Tag: Transportation

Snow and Sidewalks: Thinking About Accessibility

Carl Setzer

As i eject you’re aware, the Seattle region is recovering from a significant snowfall. It’s been years since we’ve had anything of this magnitude. These are strains on our infrastructure, as this weather is so infrequent it’s not economically rational to invest in the equipment (and associated maintenance). So we suffer through a few days of impassable roads. 

This round noticed we got the roads plowed fairly quickly. However, the plowing moved all the road’s snow into the sidewalks. As an avid walker, this was deeply frustrating. Today, though, it hit me that for many it’s a calamity. Wheel chair users withhold have no choice but to use the roads. If you’re able to walk, but have balance issues, you’re quite trapped. 

We’ve developed into a society that prioritizes the car over all else. I don’t believe this is healthy for myriad reasons (I’ll blog more about that soon). Ensuring our public infrastructure is available to all of us is critical . Sitting back snugly after ONLY clearing the roads is unacceptable. It’s isolates so many. The fix is straightforward: clear the sidewalks. 

Some thoughts on Lynnwood’s future

Carl Setzer
image
City of Lynnwood Logo

I watched a video about the rail link and it’s plan to make it up here. (Check out the site and video here)  It’s very promising. I love the idea of a 28 minute trip to downtown Seattle where I don’t have any concerns about parking. I love this future. Especially since I really don’t see leaving South Snohomish county. Ever. Well, vacations and such, but I live living here, my family is here, friends, etc. Hard to conceive of living anywhere else.

That really amuses me. When I joined the Navy all those decades ago, my goal was to get as far away as possible. And returning was not on my mind. The Navy brought me back, to Subbase Bangor, and I’ve remained in western Washington since.

Post Navy, I lived for about 10 years in downtown Seattle. Then in Bothell, then Edmonds and now Lynnwood. I’m a few hundred feet from my parents house. Now. I love it. My son goes to my old middle school, a few staffers are connected to my history. My connection to this place is pretty deep and pretty rich.

Back a decade or two ago, my fellow citizens failed as a progressive, proactive community and we didn’t pass a pretty aggressive transportation package. That one had aggressive rail deployment. We choked on the price tag and we fell behind our issues. I’m pleased to see the way they’re using light rail, getting the trolleys out of the traffic flow. To some degree.

I’m afraid heavy traffic is here to stay. These solutions can really make a dent in that. But only some. I wonder, hope that the next time we have the opportunity to proactively tackle these issues, we have enough foresight to mice forward. Being ahead is immensely preferable to behind.

Lynnwood Light Rail Link

Carl Setzer3 Comments
Sound Transit Logo

Back in April, Sound Transit choose it’s light rail station locations which will bring service up into Lynnwood.  As someone who has lived in Lynnwood and commuted to both downtown Seattle and the Eastside, this chart jazzes me.

How long will my trip from Lynnwood take?

Accessing downtown Seattle with a predictable 28 minute trip should be very helpful for both commuters as well as those seeking to enjoy the myriad entertainment options Seattle offers. Here’s a look at the future.

 

Better transit makes all our lives better, and I’m excited to see these developments. Moving forward!

Rare Opportunity: Tour of the new 520 Floating Bridge

Carl Setzer

As part of the construction of the new 520 bridge, the Washington State DOT will be offering tours. I’m not aware of this being offered before, so it’s pretty unique.

Full Public Tour Information here. Basic details below. Key thing: Advanced registration is required.

SR 520 Floating Bridge Tour Dates

Tours will be held monthly from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on the last Saturday of each month. The current tour dates (which are subject to change if needed) are:

  • May 30, 2015 ( Registration Open, closes 10 a.m., Wednesday, May 13 )
  • June 27, 2015
  • July 25, 2015
  • August 29, 2015
  • September 26, 2015

SR 520 Floating Bridge Tour Details

  • The tours include a walk of approximately two miles round trip. Visitors must be able to walk over uneven, steep terrain and climb up and down about 70 stairs.
  • Tours last approximately two hours.
  • Tours begin at the Evergreen Point Road Lid Park and Ride: SR 520 & Evergreen Point Road in Medina.
  • Tours will be conducted rain or shine. Please dress for the weather. In cases of severe weather, such as snow or ice, tours may be canceled with short notice.
  • Tours may be canceled and dates may change for any reason due to the dynamic nature of construction activities.

 

Passion, Connection, Transportation

Carl Setzer

I’m often giving a lift to one of the teens at my taekwondo studio, and I’m often pinged for last minute rides, sometimes involving a fair amount of driving. A few friends question why I make myself that accessible for such. “Am I just being a sucker”? The short answer: “no”.

I deeply value helping people connect with their passions. The thought of someone not participating in a passion simply because of transportation issues bothers me greatly. Sometimes the easiest way to assist with that connection is simply facilitating presence. If my gift of a few minutes of driving helps connect passions, then it’s a glorious investment in the communities that I love.

WA State Department of Transportation update for Snohomish County

Carl Setzer

I signed up for these email alerts some time back, and have greatly valued them. Thus, I share them with you, hoping you’ll gain valuable insight and the ability to manage your transportation needs.

Cheers! And, now, with no further adieu…..

 

WSDOT NEWS        Washington State Department of Transportation
Snohomish County  Highway and construction Updates – October 10, 2013

Daytime paving on SR 9
The weather is getting nastier and that means our construction crews are working against time.  For our SR 9 project, that means we’re making a huge push to get the stretch of highway from 212th Street Southeast to 176th Street Southeast widened to two lanes in each direction.  To do that, we’re going to need to pave during the daytime from Saturday, Oct. 12 to Friday, Oct. 18.  Crews will be laying asphalt as early as 8 a.m. on the weekend, 9 a.m. on weekdays and it could continue into the evening hours.

