Commuters should expect even more lane restrictions along Dexter Ave N on Wednesday, July 27 and Thursday, July 28 of this week – SDOT and its contractor will be repaving the construction ridden thoroughfare between McGraw Street and Garfield on both days, weather permitting.

Crews will begin paving work at 7 a.m. on Wednesday on the west side of McGraw Street, moving south as work progresses. Work should conclude by 5 p.m. each day. From SDOT:

Shortly after paving is complete, temporary traffic markings and striping will be applied.

During working hours one lane in each direction will be maintained.  There may be times when traffic will be reduced to one lane for both directions with flaggers at either end.  Parking and loading zone restrictions will be in place near the work zone and its approaches. Pedestrian access will be maintained.

Also on July 27, Dexter Way North between State Route 99 and Dexter Avenue North will be closed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

This project is funded by the “Bridging the Gap” transportation levy approved by Seattle voters in November 2006.

To learn more about the Dexter repaving project, check out SDOT’s project website.

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is again closing down the Mercer Street on and off ramps to I-5 this weekend, from 11 p.m. on Friday, July 22, to 5 a.m. on Monday, July 25, to do some construction work related to the Mercer Corridor Project.

SDOT will also be concurrently closing all lanes on Broad Street between Westlake Ave N and 9th Ave N during the same times. Crews will be taking advantage of the anticipated reduced traffic volumes due to the Mercer closure during this time to perform some storm drain work in the intersection of Broad Street and 9th Ave N. From SDOT:

Travelers who planned to use westbound Broad Street over the weekend will be detoured to southbound Westlake Avenue N to Denny Way for access to the Seattle Center and downtown Seattle, or to northbound Westlake Avenue N to 8th Avenue N for access to lower Queen Anne and Dexter Avenue N.

As with previous weekend ramp closures, the I-5 on-ramp at University Street will be concurrently closed to provide more efficient traffic flow around the closed Mercer Street exit lane on I-5. Fairview Avenue N will also be closed between Mercer Street and Valley Street, and Mercer Street will be closed to through traffic between Westlake Avenue N and Fairview Avenue N.

Updated detour route maps are available on the project website at: www.seattle.gov/Transportation/ppmp_mercer.htm. Detour routes will be signed on roadways and may be heavily used, particularly Denny Way in both directions. Travelers are advised to consider alternate routes, SR 99 or alternate I-5 exits and entrances, and to carpool or use alternate modes of transportation.

During these closures, the I-5 on-ramp at University Street will be concurrently closed to provide more efficient traffic flow around the closed Mercer Street exit lane. Fairview Avenue N will also be closed between Mercer Street and Valley Street, and Mercer Street will be closed to through traffic between Westlake Avenue N and Fairview Avenue N. All detour routes will be clearly marked.

The Washington State Department of Transportation will be concurrently closing all lanes on SR 520 from 11:00 p.m. Friday, July 8, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, July 11, between Montlake Boulevard in Seattle and Interstate 405 in Bellevue. SR 520 from I-5 to Montlake Boulevard will remain open to traffic. Details of the closure and detour maps are available at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR520Bridge/WeekendClosures.htm.

Travelers are encouraged to carpool and use alternate modes of transportation. Transit information can be found at:

• King County Metro at www.kingcounty.gov/metro or by calling 206-553-3000
• Sound Transit at www.soundtransit.org
• Community Transit at www.commtrans.org

There are going to be added congestion and possible traffic delays around Queen Anne over the next few days due to some construction work at two different sites in the neighborhood.

On Thursday, July 7 and Friday, July 8 Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) crews will be grinding and removing existing asphalt on Dexter Ave N between McGraw and Garfield streets, as part of the Dexter repaving project. There will be one lane of travel in each direction, and parking and loading zone restrictions near the work zone, with periodic cross-street and driveway interruptions. SDOT will have uniformed police officers on site to direct traffic. From SDOT:

Drivers should reduce speeds when traveling through the area. Bicyclist should consider utilizing sidewalks or alternate routes. When riding on Dexter Avenue North, bicyclists will share a lane with motor vehicles and should expect grooved pavement and loose asphalt as well as raised utility casting and man holes in the street. There will be increased construction truck traffic.

Once the asphalt removal is complete, crews will begin to repair Dexter Ave’s base pavement and repave the street, which is scheduled to take place later this month. After repaving, SDOT will continue the Dexter Ave N street channelization, installing bus islands, a buffered bike lane, applying new traffic markings and other finals steps.

