Tomorrow Morning Montlake Bridge Lane Closures

WSDOT published this information

Montlake Bridge lane closures on Saturday morning, March 10

The inside lanes of SR 513/Montlake Boulevard East across the Montlake Bridge will be closed from 6 to 11 a.m. on Saturday morning.  During the closure, crews will use a large vactor truck to vacuum leaves and garbage out of the pits located under the bridge. The pits must be cleaned annually to ensure proper bridge operation and to prevent debris from piling up and spilling onto the nearby walkways.  This work is unrelated to the SR 520 project. To report noise concerns call 1-888-808-4DOT (4368). A neighbor also reported that one lane has been closed the last few days on Montlake Boulevard.

Comment Today On Montlake Area Traffic-calming During SR520 Next Construction Phase

Today is the deadline for submitting comments on the traffic-calming improvements in the Montlake area prior to and after construction starts on the last phase of the SR520. 

In December of last year, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) published the Neighborhood Traffic Management Plan for the SR 520 Montlake Phase Update (NTMP).

Comments can be sent to Montlake.Traffic@Seattle.gov. SDOT will evaluate requests next month and if warranted, ask for a petition, supporting that a majority of residents in an area support the specific improvement. .

Neighborhood Traffic Management Plan for the SR 520 Montlake Phase Update (NTMP) states in part:

The Montlake Neighborhood Traffic Management Plan (NTMP) identifies scheduled and potential traffic management measures through SR 520 Program design, additional neighborhood traffic-calming, and future City projects and plans in the Montlake area. 

Starting as soon as late 2018, construction crews will begin four to five years of work on the SR 520 Montlake Phase. The Montlake Phase will include a new Montlake interchange, lid and land bridge, and the completion of the eastbound half of the SR 520 west approach bridge. This phase of the project will make further changes to how motorists connect between city streets and SR 520.  

During Montlake Phase construction, there will be disruptions for drivers, bicyclists, walkers and transit riders traveling through the neighborhood. 

Montlake Boulevard is a principal arterial that provides connectivity between Seattle neighborhoods, institutions, parks, and activity centers such as the University of Washington, Seattle Children’s Hospital, U-Link light rail station and the Washington Park Arboretum.  

Today’s land use, population and resulting traffic demands have led to congestion throughout the Montlake neighborhood. Both population and employment are anticipated to continue growing within the Seattle area in the coming years.  

For more information go here.  And here is specific information about SR520 construction.

Take "Safe Montlake Passage" Survey For Direct, Safe Route Through Neighborhood To Light Rail Not Included In UW Master Plan, And Other Proposed Nearby Large Developments

Laurelhurst resident Katherin Burk, has started "Safe Montlake Passage" to advocate for modification of the proposed UW E1 parking lot (the lot between the driving range and the stadium) development plans, included in the UW Master Plan, into a redesign to create a well lit bike/pedestrian path to create a direct route from the neighborhood directly to LINK Light Rail.

The Safe Montlake Passage proposal also includes a bus/rider drop off/turnaround, carpool drop-offs and designated parking spots for rideshare parking such as Car2go, ReachNow and others, for improved NE Seattle ridership on LINK.

Katherin invites the NE Seattle community to take her survey, which includes data about the specifics of commuting scenarios and experiences, which she will present to UW and Sound Transit decision makers to show the consistent and frequent use of the variety of daily NE Seattle residents who need a safe and easily accessible route to access the UW Link station. The survey will also reflect the number of residents who want to take LINK, but currently the limited access to the station is hindering their efforts.  

Katherin told the Laurelhurst Blog:

Imagine if you could safely ride or walk through the current E1 lot? What if there were rideshare (Car2Go, ReachNow) Parking and a turnaround for public buses and passenger drop offs? So many more commuters, residents and families would use LINK. 

Safe Montlake Passage is a campaign to advocate for modification of finalized development plans for the E1 parking lot at the UW.  Currently on the UW Master Plan illustrations there is a design of the proposed development, just west of Montlake Boulevard.  

When Montlake  traffic is backed up, which is frequently, there is no easy way to pick up or drop off riders at the UW station. Buses, carpools and rideshares are caught up in Montlake traffic, and, there is no Car2Go, Reach or other rideshare parking.  Further, there is no safe and well lit pedestrian/bike path through the E1 parking lot to safely reach LINK.

The finalized plans to develop the E1 parking lot that the UW published in July does nothing to address Montlake congestion or access to the UW Link station.  