There will still be one lane in each direction open but drivers should prepare for traffic shifts from one side of the highway to the other and short-term closures of intersection side streets when no turns are allowed.  Also, there may be times when access to local business driveways is briefly blocked.

Why the daytime closures?  This kind of work is weather-dependent.  If you remember, September was the rainiest month in our state’s history, which pushed back most paving.  Now, our temps are dropping below 45 degrees at night and that makes asphalt cool too quickly to compact to the required standard, so we need to do it during the warmer daytime.  The good news is that once this asphalt work is complete, crews will temporarily stripe SR 9 to its final configuration, opening up two lanes of traffic in each direction in most areas of the work zone and that will significantly improve traffic in that area.

Prepare for nighttime SR 522 closures
If you’ll be out late in Monroe – and you know who you are – prepare for full closures of SR 522 from US 2 to 164th Street Southeast/Main Street a couple nights in the next week.  The closures will be 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. tonight (Thursday, Oct. 10) and Thursday, Oct. 17.  The US 2 ramps to SR 522 will also be closed and a signed detour will lead drivers around via Main Street, Fryelands Boulevard and US 2.

During tonight’s closure, the Snohomish County PUD will temporarily remove a power line so that crews working for WSDOT can install a noise wall in the area.  They’ll reinstall the line on Thursdaynight.  But don’t worry, there won’t be any loss of electricity during the work and the noise wall installation will happen during the day.  Also, SR 522 Fales/Echo Lake roads to 164th will also closemidnight to 4 a.m. Sunday to allow crews to move heavy equipment. A ll this is part of the SR 522 widening project, scheduled to be completed in late 2014.

Looking for feedback on I-90 tolling
We asked for your feedback and received thousands of comments during our initial outreach earlier this year for the proposal to toll I-90.  We gathered the suggestions we received from the public and other agencies and now we’re presenting a range of possible alternatives that could help us meet the purpose of tolling I-90: alleviate congestion across Lake Washington and help fund the remaining portion of the SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Program.  About $1.4 billion is needed to complete the I-5 to Medina: Bridge Replacement and HOV Project.

Through Nov. 6, we’re asking for the public’s feedback again to help inform our analysis on which alternatives could meet the purpose of the study. We’re considering alternatives in several categories, including tolling, state or regional taxes, mileage fees, federal funding and new highway capacity.  As part of this, we’re hosting three public meetings, starting tonight, Thursday, Oct. 10, in Bellevue and then Oct. 21 on Mercer Island and Oct. 23 in Seattle.  WSDOT and the Federal Highway Administration will be on hand to listen to public comments at each meeting.  If you’re interested in speaking at a meeting, you can sign up online or on a first-come, first-served basis at the start of each meeting.  If you can’t make it to a meeting, check out our website to learn more about the I-90 tolling project and how to provide your feedback.

Bellevue College
4 – 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10
Bellevue College cafeteria
3000 Landerholm Circle S.E., Bellevue
Parking: Park in Lot 10 for easiest access to the cafeteria. Parking is free on campus after 3 p.m.

Stay plugged in
Projects are I-5 in Lynnwood/Shoreline, SR 529 at the Snohomish River Bridge and SR 531 in Arlington are all nearing completion though some of them require decent weather to finish.  Stay plugged in to all of the construction and maintenance closures by checking out our Snohomish County Construction Update or What’s Happening Now.

Questions, comments, suggestions, Halloween costume ideas?  Contact Mike Allende at allendm@wsdot.wa.gov.

New Bridges : Saving the Sanity of Skagit County

Carl Setzer

After the bridge collapse up over the Skagit, the powers that be have been working feverishly to get something in place ASAP. I’ve been quite impressed with both the speed in which the pieces are coming together, but also the great levels of communication with the public.

Here’s a look at the process (I think it’s cool, but I’m a geek).

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pmaYikWdfY&w=420&h=315]

And here’s a snapshot of where things stand right now (well, as of today via Twitter).

A Wild Day In The Skagit River Valley

Carl Setzer2 Comments

While I’m getting my son dinner ready, I see a tweet from a reporter friend stating the I5 bridge crossing the Skagit River has collapsed.

 

This image comes through Twitter, and I know this will be bad.

via @Gina_SVH

I’ve crossed this hundreds of times, know it well, and understand the impact this will have. Of course, that alarms me and captivates me.

I’ve engaged with breaking news on Twitter before, but this one has a greater sense of urgency, of connection than before. I engaged, mostly, on this Twitter feed, #I5BridgeCollapse, though there were a few others (most notably #SkagitBridgeCollapse and #Skagit).

As always happens, tons of speculation blast through Twitter. The bridge was “deficient”, reports of reports, bodies seen floating…and, slowly, pieces pull together. By now, we have a good idea of the basics.

Looks like an large truck carrying an oversized load struck the bridge. This is what precipitated the collapse. Lastly, and to me, most importantly, all the people tossed into the river were rescued and are safe.

I commend Gina Cole’s work today over at the Skagit Valley Herald, as well as that of her colleagues Erinn Unger and Lynsi Burton. Great journalistic pros serving our communities.

The next stage of this, though, will be painful. This shuts off the major north/south artery between Canada and Seattle. The routes around this are not designed for this level of traffic flow. We’ll all need to patient as we deal with that mess.

Now, it being a long and draining day, I’m going to turn off my electronics and head to bed. I’m sure there’s more to come.

Edit: Added Lynsi Burton to the Skagit Valley crew. Wretched oversight on my part.