White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Well, anything wintry, at least, for starters. Here’s the news release we received late this afternoon:

After more than a week of bitterly cold temperatures in King County, there are two questions on everyone’s mind: when will it warm up; and will it snow?

Crews from the King County Road Services Division and King County Metro Transit are watching the forecasts and getting ready for whatever weather may blow in over the weekend and early next week.

Road Division staff has been on weather patrol for weeks, looking for icy roads and other driving hazards. There weren’t too many problems during the past week when temperatures dipped, because there was very little moisture in the air to turn into ice. That could change if the humidity increases or precipitation moves in, and the mercury doesn’t rise.

Today, the crews have installed snow plows and sanders onto trucks and received bulk deliveries of salt. Staff will be out over the weekend in key locations of unincorporated King County laying down anti-icing materials on the roads, and plowing snow if necessary.

For Metro Transit, preparation so far this fall/winter season has focused on helping bus riders stay in touch with disruptions in transit service.

Last month, Metro debuted a new system of alerts and online info to help customers be “in the know” when it snows, or when transit service is disrupted by other significant events. The new Metro Alerts Center webpage (www.kingcounty.gov/metro/alerts) displays route-specific disruptions. And, you can sign up to receive email or text messages about widespread service disruptions or weather events impacting your individual bus routes.

Today, Metro launched a new Twitter page (www.twitter.com/kcmetrobus) to help distribute that information. When snow is on the way or on the ground, Metro will use Twitter to point followers to the changing info in the Alerts Center and phone lines. Metro tweeters will watch what Twitter users are saying and pass along any useful information to the Metro operations staff. And, they will tweet tips to help people make travel plans.

The Road Division staff has also enhanced the online Road Alert website (www.kingcounty.gov/roadalert) to reflect both King County and Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) road closures. During times of adverse weather, the online map and email alerts are a valuable tool for motorists traveling in unincorporated areas of the county.

The forecast for this weekend has been changing a lot over the past 24 hours, but both Metro and the Roads Divisions have their operations staff ready deal with ice or snow.

Based on lessons learned last winter, Metro has revised and simplified snow routes and has closely coordinated with other public works and transportation agencies to make sure bus routes are identified as priorities for plowing and sanding.

The Road Division has worked with the state and several local cities to develop a snow route map that prioritizes snow and ice removal on major arterials, public and school bus routes, emergency corridors leading to hospitals, and access to highways.

For those who missed it, KUOW today broadcast an interview with, King County Executive, Susan Hutchison.  You can find the interview at KUOW Weekday.  In a prior post I had made the following observation which sparked a fair amount of discussion:

Ms. Hutchison has never held public office.  She has never had to struggle with the political realities of governing a complex political entity whose ambits include not only roads and sewers but social services, neighborhoods and law enforcement.  It is difficult to see how her experience on the board of the Seattle Symphony prepared her, in the slightest way, for such a weighty role.

If anyone had any doubt about Ms. Hutchison’s lack of specificity on issues, policies or even advisors, it is worth a listen (available on podcast).  Pressed by the moderator to name a single advisor who she consults, or who she would bring to her administration, she flatly resisted naming anyone, except to say bus drivers.  Her conclusion was “trust me” they will be great people.  I have nothing against bus drivers, but maybe she could have named a couple of the guys that she intends to bring to the Hutchison administration that will “bring people together.”  I’m sorry but calling Hutchison a “lightweight” does not begin to describe the chasm that is her lack of qualification to hold such an important post.  Listen for yourself.

It appears that Seattle Mayoral Candidate, Mike McGinn has staked his campaign on one issue, gutting the viaduct tunnel plan carefully negotiated by all the relevant players.  If he wins, he has stated, he will view his victory as a mandate to undo the viaduct replacement plan.  In its stead, McGinn has promised more busses, sidewalks and bike paths.  As someone who regularly commutes on the viaduct it’s hard for me to see how more sidewalks and bikepaths is going to make my commute any easier.  Oh, yeah, and McGinn says he wants to use light rail to replace the viaduct.  Geez, I didn’t know that Sound Transit was planning a light rail leg for West Seattle and White Center.  Wait, there is no light rail leg for West Seattle.  So if McGinn is elected we can expect protracted delays on replacing the viaduct, procuring boatloads of money and the decade’s long process of what:  extending the light rail line to West Seattle.  No problema.  I’ll take the tunnel.  It’s clear that McGinn does not live in West Seattle nor does he use the viaduct to commute.

