Tag: construction

A Thursday Morning Opps

Carl Setzer

Currently I’m at the Snohomish County campus to do some research on one of my projects. Forgot that the Planning and Development Services department is closed until 10 on Thursdays (had it in my head that was Wednesdays). Opps! That worked out for the best, though. Got to talk with one of the staffers about a different project, which will move that forward quicker. And then ran into a friend at the cafe here. I haven’t talked with her in several months, so it was nice to catch up on stuff (mostly kids…you know how parents are).

The cafe here is actually pretty nice. Especially for a office cafeteria kind of place. I enjoy the food here, and they serve Cafe D’Arte coffee. Not a favorite, but I do enjoy it.

It’s a delightful spring morning. Glad I brought my fleece, but the sun is lovely. Listening to the weird combination of construction noise, people chatting, and the seagulls and crows getting worked up over the eagle perched atop the Angel of the Winda arena (formerly Comcast/Xfinity). The eagle quickly got annoyed with the crows dive-bombing it and took off.

So much construction going on. The courthouse upgrade a few feet behind me, and the Hopelink work a few blocks to the south on Broadway make for a vibrant area. And fir a bit of traffic noise. Everett is changing right around me. I don’t think I’d recognize the place if I’d been gone 10 years. An amazing time to be here, enjoying a random respite from the busyness of modern life.

Oh. My. God! Northbound I-5 closed all weekend in Seattle, July 14-15

Carl Setzer

This release came into my inbox this afternoon. Holy Smokes! This will be messy!

Short and simple summary: avoid I-5 south of Seattle this weekend. With that, whatever the detour route will be, everything around that route will be torturous.

May the Force be with you if you need to head into this.

 

 

Washington State Department of Transportation – NEWS
Northwest Region – 15700 Dayton Avenue – Shoreline, WA 98133 – 206-440-4000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 9, 2018  

Contact:      Tom Pearce, communications, 206-440-4696

Revive I-5 returns: Northbound I-5 closed all weekend in Seattle, July 14-15
Lane reductions begin near Southcenter, all traffic must exit at the West Seattle Bridge

SEATTLE – The second of two full weekend closures of northbound Interstate 5 at the West Seattle Bridge is quickly approaching, which means people to need to plan ahead and avoid the highway again this weekend, July 14-15.

Washington State Department of Transportation contractor crews will begin closing lanes on northbound I-5 at 8 p.m. Friday, July 13. This weather-dependent closure will give them room to safely replace expansion joints and repave the roadway as part of the Revive I-5 project. The work will wrap up by 5 a.m. Monday, July 16

.

During the first full weekend closure, June 2-3, backups on northbound I-5 were minimal because drivers avoided the highway and used alternatives to get into Seattle.

“What traffic looks like this coming weekend is up to travelers,” said WSDOT Assistant Regional Administrator Amir Rasaie. “We need people to adjust their travel plans again this weekend so we can minimize backups and keep traffic moving around the Seattle area.”

Lane closure details
Crews will begin reducing northbound I-5 traffic to two lanes at the I-405/SR 518 interchange near Southcenter in order to replace half of an expansion joint on the Duwamish River Bridge. Expect lane reductions to continue all the way up to the West Seattle Bridge/Columbian Way/Spokane Street ramp, where all traffic must exit.

West Seattle and Beacon Hill
Those coming from West Seattle or Beacon Hill will be able to enter northbound I-5 from the West Seattle Bridge/Columbian Way/Spokane Street on-ramp to head into downtown Seattle. This traffic will shift onto the northbound I-5 collector distributor, where drivers can exit to I-90, James or Madison streets, or continue through to rejoin the northbound I-5 mainline. All lanes will reopen near Olive Way.

Ramp closure details
7 p.m. Friday, July 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 16:

  • The southbound I-405 HOV on-ramp to northbound I-5.
  • The Interurban Avenue on-ramp to northbound I-5.

9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday:

  • The MLK Junior Way/SR 900 on-ramp to northbound I-5.
  • The Boeing Access Road on-ramp to northbound I-5.
  • The northbound I-5 mainline off-ramp to the express lanes.
  • The northbound I-5 off-ramp to Edgar Martinez Drive.
  • The northbound I-5 off-ramp to Seneca Street.
  • The University Street on-ramp to northbound I-5.

