Just a reminder that Seattle Department of Transportation is holding a public meeting from 5:30-7 p.m. Wednesday at Crown Hill Center, 9250 14th Ave NW, in the gym, to get community feedback on its plans for major upgrades to the intersection of Holman Road NW and 13th Avenue NW.

Those plans include a new pedestrian and bicycle signal, additional lighting at the nearby bus stop, and a possible new public plaza on the NE corner, where the pedestrian bridge stairs are now. The proposal also calls for demolishing the pedestrian bridge, which has some community members concerned.

You can more about SDOT’s plan on its blog, which includes numbers of how many pedestrian use the overpass and the street crossing at various times of the day.

Seattle Department of Transportation is planning major upgrades to the intersection of Holman Road NW and 13th Avenue NW, including a new pedestrian and bicycle signal, additional lighting at the nearby bus stop, and a possible new public plaza on the NE corner, where the pedestrian bridge stairs are now.

But the proposal also calls for demolishing the pedestrian bridge. Many community members have expressed concern that many pedestrians feel safer using that bridge while crossing to and from Crown Hill Center and nearby Whitman Middle School, so SDOT will hold a public meeting with City Councilmember Mike O’Brien to discuss more about the plan.

The meeting will be from 5:30-7 p.m. Wednesday, July 19 at Crown Hill Center, 9250 14th Ave NW, in the gym.

“You’ll get to learn more about why the current design is recommended, have your questions answered about why we’d consider removing the pedestrian overpass, and discuss how the street would operate with these changes,” according to the press release.

You can more about SDOT’s plan on its blog, which includes numbers of how many pedestrian use the overpass and the street crossing at various times of the day.

SDOT will soon begin improving the intersection of Aurora Avenue North and North 92nd Street to make it safer for pedestrians and bikers.

SDOT crews will add a new signal, curb ramps, and add a median island to reduce cut-through traffic.

The improvements are designed to help the Safe Routes to School connection between the existing neighborhood greenway on Fremont Avenue North and the new school complex on the east side of Aurora. The plan is to turn on the new signal in September in time for the first day of school (Sept. 6 for Seattle Public Schools).

During construction, be prepared for vehicle lane and parking restrictions, as well as pedestrian detours on sidewalks. Normal work hours are from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday with some night and weekend work.

Seattle Department of Transportation is hosting three community meetings to present its new east-west neighborhood greenway, the North Seattle Neighborhood Greenway & School Safety Project. The greenway will be built in 2018 and will connect Crown Hill, Greenwood, Licton Springs, and Northgate.

You can see a map of the route here.

Meetings are scheduled for:

• 10-11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4, at Crown Hill Center, 9250 14th Ave. NW, and will focus on plans to get people safely across Holman Road NW and NW 92nd St. Coffee provided.
• 4:30-6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9 at Lantern Brewing, 938 N. 95th St., and will focus on safely crossing Aurora Avenue North at North 92nd Street with a new crossing signal. All ages are welcome; soft drinks provided; beer available for purchase.
• 10-11:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at Monkey Business Preschool, 9728 Greenwood Ave. N. #B, and will focus on safely crossing Greenwood Avenue NW at NW 100th Street with a new crossing signal. Coffee provided.

The route emphasizes avoiding the steepest hills and prioritizes streets with lower vehicle speeds and volumes.

All of the neighborhood greenway streets will prioritize people walking and biking, and improve crossings of busy streets. We are responding to the requests for reduced cut through traffic with changes to the intersection of N 100th St and Greenwood Ave N and calming traffic along the route with speed humps where feasible.

Seattle Department of Transportation will stripe the newly-paved lanes of Greenwood Avenue North between North 112th and 125th streets on Monday night, weather permitting. If delayed by rain, crews will try to stripe on Tuesday night.

Road crews also will replace vehicle detection equipment in the pavement on Greenwood Avenue at North 117th and North 125th streets during the day on Wednesday, which will require some short term lane closures.

Crews also will be doing small-scale work at the intersections of North 115th, 117th, 122nd, and 125th streets next week.

Seattle Department of Transportation will repave Greenwood Avenue North between North 112th and 125th streets on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

Work will start at 7 p.m. both nights and last until 6 a.m. One travel lane in each direction will be maintained.