The development of E1 seems like an opportune time to add a well lit path for all pedestrians/bicycles, a turnaround for buses and carpool drop offs and designated parking spots for rideshare (car2go, ReachNow, etc.) so that more NE Seattle riders can use the LINK. 

Safe Montlake Passage is not a proposal to add single rider car parking. This is a proposal to ask UW to amend their plans to allow buses and carpool drop offs, rideshare parking, and to develop well lit and safe pathways for pedestrians and bicycles through what is currently the E1 parking area.  

Please take the survey as soon as possible especially for those commuters who can provide personal experiences that make the case of how much this would effect and improve commuters and citizen experiences.

Karen told the Laurelhurst Blog that the sometimes uneven sidewalk on Montlake Boulevard is narrow and unsafe for pedestrians with the heavy vehicular traffic.  It is especially dangerous for bicyclicsts.  The lot gates are so wide a cyclist can barely go around. The bicycle route advertised to east campus is an unpaved, dirty, gravel road and dangerous. 

She said it is also twice the distance to walk that route rather than going through the E1 parking lot or other routes near the sports facilities. Going through the parking lot is a direct route from Laurelhurst and cuts back on commuter time.

The 2018 10-year UW Master Plan "identifies 86 potential development sites and the need to build 6 million net new gross square feet of building space on the Seattle campus during the life of the Campus Master Plan. The additional space will accommodate anticipated growth of students, staff and faculty of 15 percent between 2018 and 2028."

LCC commented in a recent letter to the City regarding the impacts on potential development near Laurelhurst saying:

The massive square footage expansion requested by the University in this proposed Master Plan, and the planned 20% increase of students, faculty and staff is monumental in scale.

It is a very aggressive plan to expand the University's footprint out from down to Boat Street, upzone the U District with tall buildings, and expand along Montlake Boulevard with building structures on the E-1 parking lots which border Laurelhurst.  In addition, there are plans to increase buildings along Mary Gates Memorial Drive. 

The CMP 2018 shows that Buildings E80, E81, E82 are planned to be doubled in height. These are student housing units that border the single family Laurelhurst neighborhood.  The sf residential heights are capped at 30 feet.  The CMP 2018 should not increase the heights to be compatible with the underlying zoning. Not only is the CMP requesting to double the height, but also build out in the green space that the student families heavily use.  LCC requests that the 65 foot heights not be allowed in this part of the campus, and retain a more family friendly setting for both the students and nearby neighborhoods.  

Other growth in the area includes:

1. University District upzone upzone, which could increase building heights to up to 320 feet (32 stories), plus another 15' for mechanicals.  The affected area is the main University District core (15th  Avenue NE to the freeway and 41st to NE 50th Street) and potentially 240' buildings in other areas of the core area.
2. University Village's proposal for a seven story garage, 65 foot high West Parking Garage in the parking lot directly near the Anthropologie store, on 25th Avenue NE where currently there is surface parking.  In addition, four buildings would be constructed in the northwest part of the shopping center, which would include approximately 100,000 sq. ft. of commercial space and 915 parking spaces provide within one of the structures. A portion of an existing building would be demolished.
3. Union Bay Place NE developments , near Safeway, one already under construction
4. Aegis Assisted Living development, where the old Baskin-Robbins was located
5. Seattle Children's Hospital construction of Forest B, an 8 story building, to be located on the existing surface parking lot near the Emergency Room

For more information email SafeMontlakePassages@gmail.com, call 206-8494955 and check Twitter.

For more information about the 2018 Seattle Campus Master Plan (CMP) and Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) go here.

Tomorrow SR520 Tollling Increases, Overnight Tolling Starts And New Montlake Exit

WSDOT published this information about new tolling rates and update on "Rest of the West" with the new Montlake off ramp coming soon:

Heads up: SR 520 bridge toll going up July 1, along with start of overnight tolling Drivers who cross the State Route 520 floating bridge will see will see a 5 percent increase in weekday and weekend toll rates on July 1. In addition, overnight tolling begins that day. Here are the details: Nighttime tolling: Formerly toll-free, bridge crossings between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. will cost $1.25 for those with a Good To Go! pass. Peak-period tolls: During peak commuting hours, the toll’s rate change equates to a 20 cent increase – from $4.10 to $4.30 for Good To Go! pass holders. Additional charge for Pay By Mail: The additional $2 per crossing Pay By Mail charge for drivers without a Good To Go! Pass is not changing. These increases were approved by the Washington State Transportation Commission  in May 2016. As authorized by the state Legislature, tolling on the new floating bridge is designed to generate $1.2 billion toward the $4.5 billion cost of reconstructing SR 520  between I-405 and I-5. If you have questions about tolling on SR 520 or elsewhere in Washington state, please contact the WSDOT Tolling Division at goodtogotolling@wsdot.wa.gov.   Coming soon! New, westbound SR 520 off-ramps to Montlake  New day, new way for drivers In a few weeks, WSDOT will open new off-ramps from the brand new West Approach Bridge North. This will be the first time westbound drivers travel on the new approach structure and use the new off-ramps to Montlake Boulevard and Lake Washington Boulevard.  The new off-ramps are scheduled to open mid-July. The new bridges westbound mainline lanes from the floating bridge's to Montlake are scheduled to open in late August.  The opening of the new WABN structure will take place in phases so that crews can remove the existing ramp to make space for completion of the mainline construction. As we get closer to this change, we will send more detailed information with graphics, videos, weekend work impacts and the specific date of the off-ramp opening. Be sure to stay in the loop by reading these email updates, following us on twitter and visiting our website. Here’s a sneak peek at what to expect when the exit lane and off-ramps open: A westbound SR 520 closure from 11 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday the weekend before the westbound off-ramps open. Round-the-clock work during the westbound SR 520 closure.  An earlier exit for the new westbound SR 520 off-ramps, close to the western end of the floating bridge (before the sentinel). Continued construction access via the 24th Avenue East bridge as crews use the MOHAI staging area through the end of the project.

Neighbor Blogs About Recent Public Transportation Experience From Laurelhurst

Long-time Laurelhurst resident, Goldie Gendler Silverman, who has lived in the neighborhood for over 40 years, and  maintains her own Blog posting about her various adventures, let the Laurelhurst Blog Staff know that she recently posted about her Public Transportation experience from the neighborhood to various parts in the City.

Here are her posts: 
                

TAKING LIGHT RAIL FROM LAURELHURST, almost

Posted on April 12, 2016 by admin

 

GREAT NEWS! On Saturday, March 19, the light rail stations at the UW Stadium and at Capitol Hill finally opened. Don and I were among the thousands who gathered to celebrate and ride free.

We did it all: left our house at the top of the hill and walked down to the Center for Urban Horticulture, walked across the landfill that is now a nature reserve, and made it to the celebration, 2.2 miles.  

We walked around, talked to different groups about other ways to get to the station, ate fried chicken sandwiches and rode, free and standing up, from UW Stadium to Westlake and then back. (Several people offered us seats in the section for elderly and disabled, but we declined.)  

Back at UW, we re-traced our steps, across the nature reserve, up the hill that is called “suicide hill” by the athletes who train by running up and down, and home, another 2.2 miles. Altogether 4.4 miles. 

Next day, Sunday March 20, we had tickets to a play at the Seattle Center at 2, and there was a Bernie Sanders rally scheduled for that same afternoon, doors opening at 2. We knew parking would be difficult. Time for public transportation! 

Don researched the available buses available on Sundays, and found three, the #65, #45, and #32, all stopping at 40th NE and Sand Point Way. We parked our car at noon near Children’s Hospital, and just as we were leaving it we saw a #65 pulling away. OK, two hours until curtain, that should be enough.  

We waited and waited. Finally a #32 arrived and took us on to the UW campus, $1 each on our senior ORCA cards. It left us at a stop near the HUB, and we walked about two blocks to the next stop at Rainier Vista, which wasn’t marked for a 32 stop. Too bad, because there is a lovely walk from that stop directly to an overpass and into the light rail station.  

We swiped our ORCA cards, again it was free, and took the elevator down many feet to P, which we decided stands for “Platform.” (There were no explanations for the other abbreviations.) 

Once on board the train, we zoomed to Westlake Station once again, walked up three or four flights of stairs to the Monorail ($1 apiece for seniors) and rode sitting down to Seattle Center. We walked through the Armory, cut through several lines of well-behaved citizens waiting to enter the Key Arena, and arrived at our theatre at 1:25. One and a half hours from leaving home to entering the theatre. 

When the play was over, we could have re-traced our steps. Instead we decided to take a bus all the way back. We walked to First Ave W, and waited across the street from the post office. There was an unmarked bus parked in front of the arena, no driver in sight. We decided the driver was on a break.  