10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday:

  • The Swift Avenue/Albro Place on-ramp to northbound I-5.

10:30 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday:

  • The Southcenter Boulevard on-ramp to northbound I-5.
  • The Michigan Street/Corson Avenue on-ramp to northbound I-5.

11:59 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday:

  • The southbound I-405 general-purpose off-ramp to northbound I-5.

All northbound I-5 off-ramps between the I-405/SR 518 interchange and the West Seattle Bridge will remain open all weekend.

Southbound I-5 work Sunday morning
In addition to the northbound Revive I-5 work, WSDOT maintenance crews will reduce southbound I-5 traffic to two lanes across the Ship Canal Bridge between the University District and SR 520 from 2 a.m. to noon on Sunday, July 15, to repair parts of the aging bridge deck. The Northeast 45th Street on-ramp to southbound I-5 will also close during this time.

Closures will affect the entire region
The full closure of northbound I-5 means there will be heavy traffic on all highways and roads around the region. Travelers should expect long backups on northbound I-405, State Routes 99, 509 and 599, as well as on city streets. To limit congestion, people should:

  • Use transit, particularly light rail. 
  • Postpone discretionary trips. Fewer trips means fewer cars and less backup.
  • Travel before 8 a.m., when traffic volume picks up, or after 8 p.m., when it decreases.

Know before you go
Before heading out the door, travelers can get real-time traffic information about Revive I-5 on their phone with the WSDOT traffic app and by tracking #ReviveI5 on the WSDOT Traffic Twitter feed.

Hyperlinks within the release:

Construction Life: The Surveyor’s Prayer

Carl Setzer

As I’m now working for a construction company, I get to see a new side to the whole housing sector. One piece of that is this little bit, from a surveyor:

*SURVEYOR’s PRAYER*

Almighty God, Surveyor of the Universe and the True Point of Beginning for
all things,

Bless that parcel of time more particularly described as life and guide us
as we traverse through it.

May we accurately follow the courses you have set forth, giving full
measure of our time and talents in a manner that will make our lives worthy
of a place in the record book of eternity.

We submit the sum of our being, less and except those errors by your grace
forgiven.

Witnessed by those present in your Holy Name. Amen.

City of Lynnwood Project Open House Next Thursday

Carl Setzer

These may not be the most exciting events, but they’re pretty important opportunities to understand city construction projects and know (in advance) how they’ll impact you.

 

Lynnwood Washington

PROJECT OPEN HOUSE NOTICE

2018 Paving Program – Chip Seal

Thursday, January 18, 2018

 5:30 pm  – 7:30 pm

Lynnwood City Hall, Council Chambers

19100 44th Ave W. Lynnwood WA

Project Information

Starting April 2018, the City of Lynnwood will be doing paving work to preserve streets throughout the city.  Chip sealing is a key part of the City’s preservation program to maximize the life of our roads. It is used in cities and counties across the country as a cost-effective method of pavement preservation. New technology and better mix designs have improved chip sealing products, minimizing its impacts and maximizing its effectiveness. The treatment extends the life of each road by seven to ten years and provides a new sealed surface, at a fraction of the cost of an asphalt overlay.

overlay map 2018

For more information contact Project Manager, Ngan Ha Yang 425-670-5209 or 
e-mail NYang@LynnwoodWA.gov or visit the project website.

Follow us on Twitter @LynnwoodStreets.

The meeting site is accessible to persons with disabilities. Individuals requiring reasonable accommodations may request written materials in alternate formats, sign language interpreters, physical accessibility accommodations, or other reasonable accommodations by contacting Project Manager Ngan Ha Yang at (425) 670-5209 or by e-mail at NYang@LynnwoodWA.gov by January 16, 2018. Persons who are deaf or hard of hearing may contact the event sponsor through the Washington Relay Service at 7-1-1.

Working in construction, this horrified me

Carl Setzer

I subscribed to Gizmoda ages ago, and enjoy the articles. However, this story both fascinates me, and frightens me a bit.