• Tuesday night, September 27, the southbound lanes between N 112th and N 125th streets will be paved.
• Wednesday night, September 28, the northbound lanes between N 112th and N 125th streets will be paved.
• Motorists will NOT be able to enter or exit driveways for several hours, until the newly laid asphalt has had time to cool. For motorists who are impacted, please consider parking on side streets if you need to come and go during the affected time period.
• In some locations, on-street parking adjacent to the paving will be prohibited until the repaved lanes have reopened. (A-frame signs will be placed in these locations in advance of paving to inform impacted motorists.)
• On Tuesday night, it is estimated that the southbound driveways between N 120th and N 125th streets will be closed from 7 p.m. until midnight, while the southbound driveways between N 112th and N 120th streets will be closed from midnight until 6 a.m.Wednesday morning. These hours are estimates that could change depending on how the paving process progresses.
• On Wednesday night, it is estimated that the northbound driveways between N 120th and N 125th streets will be closed from 7 p.m. until midnight, while the northbound driveways between N 112th and N 120th streets will be closed from midnight until 6 a.m.on Thursday. These hours are estimates that could change depending on how the paving process progresses.
• The work is expected to create noise, dust, vibration, light, and asphalt odor.
• Emergency vehicles will have access if needed.

The City of Seattle has released an updated draft of its Pedestrian Master Plan, which is the 20-year blueprint for making Seattle more walkable and accessible. Anyone can comment on Seattle Department of Transportation’s plan from now through Aug. 12 by emailing comments to PMPupdate@seattle.gov.

Through the Pedestrian Master Plan, SDOT prioritizes pedestrian investments throughout the city including new sidewalks, curb ramps, crosswalks, and other improvements that make it easier to walk in our neighborhoods.

Seattle is consistently recognized as one of the nation’s safest and most accessible cities for pedestrians. It is tied for the second-lowest pedestrian fatality rate in the country, and is fifth in the country for the percentage of people who commute to work by foot according to the 2016 Benchmarking Report from the Alliance for Biking & Walking. The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center also ranks Seattle as the only platinum-level Walk Friendly Community in the nation. However, there is always more the City can do to make Seattle more walkable and accessible.

The updated PMP establishes the policies, programs, and project opportunity areas that will further enhance pedestrian safety, comfort, and access in all of Seattle’s neighborhoods, while remaining a national leader. It lays out the key strategies and actions that SDOT will use to achieve its vision of making Seattle the most walkable and accessible city in the nation, and it establishes the performance measures to gauge success. The update will help ensure that SDOT focuses resources on areas where walking conditions are challenging and where improvements are needed to help residents walk comfortably.

Don’t forget that starting tonight (Thursday), the Alaskan Way Viaduct will be closed for about two weeks as a precaution while Bertha tunnels underneath it. City and State transportation officials are urging folks to telecommute, go to work earlier or later than usual, take transit, ride their bikes or walk. Just be ready for extra-long commutes.

Transit will be rerouted, so check Metro’s Service Advisories page for more info. You also should sign up for Metro’s transit alerts to get text messages about reroutes.

On-ramps to State Route 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct will begin closing at 10 p.m. tonight, with the road fully closed to all traffic at 12:01 a.m. Friday between South Spokane Street and the south end of the Battery Street Tunnel.

Washington State Department of Transportation has a webpage with a list of resources, including links to traffic cameras, estimated travel times, trip planners, bike map, Metro detour maps, and more.

Seattle Department of Transportation has finished most of the improvements on the east side of Greenwood Avenue North for its Transit & Sidewalk Project, including new bus islands, and is completing final paving between the roadway and the curb. Crews have now moved on to the west side of Greenwood Avenue.

Crews will install bus islands and curb ramps at N 97th St and N 92nd St, a curb ramp at N 102nd St, and other improvements at N 95th St. Crews plan to start work on the bus islands at N 97th St and N 92nd St first. Installing the curb ramps at N 92nd St and N 97th St, as well as the work at N 95th St, may require a temporary side street closure at Greenwood Ave N. To complete this work safely, crews will set up pedestrian detour routes around the work zone. You may hear noise from construction equipment between 7 AM and 4 PM, Monday through Friday.

To accommodate the work, on-street parking will be restricted in the work zone on the west side of Greenwood Ave N and southbound traffic will be shifted to the center lane to make room for a safe work zone. Bicycles will continue to merge with traffic and King County Metro will provide temporary bus stops for N 97th St and N 92nd St. Northbound traffic will use the regular northbound lane.

As equipment and materials become available, crews will:

Pave the areas of the street, walkways, and driveways that were disturbed by construction on both sides of Greenwood Ave N. This work will require temporary partial closures of driveways (east side only) and walkways as crews remove old pavement and pour new pavement. Depending on the size of the driveway, crews will preserve driveway access by working on one half of a driveway at a time or placing down a steel plate for drivers. Property owners will be contacted individually before driveway work begins.

Pave and patch both sides of Greenwood Ave N at N 92nd St to finish previous work performed by Seattle Public Utilities. On the east side of Greenwood Ave N at N 103rd St, the road will also be paved and patched. We may partially close these side streets at Greenwood Ave N during working hours to complete the work.

Plant trees, add soil to landscaped areas, and complete cleanup and other finishing work. This portion of work may continue into June.