Roosevelt Station Construction Update Open House (LIVE COVERAGE)

January 29, 2013 by 5 Comments

The buildings on the Roosevelt Light Rail Station construction site are no more, and it’s time to talk next steps with the neighborhood.

Sound Transit is holding a construction update open house tonight, Tuesday, January 29, in the Roosevelt High School Library (1410 NE 66th St) from 6-8 PM (presentation begins at 6:30 PM).

From the Northgate Link Extension update (via email):

Sound Transit is hosting an open house on Jan. 29 to discuss details of:

  • Utility work planned in 2013 and early 2014
  • Update on other construction work
  • Promoting the local business district

Seattle City Light staff will also be on hand to answer questions about upcoming power line and pole work.

You can find more information about the Roosevelt Station here.

We will be at tonight’s meeting, and will be reporting on it LIVE right here.

UPDATE (Wednesday): Unfortunately, none of our one-and-a-half hours of presentation notes were save in the post! However, Sound Transit has emailed us a PDF of the presentation slides (click on the picture below to download).

Roosevelt Station Construction Open House presentation (2.8 PDF)

Roosevelt Station Construction Open House presentation (click to download the 2.8 MB PDF)

Filed Under: Businesses, Civic Envolvement, Construction, Light Rail, Live Coverage, Meeting, Roosevelt, Roosevelt High School, Sound Transit, Updates

UW Light Rail Station show-and-tell tour (PHOTOS)

January 16, 2013 by 20 Comments

On Friday, January 11, I was invited to a tour of the University of Washington Station (UW Station). While the station is still under construction, it is over the halfway mark, and both on-time and under-budget.

WHY tour the UW Station, which will be two stops away from Ravenna’s closest station, in Roosevelt? Turns out, the designs for underground portions of both stations are similar (though the UW Station is at a larger scale):

Roosevelt_UW_Stations_x_sections

Click the picture above for a larger version of the graphic.

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Prior to heading down into the station, everyone on the tour had to don the collection of safety gear pictured above.

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Start of the tour view, looking north across the top of the UW Station. Husky Stadium is on the right.

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Out of the elevator, down on the platform level. We walked north along the northbound side of the platform to the presentation area.

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The group standing on the platform at the base of the north-facing escalator (not yet installed; same with all escalators), listening to King County Councilmember and Sound Transit Board Member Larry Phillips talk about the station.

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Platform level again, taken to the right of the previous picture, looking down the southbound side.

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And the other side, on the northbound trains side.

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You can currently find a little sky from nine stories down on the train platform.

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Q13 drops the mic sets the mic down carefully.

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Gaggle of Sound Transit folks, plus Seattle Transit Blog’s Bruce Nourish at the far right.

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Cienna Madrid of The Stranger takes notes while Ellen Banner, photojournalist for the Seattle Times, takes some shots.

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 Media getting more info on the station construction progress from University Link Executive Project Director Joe Gildner.

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YOU ARE HERE.

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Next stop, the area above the platform level, where the first set of escalators meet. This shot is taken from the south end of the station, looking back north towards the south-facing platform escalator (middle) and the two escalators which will carry people up and down from ground level.

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Scaffolding was removed from much of the station, the exception being the southernmost portion. Bit of a Steampunk Mines of Moria vibe, with metal columns extending in every direction.

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Another view of the scaffolding.

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Past all the scaffolding, at the southern end of the station, we reached an overlook of the tunnels leading to and from the Capitol Hill Station. Northbound is on the left, southbound is on the right.

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Close-up of the southbound/Capitol Hill Station tunnel entrance.

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Close-up of the northbound tunnel exit.

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And my favorite picture of the set.

Notice the pinkish-red cross in the center of the wall. Bruce Gray,Sound Transit Media Relations, told me that that cross is the spot where a tunnel boring machine, starting from the Roosevelt Station construction site, will enter the University of Washington Station (northbound side), connecting the Northgate Link to the University Link.