What is particularly disingenuous, is McGinn’s claim that the tunnel option was voted down by Seattle voters.  This is simply not true.  A tunnel option which would have meant tearing down the viaduct and digging up a tunnel was rejected.  The deep bore tunnel that is currently planned would leave the viaduct in place while the tunnel gets built, saving West Seattleites years of aggravating surface detours.  This option was negotiated because it provides the most mobility and least interference while it is getting built.  What McGinn is proposing would set us back a decade and have us revisit the viaduct replacement options once again.  Recall how all this useless process killed the monorail (we had to vote on it three times).  And in the meantime, we have to hope that a seismic event doesn’t make the whole thing hollow by bringing down the decrepit structure.  Busses, bikes and sidewalks, Oh My!

McGinn’s ill-defined plans for the viaduct are enough to nix the guy in my book.  Add to that, the fact that he has never held electoral office, that most of his policy positions lack any specificity and you have a feel-good kind of guy that you might pick for your soccer team, but not a mayor for a major city.  Seattle needs better.  I’m not crazy about Joe Mallahan, but he at least seems considerably more grounded on policies.  We have already had a couple of amateurs embarrass the City.  It’s time to let the grown ups proceed with real policies grounded in reality.

7 am-7 pm Saturday, the South Park Bridge is closing for repairs, so if you use that route to get between northern White Center and South Park/other areas, you’ll need to plan an alternative. Here are full details on the county’s website.

MargL noticed signs for a major closure coming up on Ambaum – so we checked with King County DOT for the details, and here’s what Linda Thielke sent:

* Ambaum Boulevard Southwest at Southwest 120th Street
* Scheduled closure is from 7 a.m. Monday, June 15 through 5 p.m. Friday, June 26
* During the closure, crews will be replacing a drainage pipe underneath Ambaum
* Motorists can detour via 12th Avenue SW to SW 116th Street and back to Ambaum
* This is a joint project between the City of Burien and King County

The Seattle Times is reporting that the road clearing during December’s snow storms was driven by political decisions rather than the clearing of critical arterials.

In previous storms, plow drivers had discretion over how best to clear their assigned routes, said plow driver Chris Stuker. City drivers would traverse main routes in tandem, allowing main roads to be cleared and plows to clear feeder streets as they were able to, Stuker and three other drivers said.

But that system was replaced by top-down decision-making that resulted in trucks being pulled from major streets for special assignments and to help less-experienced drivers, most of them working in the south end of the city, according to two drivers who asked to remain anonymous out of a concern for their jobs.

A reminder from Metro:

King County Metro Transit is reminding customers that bus fares for adults will
increase by 25 cents starting Sunday, Feb 1.

A two-zone trip taken during peak-commute times will cost $2.50, a one-zone trip
$2.00, and the off-peak fare will be $1.75. New monthly passes also reflect the
increase. Youth and senior/disabled fares will not change.

This fare increase is one of several measures being undertaken by Metro to help
maintain its existing system. A weak economy, record fuel prices in mid-2008 and
falling sales tax revenues have resulted in a significant budget shortfall for the
agency. These factors have also forced Metro to cut costs.

Seattle city road crews have been busy re-striping bridges and roads where snow and sand wore away the lane markings during Snowstorm ’08 — and the latest update indicates that their priority list includes 1st SW from Cloverdale to Olson Place, between White Center and Highway 509 (the stretch shown above in Google Street View).

That’s a WSDOT graphic of a cross-section from the proposed tunnel; here’s the official news release from the governor’s office:

Gov. Chris Gregoire, King County Executive Ron Sims, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, and Port of Seattle Chief Executive Officer Tay Yoshitani today announced their agreement to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a deep bored tunnel under downtown Seattle. The plan also includes investment in improved bus service, east-west city streets, a new seawall, relocated utilities, and an upgraded waterfront.

