Care is completed. Noise is expected to be louder than the former ground-based helipad. When Forest B is complete, the helistop will moves to its permanent location on top of the Friends of Costco Building (same height). 

Lights were added, recently, to the horizontal swing arm (boom) portion of the tower crane to increase safety for helicopter landings. These are in addition to the lights at the end of the boom and on the crane operator’s cab. The additional lights will help the helicopter pilots in identifying the location of the boom when landing or departing the helipad in the dark. While the lights are visible from the ground, they are not bright enough to interfere with any neighboring properties. As a reminder, the tower crane is scheduled to remain onsite through August 2020.

The Hospital posted this information on their Construction Blog about specific construction activity this week: 
 • On December 9, work will begin to demolish the westbound bus shelter; the Metro bus stop will remain. The shelter, owned by the Hospital, is located on NE 45th St near 42nd Avenue NE. Demolition of the concrete pad the shelter sits on will be noisy at times. Once the shelter is removed, the area will be replanted and blended with the surrounding landscaping. Metro Route 78 riders should use the existing westbound bus stop further east on NE 45th St during the work. 

 • Install rebar and pour concrete for walls, footings, slabs, and curbs

• Strip concrete
• Install waterproofing for walls
• Prep work on electricity transformer vault
• Install mechanical, electrical and plumbing
• Excavation
• Backfill excavated areas
• Internal activities: install new pipe, wiring and pneumatic tube system pathways on Forest A, level 1

Call 206-987-8000 or email construction@seattlechildrens.org with questions.

Metro 78 Rerouted This Month Due To UW Campus Projects

Starting this week through August, Metro Bus Route 78, will be rerouted due to two construction projects due to the closure on Stevens Way, on the UW campus.    

The Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC) told the Laurelhurst Blog that it "looks like the route will go up the viaduct, down 15th Avenue NE, and around past the UW Medical Center to the regular stop by Husky Stadium.

The UW posted this information on the re-route:
CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL LOOP -  From Children’s Hospital -  Regular route to Westbound NE 45 Street and Montlake Blvd NE
Continue on westbound on NE 45 Street
Left on southbound 15 Avenue NE 
Continue on 15 Avenue NE 
Continue on regular route to Children’s Hospital 

MISSED STOPS 
WB MONTLAKE BLVD NE/FS NE 45 ST
SB STEVENS WY/FS PEND OREILLE RD 
SB STEVENS WY/NS BENTON LN WB STEVENS WY/NS RAINIER VISTA
WB STEVENS WY/FS GARFIELD LN 
WB GRANT LANE/FS STEVENS WY 

USE STOPS 
WB NE 45 ST/FM UNION BAY PL NE
WB NE 45 ST/NS 27 AV NE – TEMPORARY STOP 
WB NE 45 ST/AT 19 AV NE – TEMPORARY STOP 
SB 15 AV NE/FS NE 43 ST 
SB 15 AV NE/NS NE CAMPUS PKWY 
SB 15 AV NE/FS NE 40 ST 

Legend   
Direction: EB = Eastbound   IB = Inbound   NB = Northbound   OB = Outbound   SB = Southbound   WB = Westbound 
Routing Turns: C = Continue L = Left R = Right 
Stop Orientation: AT = At FM = Far Side – Mid-block FS = Far side – just after the intersection NM = Near side – Mid-block NS = Near side – Just before the intersection OP = Opposite 

Go here for more information.

Route 78 started service in March of 2016, shortly after Light Rail began its service. Long-time neighborhood Route 25 was deleted due to low ridership. Route #78 is a much shorter route, running about every 30-40 minutes from 6am to 6pm to the UW (Montlake) Light Rail Station.   

No Route 78 Bus This Evening

King County Metro Transit posted this information:

Route 78 will not operate between Children's Hospital and UW Station this evening, due to fleet shortages and in preparation for the coming winter storm.

For alternative service, Route 78 riders can use Route 75, which serves the University district, UW Campus and Children’s Hospital.

Visit Metro’s online regional Puget Sound Trip Planner for information about how to get to and from locations.

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.

For more information go here.

Children's To Remove Trees Around Perimeter Of Campus This Week, Bus 78 Rerouted

Some large trees around the perimeter of Children's Hospital campus will be removed this week between 9-4pm.  The work will include noise from chainsaws and chippers. 