While other buses passed, none worked for us. Finally the parked bus started up–it was the #32! Hooray! We hopped on board, swiped our senior ORCA cards ($1) and rode by a very circuitous route north on 15th W to Nickerson, over the Fremont Bridge, up Fremont about one block, and then circling through the residential neighborhoods, the UW campus and finally Sand Point Way, we found our car at Children’s Hospital.  

Total time for the trip: one hour. Total cost: $1 twice for two bus rides, $1 each for monorail,  $3 apiece for transportation, $6 for two. If we had paid for the light rail, it would have cost $2 more for the two of  us. Could we have found parking at Seattle Center for $8? Possibly for even less.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION FROM LAURELHURST, Part Two

Posted on April 12, 2016 by admin

 

One week after the trips described in the post just before this one, on a Sunday when we had an event at Seattle Center again, we tried again. Left our car near Children’s Hospital again, and waited on the corner of NE 40th and Sand Point Way NE for the #32 bus. It arrived exactly on time.

We swiped our ORCA cards, rode past University Village, through the U of W campus, out on 15th NE, down toward Boat Street, wandered through streets paralleling the ship canal, and finally to Fremont.  

Across the Fremont Bridge, turned west on Nickerson, south on 15th W, up a hill to Mercer, and hopped off at Queen Anne Ave and Mercer Street. Because it had taken us only one hour, we had time to pick up a sandwich at a shop along the way to our event. 

Coming home, we took the #32 bus again, all the way to Children’s Hospital, one hour, $1 apiece. So the whole trip for the two of us was $4. Could we park at Seattle Center for $4? I doubt it.  

Maybe public transportation from Laurelhurst works. If you have the time. If it isn’t raining. If you have a car to leave at the bus stop.

Third Try, Public Transportation from Laurelhurst

Posted on April 16, 2016 by admin

Our children moved from Queen Anne to Redmond. Nice for them, but they took our grandchildren with them. On this lovely Friday, April 15, our granddaughter Nina was scheduled to play Baloo in a student production of the Jungle Book at 4 p.m. in a theatre in Kirkland. Our daughter-in-law suggested that we should come early, to the Redmond Transit Center (RTC)  in the heart of Redmond and she would pick us up there.

So once again we set out to park near Children’s Hospital, but this time, on a weekday, the lots were full. We found a place to leave the car on a residential street north of the hospital, and walked three blocks to the intersection of Sand Point Way and 40th Ave NE.  

It seemed to take a long time for a bus to arrive, but soon we were on our way to the U of W campus. The bus left us at Rainier Vista, and we started down the path toward the stadium, Montlake Blvd, and Bay # 1. 

This was a conundrum. Don had learned that we must take Sound Transit bus #542 to get to the RTC. Sound Transit is not the same as our Seattle Metro. Transfers won’t work, and the information people don’t know much about it. We were told the bus would stop at Bay #1, at the intersection of Montlake and NE Pacific Street, but there are several bus stops at that intersection and no one could tell us where to find Bay #1.  

Now we know to start from Rainier Vista toward the stadium, but just before reaching the bridge over Montlake Blvd, veer to the right and follow a path down to street level, aiming for a huge black W. Cross NE Pacific Street there, and the three or four bus shelters in a row are all Bay #1. 

Where we went wrong: we had seen Bay #4 at the long bus stop on Montlake Blvd across the street from the stadium, and we assumed that the stops marked for buses there would be #s 1, 2, 3, and 4. That was wrong. A passerby told us to walk toward the hospital, and just as we reached Pacific Street, we saw bus #542 pulling away. The light was red for us and the street full of cars. Jumping up and down and waving didn’t impress the driver.  

By the time we could cross the street, the bus was gone. Buses to Redmond come half an hour apart. We settled in to the first shelter to wait. All together it took one and three quarters hours to get from our house to the RTC, and a few minutes longer to access our daughter-in-law. 

For your information, Bay #1 is on the south side of NE Pacific Street; directly across the street is Bay #2, where the 542 Redmond bus returns. Bay #4 is on the west side of Montlake across from the stadium, and Bay #3 is on the east side.  

Coming home, we could have been taken back to the RTC, taken the 542 bus to Bay #2, walked up past the black W and caught a Metro bus to our car near Children’s–we could have done that, but we didn’t. Our son drove us back to our car, crossing on the new 520 bridge. Next time we visit Redmond, I think we’ll take our own car. 