On Thursday, July 7 SDOT crews will also be performing maintenance work along the eastbound ramp of the Emerson Street Viaduct Bridge to Nickerson Street. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday traffic flaggers will be on hand to help direct traffic as crews repair expansion joints on the bridge. Commuters should be mindful of the work and allow extra time during their regular commutes.

The city is encouraging drivers to get out of their cars and start walking, biking or riding transit. This cycle of the Walk Bike Ride (WBR) Challenge runs the months of July and August. “Summer is a great time to try walking, biking or riding transit to work, to get to know your neighborhood and to start lifetime habits that keep you healthy,” said Councilmember Tom Rasmussen. The goal of the program is to help people get in shape, save money and reduce greenhouse gases.

Participants of the WBR challenge, will get weekly emails with tips on walking, biking and riding. Participants can also track individual progress and the program’s collective impact online.

The more trips one reports, the higher the chance they have of winning these prizes:

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will be closing down the I-5 on and off ramps at Mercer Street again this weekend, as part of ongoing work needed as part of the Mercer Corridor Project.

The closure will begin at 11 p.m. on Friday, June 17, and go until 5 a.m. on Monday, June 20. Detour route maps are available here. From SDOT:

Detour routes shown will be signed on roadways and may be heavily used, particularly Denny Way both eastbound and westbound. Travelers are advised to consider alternate routes to their destinations such as SR 99 or alternate I-5 exits and entrances.

After this weekend’s closure, the Mercer Street access to and from I-5 will not be closed again until the weekend of July 8-11, and is scheduled to take place during the same hours. From SDOT:

During these closures, the I-5 on-ramp at University Street will be concurrently closed to provide more efficient traffic flow around the closed Mercer Street exit lane. Fairview Avenue N will also be closed between Mercer Street and Valley Street and Mercer Street will be closed to through traffic between Westlake Avenue N and Fairview Avenue N. All detour routes will be clearly marked to support traffic flow around the closures.

SDOT is advising travelers heading to the Fremont Solstice Parade and Fair to use SR 99 or to the alternate I-5 off-ramps at Olive Way (northbound) or Stewart St. (southbound) and Denny Way to Westlake Ave. N. More information on routes to the Fremont Fair can be found at the fair website.

Travelers are encouraged to carpool and use alternate modes of transportation. Transit information can be found at:

• King County Metro at www.kingcounty.gov/metro, or by calling 206-553-3000
• Sound Transit at www.soundtransit.org
• Community Transit at www.commtrans.org

It might be slow going next week on Emerson Street going in and out of Queen Anne. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will be making  repairs to the deck of the Emerson Street Viaduct Bridge to Nickerson Street from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday, June 13 through Friday, June 17. One lane will be closed at a time going east and west while traffic flaggers direct traffic through the area. SDOT says drivers should expect delays and plan accordingly.

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) completed the repaving of Dexter Ave N between Fremont and 4th Ave N and McGraw Street on Friday, but construction along the thoroughfare is not quite over yet. A contractor working with SDOT will be continuing construction on bus islands and installing new traffic markers, including buffered bike lanes, along Dexter over the next two weeks in order to stay on track with completing this phase of the project by the end of May.

The second phase of the project, which stretches from McGraw Street to Garfield Street, is scheduled to begin next week and to be completed in early August. From SDOT:

Crews will start with installing an underground storm water detention pipe near Garfield Street and a bio-retention / “rain garden” near Crockett Street. Other work includes repaving the roadway, installing bus islands, adding a buffered bike lane, and making pedestrian improvements.  During this second phase of the project, Garfield Street will be closed for seven days between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m.

SDOT says drivers should expect lane closures and on-street parking restrictions along Dexter Ave N during this period, though some of the work is weather dependent and may be rescheduled or adjusted as the project progresses. To learn more about the Dexter repaving project, check out SDOT’s project website.

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has canceled repaving work planned along Dexter Ave N on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week due to unfavorable weather conditions.

The road work would have decreased traffic down to one lane in each direction between the hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and tomorrow, as well as limited on-street parking.

SDOT has not yet set a new time for the paving to take place, but we’ll keep you posted when those dates are scheduled. SDOT plans to complete the paving portion of the project by the beginning of May.

To read more about the Dexter repaving project, which will stretch from Fremont Ave N to Roy Street and will be completed in September of this year, check SDOT’s Dexter Paving project page.

Queen Anne-ers used to taking the Mercer Street on ramp and exit will have to find another way to and from I-5 this weekend. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will be closing down the I-5 on and off ramps at Mercer Street in the first of four upcoming weekend closures due to utility improvements and ramp re-alignment work needed as part of the Mercer Corridor Project.