Children's posted this information on their Construction Blog:

• Monday: Crews will remove two trees at the Metro route 78 bus stop and turnaround on the southeast corner of the hospital campus. The stop will be closed while the trees are removed. Metro will reroute bus 78 along 45th Avenue NE and 46th Avenue NE to serve as a temporary turnaround. To accommodate buses, no parking will be allowed on the east side of 45th Avenue and along both sides of 46th Avenue near the intersection with NE 47th Street that day. 
• Tuesday: Crews will remove one tree at the southwest corner of the hospital campus, near the intersection of 40th Avenue NE and NE 45th Street. Crews will also prune two trees near Sand Point Way south of Penny Drive. No traffic or parking disruptions are anticipated.
• Wednesday: Crews will remove three trees on the south side of NE 47th Street between 44th Avenue NE and 45th Avenue NE. Trucks will be parked on NE 47th Street to access the trees. No traffic or parking disruptions are anticipated.

Call 206-987-8000 or email construction@seattlechildrens.org with questions.

Comment On New Plans For Big Events At UW Husky Stadium

The Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC) published this information in their recent newsletter:

Comment on New Plans for Big Events at UW Husky Stadium  

The UW has prepared the required draft Environmental Impact Study (EIS) for its updated Husky Stadium Transportation Master Plan (TMP).  

In it, the UW offers no specific incentive plans to further reduce its impacts on the mobility of surrounding communities during large events and continues to dump all of the attendees onto existing transit routes. Its underlying assumptions are untenable. Regular bus routes and light rail are already running over capacity.  

The excess demand of adding approximately 22,000 riders to existing routes within 30 minutes of a major event’s completion would take at least two hours to clear. The TMP offers no new specific incentives for car share availability, no added boat shuttles, no improved sidewalks, and no bus pull out in front of Husky Stadium along Montlake Blvd. where Metro #78, Metro #65, Children’s Hospital shuttles, and Connector buses stop.  

These transit vehicles block all traffic in the lane, result in gridlock for other vehicles, and create unsafe boarding conditions for riders.  

The March issue of the Laurelhurst Letter featured key points LCC wanted  included and analyzed in the EIS.  

View the TMP EIS on the UW’s website. Send written comments to: Julie Blakeslee, University of Washington, Box 352205, Seattle, WA  98195-2205 or email: jblakesl@uwa.ed.

City Denies Special Parking Permit For Neighbors Living Around #78 Bus Stop Near Talaris WIth Commuters Using Area As Park N Ride

Last Spring, the Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC) applied to SDOT for an RPZ 
(Restricted Parking Zone) for the residential portion of the Township of Yesler, a 12-block area of Laurelhurst behind the Laurelhurst business district adjacent to the Talaris campus.  

LCC published in their newsletter:

This area falls within a primary University of Washington impact area, bordered by UW’s Laurel Village and the Center for Urban Horticulture. The UW supports the request.  

Residents have experienced increased parking pressures in recent years due to rapid area development, higher UW enrollment and participation in near-by activities, the expansions of University Village and Seattle Children’s, and Link rail access. The three (to date) boarding houses with eight to 12 unrelated residents in this single family-zoned neighborhood impact parking availability as well.

The Laurelhurst Blog received many emails from those living in that area of the neighborhood, particularly, near the new Metro 78 bus stop on the corner of Mary Gates Drive NE and NE 45th Street. 

Neighbors commented that many drivers, most likely commuters, were parking on residential streets around the bus stop then taking the bus and returning in the evening, using Mary Gates Drive as a Park 'n ride to catch the bus.

One neighbor wrote:

It looks as if our area of the neighborhood is being used for commuter parking.  

Commuters in and outside the Laurelhurst neighborhood have been and are using Mary Gates Way and NE 41st Street and side streets as park and ride locations.  

Over the last year there has been an obvious increase in the number of parked cars in and around the Center for Urban Horticulture creeping into the side streets and neighborhood. They are commuters. They drive into the neighborhood, take out bicycles then head off to UW, UW Medical Center and even go on to Harborview via UW shuttle. Commuters show up as singles or pairs, park, and another vehicle swings by and shuttles them off to another location. Others park and walk generally in the direction of UW.  

With the start of bus line #78 with stop on NE 41^st  Street and the UW Light Rail, increase in parking is inevitable. There are few or no restrictions on parking in the Laurelhurst and surrounding neighborhoods.  