The cement block partial wall that you can see on the left side of the photo will continue over and meet up with a similar bit of wall on the other side. This wall will be in place as the UW Station

UW_Station_tour01

Climbing back out into the daylight.

For more pictures and information from this tour, please visit:

Many thanks to Sound Transit’s Bruce Gray for the invite.

Filed Under: Light Rail, Photos, Sound Transit, University District, University of Washington

Roosevelt QFC demolition has begun (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

November 27, 2012 by 3 Comments

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”

The Roosevelt QFC (6618 Roosevelt Way NE) — the first QFC in the chain — is meeting its end as we speak, as the grocery store gives way to Sound Transit light rail station construction.

We went by with our camera this afternoon, and recorded some of the destruction.

Video of some of the demolition

From 12th Avenue NE (east side)

 

 

 From Roosevelt Way NE (west side)

From NE 66th Street (south side)


From the Roosevelt High School track (above 12th Ave NE)

Filed Under: Construction, Light Rail, Photos, Roosevelt, Sound Transit, Video

Roosevelt Moves: Sound Transit townhouse relocation (PHOTOS)

August 3, 2012 by 6 Comments

Sound Transit’s Andrew Schmid takes a picture of Nickels Bros. and other workers in front of the first townhouse, before it gets underway.

Schmid again, taking a picture of Sound Transit Project Manager Kristin Hoffman while she is interviewed on camera.

Another shot of the first townhouse prior to moving.

Hoffman again, mid-interview. Schmid said that she has worked on the townhouse portion of the Roosevelt Station project for a year and a half, culminating in the moves.

Peaks Custard supplied coffee and assorted accoutrements at the site.

A marked “oversize load” truck waits to lead the convoy to 15th Ave NE.

A scrum of utility workers, Sound Transit staff, and Nickels Bros. movers huddles around a woman leading the pre-move safety meeting.

A Seattle City Light worker adjusts an overhead line adjacent to the moving site.

Part of the crowd gathered across the street from the townhouses on 12th Ave NE, waiting for the move to begin.

A shot of the full scene along 12th Ave NE taken from up by the Roosevelt High School track.

The first townhouse now partially IN 12th Ave NE.

A Nickels Bros. worker attending the “rear” of the first townhouse as it slowly makes its way down 12th Ave NE.

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11:45 PM – Seattle City Light here now, working on the overhead wires. The truck supporting the first townhouse to be moved has crept forward a bit, testing the load.

11:04 PM – The action really starts happening at 12:01, in case you at home would like to come down.

10:50 PMstrong> – On site now. Lots of folks on hand, neighbors and Sound Transit.

8:52 PM – Setting up the live coverage post here, and adding the street closures due to the relocating townhouses (per Sound Transit):

Streets will be closed as the convoy moves through the area and reopened after the convoy has passed. Street closures include:

  • 12th Avenue Northeast—closed at the intersection of Northeast 65th Street and 12th Avenue Northeast
  • Northeast 66th Street—closed from Roosevelt Way Northeast to 15th Avenue Northeast
  • 15th Avenue Northeast—closed from Cowen Bridge to Northeast 68th Street

The route will be “east down Northeast 66th Street to final destinations on 15th Avenue Northeast just south of Northeast 65th Street.”

Our next update will be around 10:45 PM, when Sound Transit will be available to the media at the current townhouse site (NE 66th St and 12th Ave NE).

Filed Under: Events, Light Rail, Live Coverage, Photos, Roosevelt, Sound Transit, Updates

Northgate Link Extension groundbreaking and celebration scheduled for August 17

August 3, 2012 by 4 Comments

Fresh from our inbox to you, the details on Sound Transit’s Northgate Link Extension (formerly known as North Link) groundbreaking and community celebration happening on Friday, August 17:

You’re a big part of this project and we hope you can join us for a family-fun celebration to commemorate this historic milestone!