The closure will begin at 1 a.m. on Saturday, April 16, and run until 1 a.m. on Monday, April 18. There will also be a concurrent closure of the northbound I-5 on-ramp at University Street to improve safety and provide more efficient traffic flow around the closed Mercer Street exit lane.

Detour routes will be clearly market during the closure, though you can download the official detour maps here for access to I-5 and from I-5. From SDOT:

Three additional full weekend closures are tentatively scheduled and closure hours are anticipated to be Friday at 11:00 p.m. to Monday at 5:00 a.m.; further notification will be provided as the dates are finalized:

• May 6 – May 9
• May 13 – May 16
• May 20 – May 23

Travelers are encouraged to carpool and use alternate modes of transportation. Transit information can be found at:

• King County Metro at www.kingcounty.gov/metro, or by calling 206-553-3000
• Sound Transit at www.soundtransit.org
• Community Transit at www.commtrans.org

During weekend closures, Metro Transit plans to reroute its bus service on routes 70, 71, 72, 73 and 83 off of Fairview Avenue starting at 11:00 p.m. Friday night and lasting up to 5:00 a.m. Monday. The buses will be rerouted via Eastlake Avenue East: northbound between Mercer Street and Galer Street; and southbound from Galer Street to Thomas Street. Rerouted buses will serve posted stops on Eastlake Avenue, but will not make any stops on the cross streets between Eastlake and Fairview.

For more information on the closure and the Mercer Corridor Project, check out the project website.

Up to 7,000 people are expected to attend the “Amazon.com All Hands” meeting at the KeyArena today, Thursday, March 31. Attendees will be arriving and departing via shuttle buses between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Drivers should expect added congestion around the KeyArena and Lower Queen Anne due to the event.

Though the weather report is predicting rain for the weekend, you never know what Seattle weather will do at the last minute. Whether it ends up being a sunny spring weekend or a cloudy one, for those who feel like roaming around town there are going to be a few areas with of lane closures and traffic congestion to avoid:

The Seattle Department of Transportation is closing the northbound right lane of the Battery Street Tunnel from 10 p.m. tonight until 6 a.m. tomorrow, Saturday, March 26 while crews perform electrical work on behalf of the Washington State Department of Transportation.

Drivers should expect temporary lane closures on Aurora Ave N on tomorrow. SDOT crews will be repairing the paving along Aurora, between N 47^th and N 48^th streets, from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 26.

The Ballard Bridge will also have lane closures throughout the day on Saturday, March 26 to accommodate SDOT crews, who will be grinding down and paving the northbound and southbound lanes at the north end of the bridge (weather permitting). The work will be taking place between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., and at least one lane will remain open in each direction.

And on Sunday, March 27 the southbound lanes of the Ballard Bridge will be blocked for most of the morning, from 6 to 10 a.m., for a commercial film shoot.

Starting on next week SDOT will be closing the southbound right lanes on the Alaskan Way Viaduct at Jackson Street from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. every weekday from Monday, March 28 to Friday, April 8 so that crews may repair railing that was damaged by accidents, though this work is subject to change in the event of emergency work.

A warning to weekend commuters: a commercial being filmed on the Ballard Bridge this Sunday, March 27 from 6 to 10 a.m. will block the southbound lanes of the bridge for most of the morning.

“We will have the right southbound lane blocked up to the draw span and will be opening and closing the bridge several times during the shoot,” says location manager Doug du Mas. “Traffic across the bridge will be controlled by Seattle Police and people should expect delays. I suggest using the Fremont Bridge instead during these hours.”

The Starbucks annual shareholders meeting is taking place at Seattle Center tomorrow, Wednesday, March 23. SDOT has released a notice to residents and drivers in the area warning them of the possibility of heavier traffic than normal due to this event, which will bring 2,500 shareholders to McCaw Hall. From SDOT:

Attendees are expected to begin arriving when the doors open at 8 a.m.  The meeting starts at 10 a.m. and should wrap up around 12 noon. The Seattle Department of Transportation advises motorists to plan ahead to avoid delays.

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is set to begin repaving Dexter Avenue N this coming Monday, March 7. The project, funded by the “Bridging the Gap” levy, will be implemented in three phases to reduce traffic impact. The repaving project is expected to help ease congestion caused by car, bus and bicyclist overlaps along Dexter from Fourth Avenue North (just south of the Fremont Bridge) to Roy Street, approximately one and a half miles.

