Major Road/Gas Line Project on Beach Drive

A tip of the hat to our neighbors who let us know West Seattle Blog recently uncovered major project on Beach Drive to replace sections of the gas main.

From West Seattle Blog:

Puget Sound Energy will be replacing 5,049 feet of a gas main line on Beach Dr. SW. starting in May with work expected to last about 90 days.

This is part of a project to improve the infrastructure in the area and provide safe and reliable natural gas service.

During the project, about 100 customers will have their gas turned off due to a service replacement of their line or their service lines being reconnected to the new gas main.

When possible, the gas main installation will be directional drilled to limit some of traffic issues on that street.

PSE is working with the Seattle Department of Transportation and will use flaggers to keep traffic moving.

All customers impacted will be notified before their service is interrupted.

On a positive note, maybe this will help detour some of the speeders and traffic we get on Beach Drive.

It’s a drone… it’s a plane… it’s a motorized parasail?

Beach Drive neighbors were surprised this afternoon by an aircraft buzzing off the low tide near their homes.
It’s not unusual to have drones buzz by homes… I can’t recall seeing anything quite like this before.

Could this be a new way to commute with the West Seattle bridge being out of commission? Hmmmm….

No joke, the special pup in this clip is a flat-coated retriever named “Jett”.  🙂  Thanks to his human for sharing this and allowing us to publish the video as well to our other neighbors who also offered up video to share.

Walking the newly closed Beach Drive for Stay Healthy Streets

This morning, after writing about a portion of Beach Drive being closed, my hubby (aka our intrepid reporter, Scupper) and I decided to check out the newly closed road along Constellation Park. I actually did not expect the closure to include Alki Avenue to 63rd (the intersection by Cactus).


Vehicle traffic was definitely reduced. Gone are the cruisers and car clubs hanging out along the sidewalk.


64th was the only side street that I noticed was blocked.


This stretch of Beach Drive is no stranger to cars peeling out. The City has tried passing noise ordinances for this area but I doubt it’s been successful. Neighbors we talked to are pretty pleased with this stretch being closed.


I don’t know if I’ve ever seen open parking on a warm sunny day along Alki Avenue.
The closure stretches all the way from Alki Avenue at 62nd to Beach Drive and 62nd. There were still a handful of cars (possibly residents), driving along with bicyclists, skateboards (some motorized) and all sorts of wheeled contraptions mixed with people walking or jogging in the street.

It’s a new experience to walk down the street…it’s a bit liberating. It’s also a lot easier to keep the “safe six” feet away from others.  There are a lot of cars from residents along Alki Avenue to Beach Drive where there are condos, apartments and street parking for houses. This stretch is still very popular (and may become even more so) with bicyclist and joggers. If you’re wearing ear-buds, you may need a shoulder-mounted-rear-view-mirror!

It will be interesting to see how this evolves as bicyclist and resident cars, service/delivery vehicles and rule-avoiders are now dealing with people walking in the Mayor’s new “Stay Healthy Street”.

Please stay safe and be kind! This is a new experience for all of us.

Section of Beach Drive added to Seattle’s Stay Healthy Streets Program

Mayor Durkin has formally announced that 1/3 mile of Beach Drive is being added to the Stay Healthy Streets Program. The section runs from Alki Avenue  and 63rd Avenue to along Constellation Park to Beach Drive and 63rd and will be closed to vehicles. This stretch of Beach Drive has seen a lot of traffic from cruisers and I’m sure the residence will appreciate not having to deal with the steady stream of traffic in their views.

I do wonder how much this, combined with the failure of the West Seattle Bridge, will impact the rest of Beach Drive and how it will impact homes just off the newly closed Beach Drive. I think we will see increased traffic and will it be more challenging to find parking near our homes. It’s already quite a challenge to cross Beach Drive along Emma Schmitz View Point or Me Kwa Mooks Park. Perhaps with the Stay Healthy Streets Program, the City should be adding crosswalks along Beach Drive and zoned parking for residents?

Stay safe and enjoy this sunny Mothers Day!

NOTE: Post has been updated to correct the area the road is closed.

No Vaccine for West Seattle Commute

After we all successfully flatten the curve on the covid virus, KEEPING the curve on the West Seattle Bridge will be the next hurdle to deal with.

Photo credit to Westside Seattle

SDOT has been busy with mapping out major detour routes funneling drivers to the 1st Avenue South bridge and beyond as the lower bridge is reserved for emergency, port and busing (not sure how strong the argument is gong to be for car owners to opt for cramming into buses on the heals of a pandemic i.e. more cars). Among other routes they’re missing will be the inevitable morning migrations south along Beach Drive and Alki Avenue. I can see traffic cops pulling double shifts at Endolyne Joe’s as Beach Drivers and ferry traffic tangle to get south via Barton & Marine View Drive.

Beach Drive Blog has taken the liberty to amend SDOT’s detour map to highlight what we envision.

With no timeline being offered on bridge repairs, I’d be begging my employer for the night shift!