Fortunately, we don’t have any demo projects that are this tightly packed. But, still, I’m quite glad that this wasn’t a project I had any involvement with.
Here’s the video, if you don’t want to head over to Gizmodo:

Oh How Technology Delights Me

Carl Setzer

Starting at the first of the year, I’ve been working for a construction company. A lot of what I offer is technological competence. Now my team needs someone with AutoCAD knowledge. Well, back in the early/mid-90s, I studied CAD, back when I was thinking about becoming an engineer.

So, to say my skills are rusty is a bit of an understatement. We studied AutoCAD for DOS! Now, DOS was awesome and all, but that really was an unfathomably long time ago.

My local education institution, Edmonds Community College, offers a AutoCAD class as part of their Construction Management program. And as I need to ramp up my skills quickly, here I find myself, taking another evening class.

I’m having a ton of fun, though. I mean, I’m sitting in front of a computer making it do cool things. Speaks highly to my tech geek side.

It is a quirky thing, that’s for sure. Many operating elements are counter-intuitive if you’re solely used to the Microsoft-land. A bit less so if you’ve used Photoshop and Adobe products, or Quark (remember that one?). As Master Yoda would say, I need to unlearn what I’ve learned.

Anyway, I’m having a lot of fun learning new stuff. A key element of the geek heart, as I describe it.

Current Career Iteration: Q1 Complete

Carl Setzer

Currently, I’m working in the residential construction sector. At the first of the year, I shifted over from real estate. It’s been fascinating to apply my project management skills in this setting. Now, it’s only been a few months, and I’m only just getting my feet under me.

It’s been great to see several of my interests align. Some of my work at Starbucks encompassed green building, and here’s an opportunity to take that to a different level. Technology and the tools therein there have some powerful implications, opportunities that I don’t see leveraged well in this industry…yet.

Finance within this sector has been one of my learning that I didn’t expect. The was money moves is a bit different than with larger companies. And within other sectors.

I really appreciate the opportunity to take in something so dramatically different. Yes, there’s a lot of layering my old learnings, lots of synergies. But this sorts of shifts really provide an opportunity to grow.

I’m looking forward to getting to grow past learning and into making a difference, into effective leadership. It’ll continue to be a hoot.

Why’s It Called Nike Hill, Anyway?

Carl Setzer

This morning I drove out to Bothell from Lynnwood. As I hate the freeways, especially in the morning, I back-roaded it out there. Passing a number of construction sites out there didn’t surprise me. This area is quite high in demand, as it’s really the furthermost north end the East-side. One thing in particular stood out: some houses  on Vine Road with fencing around them.

I first remember seeing these decades ago. These looked just like all the military housing I’d grew up around. At first that seemed strange, then I learned about Nike Hill. Named after the missile silo not-so-secretly placed on the summit of the hill, I believed the housing was originally for those soldiers. They were built in in 1950, right around the time the silo first came online. Also, the street (technically 216th Pl SW) is Nike Manor Rd. So, viola!

Now, the buildings are owned by the Navy, so my guess is that they were housing sailors stationed with the Everett Homeport. Today, fenced off and vacant, I wondered if they’d been sold to private developers, but they still show as owned by the LLC that the Navy set up to manage properties in the region. So, perhaps they’re going to upgrade these. As they’re pretty much unchanged from the 1950s, that should be rather welcome.

Anyway, I look forward to seeing what’s to come there.

 

Sidebar: Here’s an interesting article about the site, and how it became the FEMA regional headquarters it is now.

BOTHELL’S NIKE HILL HOME TO REGIONAL FEMA HEADQUARTERS

A Seattle Saturday

Carl Setzer

This past Saturday, I gave a friend a lift out to Mercer Island. On my return trip, I saw I-5 was backed up, so opted to take surface streets starting at James street. It was fun to see how my old neighborhoods have changed. There’s tons of construction going on downtown, and throughout Seattle. I was amazed at the changes along Roosevelt through the U-District. So many high-rises that weren’t there 5 years ago. And UW’s campus has had a great deal of change.

I expect that these are real signs of a changing economy; at least in micro/Seattle sense. The volume of construction decreased significantly the further north I went. Very little going on past Northgate.

Just a few random observations as I drifted northwards from downtown avoiding traffic coagulation.