The agreement is the result of a year-long study of solutions for replacing the central section of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Thousands of hours of technical analysis, public meetings, and letters and emails from the public, interest groups, and local jurisdictions were considered.

“Building a deep bored tunnel will support a strong economy today and in the future,” Gregoire said. “This decision will improve public safety, help ensure Seattle is a 21st Century international city, and generate thousands of new family-wage jobs in the Puget Sound region.”

The bored tunnel will be approximately two miles long and carry four lanes of traffic. Drivers will bypass downtown by entering the tunnel near the sports stadiums in the south and connect to SR 99 north of the existing Battery Street Tunnel.

The total cost of the investments is $4.24 billion. The state’s commitment of $2.81 billion will be used for a new state route 99 corridor from the sports stadiums to South Lake Union in a bored tunnel, and restoring land under the existing viaduct to a four-lane surface street.

“There are pivotal moments when great cities make history,” said Nickels. “Today, we come together with a plan that creates more transit. We ensure that our city remains economically competitive. And we reclaim our destiny as a true waterfront city—tearing down an elevated highway and re-connecting Seattle to Elliott Bay.”

The project costs for the city are $930 million to replace the central seawall and construct a waterfront promenade, relocate utilities, build a streetcar on First Avenue, and improve east-west streets. The county will seek new motor vehicle excise tax authorization from the legislature to fund over $190 million in transit capital and $15 million annually in operating expenses. Port CEO Tay Yoshitani will ask the Port Commission to consider a $300 million investment in the replacement of the south mile of the viaduct and a new east-west connection to the container terminals.

The agreement also includes federal funds toward the Spokane Street Viaduct and Mercer Street projects. These projects provide critical east-west connections for west side neighborhoods. Seattle’s waterfront will become a world-class destination when the viaduct is taken down and replaced with a four-lane surface street and open space. The central seawall will also be replaced.

Investments in transit will add 17,000 new riders to King County METRO buses. New service will be provided for west side neighborhoods that use the viaduct to go to downtown Seattle. A new streetcar will be built on First Avenue from Pioneer Square to Seattle Center.

“This agreement will improve our transportation system, improve our quality of life and make an historic shift in the way we view mobility in an age of global warming,” said Sims. “There are only four lanes in the bored tunnel and the plan includes a new stable source of transit funding that will help Metro make a vast increase in service, which will mean fewer cars on streets, less pollution and better traffic reliability for business and industry.”

The Port of Seattle serves as an international gateway for the region – bringing cargo in and sending Washington goods to the world,” said Yoshitani. “Our cargo, cruise, fishing and industrial facilities – and the thousands of jobs they support – need a transportation network that keeps people and goods moving.”

Construction of a bored tunnel will begin in 2011 and be open to drivers in 2015. Added transit service will begin next year, and the Spokane St. and Mercer St. projects will be completed by 2012. It is expected this proposal will establish 10,000 jobs in a ten year span.

King County just posted the closure of 21 roads due to flooding.  Most of the roads are in rural King County.  You can find the complete list here. Will update if any roads in this community are affected.

And it’s not because of the weather. Monday-Wednesday and Friday, Metro will run “partial holiday” reduced service; here’s the list of routes affected by this. (On Thursday, New Year’s Day, the Sunday schedule will be in effect.) You can find more Metro info online at metro.kingcounty.gov.

Here’s the official overview.

5:54 AM: The route status page was updated just a few minutes ago.

6:33 AM: The King County closures list is updated – parks and pools including Steve Cox Park and Evergreen Pool remain closed.

Note the “live” (refresh for the latest image) camera in the right sidebar – it’s the only one the county has in White Center; click it for a larger image. Metro has a long list of canceled/changed routes again today; find it here. Winter break has started for every school we know of.

8:46 AM UPDATE: Photo of Roxbury at 5th from Jon, who says: “Looking easy towards Myers Way. Plenty of cars going down the hill.”

Thanks – keep the arterial reports/photos coming at editor@westseattleblog.com Another report: “My hubby made it down the big hill from Roxbury to 509 this morning about 7:30. He said it was sanded like crazy and was passable.”