Special to Laurelhurst: these buses (31, 32, 65, 67, and 75) go from Sand Point Way and 40th NE to Rainier Vista on the U of W campus, the drop-off spot for reaching Light Rail and Metro and Sound Transit buses that leave from Bays #1,2,3,and 4.  

The Laurelhurst bus 78 does not stop at Sand Point Way and 40th NE, but it does stop at Rainier Vista. Metro refers to the area around the Light Rail Station and the University Hospital as “University Station.”  

Of all the printed bus schedules for buses that go to Rainier Vista, none shows a map of University Station. Only the printed schedule for bus 78 has a map of University Station, with all its bays.

    

Goldie has also published several books, one about a year ago, called "Show Me Your Face," about a woman who moves to Seattle to take a job in a shelter for abused women.

Goldie has written other books -  ones called Backpacking With Babies and Small Children, and Camping With Kids. 

Those books, Goldie said, came about when she had joined a group of women in a support group for displaced homemakers who wanted to get back into the world of work.

Goldie has also written four low-fat, low-salt cookbooks.  She said the most successful one, called No Salt, No Sugar, No Fat, published by Nitty Gritty, "is still around, mostly seen in gift and kitchen shops."She got the idea for that book from a friend, Jacqueline Williams, who wanted to write a cookbook to share what she had learned in cooking for her husband, Walt, after his first heart surgery.
"She had no experience writing books so she asked me to help," Goldie said. And they wrote four cookbooks together. 

Goldie has also written several books in a series called the Phoenix Reading Series (remedial readers) based on research done from reading newspapers on microfilm or microfiche and published by Prentice-Hall.

Goldie said all the writing " took place over many years, beginning 1975. Now I write the occasional blog and I'm working on my memoirs.

For more information about Goldie's books and her blog go here.

Large Dangerous Roadway Puddles On Two Sections Of Montlake Boulevard Finally Clear With SPU Cleaning Stormwater Drains



The Laurelhurst Blog has received numerous emails about the large puddles on Montlake Boulevard, across from the University Village near the Metro bus stop and the UW Fields. 

Drivers report that the large puddles are very dangerous to suddenly come upon and not be able to slow down in time for or move lanes.

 

Other large puddles are in the southbound right hand lane of Montlake Boulevard between the University Village and HecEd.

This area can also be dangerous on rainy days as the road quickly gathers a lot of water, sometimes resulting in quite deep, very large puddles. Cars sometimes quickly swerve out of the lane once they realize how deep it is into another lane or have other quick reactions resulting in near accidents.

 

Here is one comment the Blog Staff received: 

Why does rainwater pool in the southbound lanes of Montlake Boulevard? On normal rainy days, it turns my car into a hydroplane.  

On torrential downpour days like today, the amount of pooled water was immense. I think it is quite a hazard. Aren't there storm drains along the stretch from 25th NE down to Hec Ed?

 

The Laurelhurst Blog contacted Seattle Public Utilities who subsequently visited "the trouble areas in the field and noticed the stormwater drain inlets appear to be sufficiently draining runoff from the road" specifically at the two locations:

• NE 45th Street - across from the University Village entrance, right after the new light and crosswalk and next to the fields
• Southbound Montlake corridor between the four stoplights lights from 45th to Husky Stadium, in the right hand lane, between 45th Street and Husky Stadium

SPU sent crews to clean the drain stormwater drain inlets in an effort to reduce the ponding in these areas on February 1st and 2nd and looked into the following as potential causes:

• Blocked stormwater inlets along Montlake Boulevard
• Capacity of the pipes draining roadway.
• Road profile (which could create local low spots, i.e. ponding areas)

 

SPU added:

We have learned that there are pervasive and invasive roots clogging many of the drains in the area. The roots blocking these drains were cleaned out.  

While there are small ponding areas due to settling of the roadway, at this point in time SPU believes the cleaning of the inlets has addressed the unsafe ponding issue. While cleaning the pipes is not certain to eliminate ponding, it should reduce the problem.

Montlake Boulevard is maintained by WSDOT, however SPU has a maintenance agreement with WSDOT.  SDOT has an agreement to perform only routine maintenance and repair work, such as patching potholes.

 

WSOT doesn't have any near-term plans to resurface Montlake Boulevard.

SPU said to notify them if there are still ponding issues on the roadway the work crews cleared it out last month.

 

(photo courtesy of www.seattlebikeblog.com)