 

Scupper, reporting for Beach Drive Blog

BREAKING NEWS: Jacobsen Road is closed

Jacobson St (4700 block of Beach Drive) is currently closed due to a large tree that came down along one of the bends. Our intrepid reporter, Scupper, is on the scene and will have more info for us soon. Stay tuned.

UPDATE 9:01 AM: Scupper talked to a Seattle Police Officer who stated he does not know when a crew will be out to remove the tree.

The only access for locals is west of the down tree.

 

Expect delays by Weather Watch Park on Beach Drive

This just in from our intrepid reporter Scupper, you can expect delays while repairs are being done to the sewer line by 4100 Beach Drive SW.


This stretch on Beach Drive is notorious for it’s sinking pot holes which makes for rough driving. Scupper asked if this section of road would be repaired while the sewer work is taking place. He was told that would be up to the Seattle Department of Transportation.

So drive safe, try to be patient and mind those potholes neighbors!

Car launches into a Beach Drive front yard

Just before 7:00 pm tonight, an SUV went out of control and landed in a front yard of a home on the 4700 block of Beach Drive (near Jacobsen Road).
Apparently the man driving lost consciousness and some managed to wind up on the sidewalk, narrowly missing a telephone pole, careening down the sidewalk about 20 feet, passing a parked car on the sidewalk before wiping out a fence and landing in shrubbery. You can see the front end of the car  that was passed on the sidewalk – which appears to be undamaged.

A Beach Drive neighbor who was walking on the west side of the street just saw white fence flying through the air as the accident happened.

The driver of the vehicle was seen alert and talking on his cell phone in the aid car on the way to the hospital.


It’s a miracle that no one was walking on the sidewalk on warm evening like tonight when this all happened.

Parking pinch on Beach Drive

Street preservation repairs will take place on July 11th though the 14th from the 4200 block to 5300 Beach Drive. SDOT map labels it as Spot Rehab. See you on the west side of the road! [Read more…]

Slow down with Proposition 1 …opinion

SDOT’s new levy project to move most of Seattle sounds like another great plan for West Seattle (remember the monorail Green Line?). Status quo with more bike lanes and speed enforcement is exactly what we need! Let’s take closer look at each enhancement…

Fauntleroy WayKey elements include paving, adding a protected bike lane, transit enhancements, and signal upgrades, improving safety and reliability for all travelers. Sounds terrific for Vashon Island comutters. How much $ are they contributing again??

Roxbury Street & 35th AveOver the last three years, 294 collisions, 128 injuries, and 2 fatalities have occurred. We are currently planning and designing near-term safety improvements paired with education and enforcement, working towards the city’s Vision. I believe a majority of these accidents occur from drivers slamming on their breaks trying to avoid the traffic-cop camera’s mailing out $190 tickets for doing 22 in a 20mph School Zone… when lights are flashing or children present or distracted by taking your eyes off the road to get a read on the myriad of signs designed to “educate us”.

SW Alaska Street:  The levy would provide funding to make safety improvements like redesigning the roadway. That’s an easy one. Just put the design back to where it was before adding the “bus only” & the staggered right turn only lane. Can you imagine being an out-of-towner trying to drive that stretch all the way to the junction?

Admiral Way: Project Goals

  • Encourage slower speeds  Tell that to the bikers doing 40 mph down the hill.
  • Reduce collisions  Collisions happen.
  • Accommodate existing maximum on-street parking occupancy There’s plenty of occupancy in motor homes & vans along Beach Drive.
  • Provide a comfortable and predictable bike connection between Alki and California Ave business district Why just bikes?

Here’s a more comprehensive plan that’s much more inclusive to our residents…

Admiral_proposal

 

The rest of the levy just repairs what we already have at a cost of $275 per year per household (median household of 450K) as opposed to the $130 we’re currently paying with the Bridge the Gap levy.

I’m convinced that the rest of the city just believes we West Seattleites love a good parade and need to slow down. While crawling in traffic between Admiral & Fauntleroy junctions yesterday, I reminisced of escorting my HiYu princess along California Ave. I wanted to roll down my window and give the float wave to all the angry impatient drivers heading the other way.

If you ask me, the rest of the city better look out. Old timers tell us it only took 71 years to get the high level bridge over the Duwamish!

Seattleites endured in trying to secure a high-level bridge that would get them to and from “the mainland” without being held up by boat traffic along the Duwamish River.

West Seattleites began campaigning for the bridge in 1916 and at one point threatened to secede from the city if it didn’t deliver.

Thank goodness we now have the West Seattle Bridge. Where else can you sit in traffic all day, soak in the wonderful views and dream of the day Starbucks can land a 4th cup of jo on your car hood’s drone pad.

They first named Alki “little New York” when the city founders came ashore. Now with all the new high density residential buildings coming on-line, we are becoming the “little Manhattan Island” of Seattle and could use a transportation plan that helps us get around.

IMG_5254

Scupper, blathering opinions on Beach Drive Blog (My wife, the blog boss, only allows me 1 opinion per year!)