10:25 AM UPDATE: Lots of King County facility closures – here’s the full list.

At West Seattle Blog, we have running coverage (see it here) from the briefing at which the two “finalist” scenarios for the Alaskan Way Viaduct central waterfront section have just been unveiled to state, county, and city leaders. At least one of the scenarios also includes: “Park and rides would be expanded in Burien, White Center, and Shoreline.” Much more information to come. ADDED 4:21 PM: The “expanded park and ride” for White Center is mentioned in BOTH scenarios that now are under active consideration – “surface/transit” and “elevated bypass.”

The White Center Community Development Association and Trusted Advocates will host the 2008 Community Summit this Saturday, November 8th at Mount View Elementary School.  The event starts at 8:00 am and ends at 3:00 p.m.  Please come and offer your input on the future of your community.   Mount View is located at 10811 12th Avenue SW.

This year’s community summit will gather families, government agencies and local community-based/non-profit organizations in a fun family-friendly environment.  Live cultural performances, ethnic foods, door prizes and children’s activities are just a taste of what the summit has to offer!

Come learn about the issues affecting your community and how you can be involved in a positive way.  There will be info booths and workshops on health, education, jobs, housing, annexation, immigration and more.  Translation services will be provided in Cambodian, Vietnamese, Spanish, Tigrinya, Somali, Amharic, Samoan, Arabic and English (other languages upon request).  Childcare will be provided.

For more info:  Ebony Davis: (206) 694-1082 ext.  168 – ebony@wccda.org or Ian Dapiaoen:  (206) 694-1082 ext. 175 or ian@wccda.org.

An elevated highway, a park, shops and offices, a pedestrian-friendly place where cars can bypass downtown Seattle two stories above ground.

According to The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, there are currently eight plans to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct.  Prominent amongt them is a goody-bag approach set forth by Speaker of the House Frank Chopp.

Speaker of the House Frank Chopp’s idea for replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct, he said Tuesday, is ” a way of including everybody’s bottom line.”

There have been long arguments over whether to replace the viaduct with a tunnel, another elevated highway or remove it altogether and disperse the traffic to other streets and into buses.

Chopp’s ambitious idea, not yet given a price tag, would replace the viaduct with a mile-long, four-level structure open to retail space on the first level, offices on the second, highway lanes on the third and a park on top.

If anyone knows more about this plan or has links to the plans please let us know and we will post the links.

One more story to come after this, from Thursday night’s meeting (an update on the Steve Cox Memorial fundraiser), but first, two quick notes: The vacancy on the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council is now filled; Rebecca Lopez got the job. She was the only qualified applicant; council leaders said a second person who applied turned out to neither live nor work in the area. Note #2 – parking changes on the way to Roxbury between 15th and 17th: King County has a plan to remove 10 parking spaces on the south side of the street, it was mentioned on the meeting (we’ll be checking with the roads department to find out more).

Most of the Metro bus service changes announced by County Executive Ron Sims today don’t have a major direct impact on White Center – but there is one WC-specific change: a late-night trip is cut from Route 23. See all the changes (which take effect next Saturday), listed here.

The Puget Sound Regional Council is looking for your opinion on several transportation projects around the metro area that are slated to get millions of federal dollars – and one of them happens to be proposed “Intelligent Transportation System” work along 16th SW through White Center, from Roxbury to 116th. Find out more – and find the direct online link to send your comment – by going to this PSRC webpage. Comments will be accepted through October 9th.

That’s King County Executive Ron Sims and White Center/West Seattle-area County Councilmember Dow Constantine at a just-concluded media briefing in Sodo detailing a state-funded plan to add Metro bus service when major Alaskan Way Viaduct work starts next spring. Full details later; the White Center/Burien-area routes mentioned as “candidates for service enhancement” include 21, 22, 23, 60, 113, 120, 121, 122, 123, 125, 128, 131, 132, 134, 174. (West Seattle routes are listed in this report on partner site WSB.) ADDED 1:36 PM: Here’s the official news release from the county website. We’re working on getting electronic copies of the collateral (including a countywide map of potentially affected routes) that was handed out at the media event. ADDED 5:30 PM: Full report now posted on WSB, including video clips.