• Phase 1 (March to April) – Fremont Avenue N (Fourth Avenue N) to McGraw Street
• Phase 2 (April to July) – McGraw Street to Garfield Street
• Phase 3 (July to September) – Garfield Street to Roy Street

From SDOT:

The project has benefits for everyone who uses the street. In accordance with Mayor Mike McGinn’s Walk, Bike Ride initiative and the city’s Complete Streets policy, the work will include improvements for motor vehicles, pedestrians, public transit, and bicyclists. When completed, Dexter will have wider, buffered bike lanes, dedicated left-turn lanes at busy intersections and in-lane bus stops.  The bus stops will have dedicated bus islands that will improve transit speed and reliability and minimize the conflicts with bikes and stopped buses. There will be dedicated load zones for businesses that need them. Sidewalks, street lighting, and drainage will also be improved.

During construction on-street parking and loading availability will be restricted. Dexter Avenue N will be open throughout construction, however traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction. During this time bicycles will have a choice of either merging with vehicle traffic, or riding on Dexter Avenue’s sidewalks, the Cheshiahud Lake Union Loop, or Westlake Avenue North.

The overnight snowfall may not have been the 2-6 inches forecasters warned us about, but there is a very light dusting of snow on the ground in Queen Anne this morning. The forecast calls for anywhere from a trace to 2 inches more later today.

Live traffic cameras. Refresh to update. See all North Seattle cameras.

With the temperature currently at 26 degrees, commuters are advised to keep an eye out for ice. Metro buses are on snow routes this morning, and Microsoft has canceled all its Connector routes. Here’s SDOT’s first report this AM:

Most city streets are bare and wet this morning. Crews from the Seattle Department of Transportation are treating major arterial streets to guard against the formation of ice in advance of the morning commute period. Snowfall last night was highly variable around the city. Beacon Hill, southern Rainier Valley, and higher parts of West Seattle appear to have had the most snow.

WSDOT crews have been busy treating the freeways. For the most part, traffic is moving smoothly. You can check the latest WSDOT traffic updates, the flow map and the full set of WSDOT cameras.

Drive carefully!

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) announced this afternoon that the lane closures on the Ballard Bridge planned for this Saturday, February 12, have been canceled “due to an unfavorable weather forecast.” Crews have tentatively planned to resume the scheduled bridge maintenance on Saturday, February 26.

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) pushed ahead with the much debated Nickerson Street road diet back in August, decreasing the thoroughfare from four lanes to one in each direction, a center turn lane, with bike lanes on either side.

Despite support from a USDOT’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) study that found that rechannelizations in California, Washington and Iowa have not adversely affected roadway capacity, and data that indicates that the controversial Stone Way road diet improved safety and traffic, the decision to revamp Nickerson was met with split support and opposition. A survey we took back in June indicated that, of the 711 who participated, 48.4 percent were in support of the road diet, while 51.6 percent were against the plan.

Some of the major concerns opponents of the road diet argued is that, being one of only two east-west streets directly feeding Ballard industries, decreased lanes on Nickerson would be met with increased congestion and an inability to meet capacity demands. However preliminary data from the city indicates that the road diet is working as planned, according to a report from Publicola published Wednesday.

The city says that data collected three months after the implementation of the Nickerson rechannelization shows that the same number of cars have been able to use the street, and that speeds along the street have slowed somewhat since the restriping. From Publicola:

SDOT traffic manager Eric Widstrand says the data are still preliminary; the city will continue to do traffic counts through the rest of 2011 and release a full report after the end of the year. However, so far, the study shows that car and freight traffic haven’t been harmed by the lane reduction, and that traffic has slowed to be somewhat closer to the 30-mph speed limit on the road.

“Capacity has not decreased,” Widstrand says. “We’re still able to accommodate” between 15,000 and 18,000 vehicles a day.

Proponents of the project note that decreased speeding along Nickerson as a result of the rechannelization is a good thing. Since the road diet, the average speed along Nickerson has gone down from 40 to 44 miles per hour, to between 34 and 37 mph, according to Publicola. From the report:

“We aren’t slowing anyone down excessively,” Widstrand says. The new speeds remain higher than the 30 mph speed limit, but are still safer for cyclists and pedestrians. A pedestrian hit at 40 mph is about 85 percent likely to die; a pedestrian hit at 30 mph is about 40 percent likely to be killed.

Cascade Bicycle Club representative David Hiller says that neither the group nor the city has yet studied whether the number of cyclists using Nickerson has increased since the rechannelization (which was the case after the Stone Way road diet).