It is so ironic that a great deal of money has been spent to provide public transportation yet environmentalists and proponents of walking and bicycling will drive to the least expensive place to park a car while in effective polluting the environment and filling in neighborhoods with their automobiles  and SUVs 8 to 10 hours a day.

Another neighbor wrote:

The bus stop on NE 41st Street at Talaris is an open invitation for commuters to use the neighborhood as a free park and ride location. I understood the bus route was put into place to shuttle people from the train station to Children’s Hospital. Human nature and the path of least resistance unless otherwise restricted will prevail. Is the next step is to put parking restrictions in place? It seems as if it is going to continue to grow with more and more cars using the neighborhood as a parking lot.

Here is the letter LCC submitted to SDOT requesting an RPZ: 

Pursuant to the Seattle Municipal code (updated in June 2009), Laurelhurst Community Club requests the establishment of an RPZ of the residential portion of the Township of Yesler, a unique, 12-block residential area of Laurelhurst, bordered on the north by NE 45^th St with commercial establishments, on the east by Talaris (formerly Battelle Institute), on the south by NE 41st Street, and on the west by the University of Washington’s Laurel Village, along Mary Gates Way.  

I

This application is also supported by the University of Washington, whereby, when a residential neighborhood falls within a primary or secondary University impact area, the University will support development and implementation of the respective RPZ. The Township of Yesler falls within a primary University impact area.

The Township of Yesler has traditionally been a sleepy, residential neighborhood inhabited by UW professors, families, and retirees. In the past, there have been manageable residential parking pressures throughout the neighborhood; however, in recent years, the 12-block residential area has experienced a marked increase in parking pressures due to rapid development in the area, specifically:

·         Expansion of The University Village

·         Expansion of Children’s Hospital

·         Increased enrollment at the University of Washington

·         Increased activities at Center for Urban Horticulture (CUH)

·         Rapid development of commercial enterprises along NE 45th

Currently, most weekdays bring an influx of cars to the neighborhood due to:

·         Overflow of parking (including employee parking banned) from the businesses on NE 45th, forcing parking onto neighborhood streets

·         Residents/employees at UW Laurel Village

·         UW students

·         Participants of activities/employees at the CUH

Evenings and weekends also see non-resident parking in certain areas of the neighborhood due to:

·         Functions at CUH

·         Restaurants along NE 45^th Street

·         Laurel Village residents

·         UW weekend activities at the sports fields, apart from Husky football games

Finally, increased commercial and residential projects in the area are further impacting parking for the residents, including:

·         Parking by non-residents to catch buses along NE 45th to the UW Link

·         New businesses along NE 45th with inadequate (or any) parking provided, forcing patron/employee parking onto the neighborhood streets

·         The recent construction of three (to date) boarding houses in this single family-zoned neighborhood, with inadequate parking for the eight (or in one case, 12) unrelated residents

While some residents of the Township have single garage parking available, many do not, and therefore they need to be able to find parking near their homes. In addition, there is rarely room for visitors or delivery vehicles to park nearby. It is becoming more and more difficult to live in this area.

LCC, supported by the University of Washington, therefore requests SDOT to establish an RPZ for the Township of Yesler.

The two contact persons for this project are:

Heather Newman

newmanheather@comcast.net

Barb Ragee

bjragee@comcast.net

The City responded that the area did not meet the criteria to qualify for a new RPZ at that time stating:

The data we collected shows that the area does not meet the criteria to qualify for a new RPZ at this time. The criteria for establishing a new RPZ are very specific: 10 contiguous blocks (and/or 20 blockfaces) are filled to 75% full or greater and over 35% of the vehicles parked on those blocks do not belong to residents of the designated area.

The evaluation process begins with an initial field check to determine if an area of at least 10 blocks (and/or 20 blockfaces) is at least 75% full of parked vehicles. The initial field check for this area took place in late May and looked at 18 blocks (30 blockfaces).
On average, the blocks were 64% full of parked vehicles. Only 9 blocks (14 blockfaces) were over 75% full and those blocks were not contiguous.

Therefore, the area did not meet the required 10 blocks (and/or 20 blockfaces) necessary to move forward with the creation of a new RPZ.

LCC recently told the Laurelhurst Blog Staff regarding the issue: 

Residents of the Town of Yesler need to take the lead on this and get more signatures in support of the RPZ. If they do that, LCC will do all it can to support them.

The Laurelhurst Blog Staff contacted Barb Ragee several times regarding the status of neighbors pursuing the RPZ and did not receive a response.