  • Ceremonial groundbreaking
  • Live music music by Roosevelt High School Jazz, Nu Klezmer Army, the Illicit Jug Cartel and the Rolling Retreads
  • Face painter, balloon artist and train-themed bouncy house for the kids
  • Link train photo booth – bring your camera or camera phone
  • Zap Gridlock, Sound Transit’s traffic fighting superhero
  • Project information booths – learn the latest on the station designs, public art, bicycle parking and access, current Sound Transit service and more

The groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for 3:30-4:30 PM, with the celebration portion going until 7:30 PM.

And just where will the event be taking place?

At the Former QFC site at NE 66th Street and Roosevelt Way NE.

You are encouraged to “bike, walk or take transit to the event. Bike racks will be available. The Roosevelt neighborhood is well-served by local transit with several bus routes in the immediate area.”

Filed Under: Events, Families, Kids, Light Rail, Music, Roosevelt Tagged With:

Roosevelt townhouses to move on down the road in early August

August 1, 2012 by 2 Comments

August is a tremendous month for Light Rail in North Seattle, as construction plans go into the ACTION phase.

But before Sound Transit starts any station site excavation at the Roosevelt Station location, there will occur some townhouse relocation.

Nickel Bros truck at 12th Ave NE and NE 66th St

The four townhouses on NE 66th St were purchased from Sound Transit (and thus saved from demolition), and are being moved 4 1/2 blocks away to the now former site of the Betty MacDonald house and adjoining property on 15th Ave NE.

The former location of the Betty MacDonald house, just south of the Fruit Stand at 15th Ave NE and NE 65th St.

Here’s a map showing the current (upper left) and future (lower right) locations of the townhouse buildings:


View Roosevelt townhouse move in a larger map

One of the townhouse buildings prepared for the move from NE 66th St to 15th Ave NE.

Now, just how does one move BUILDINGS through a busy neighborhood? That’s not quite our area of expertise. But we can ALL find out just how it’s done come the Friday evenings of August 3 and 10.

From Sound Transit’s Northgate Link* Extension Update newsletter (emphasis ours):

Preparations to relocate four townhouse buildings on Northeast 66th Street are in full swing. The relocation will occur late at night over two weekends starting Friday, Aug. 3. More townhouses will be moved the following weekend, Friday, Aug. 10.

We invite you to witness this monumental move on one or both weekends. Meet at the northeast corner of Northeast 66th Street and 12th Avenue Northeast around 11:45 p.m. on either of the Friday nights. Sound Transit staff will be there to answer questions. As the townhouses move east down Northeast 66th Street, we’ll walk along the sidewalk with them.

Sound Transit says that the buildings “should be on the road by midnight,” and at their new address “no later than 6 a.m. each Saturday.” Four buildings (of two units each) will be moved in total.

Ravenna Blog will be there, camera in hand, for the action this Friday night — it’s a Seafair Weekend parade we don’t wanna miss.

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* Now that the three northernmost stations in the Light Rail system have their permanent station names (“U District Station,” “Roosevelt Station,” and “Northgate Station”), the name of the extension as a whole is now “Northgate Link Extension.” Now you know.

Filed Under: Construction, Events, Light Rail, Photos, Roosevelt, Traffic Tagged With:

North Link Light Rail Update: QFC closing, Brooklyn Station naming, street greening

April 26, 2012 by 15 Comments

Roosevelt Station updates

Signs of impending light rail construction are bittersweet, aren’t they? The FUTURE is coming, but the neighborhood has to make room for it first.

Case in point, the Roosevelt QFC’s last day is Saturday, May 12. Roosiehood reports that the store’s staff will be transferred to other local QFC stores. According to the Seattle Times, the Roosevelt QFC was the first in the chain, opening in 1955.

The other recent sign of the impending FUTURE is the Standard Radio building being dismantled. Sound Transit’s contractor has removed the Vitrolite glass tiles from the building’s exterior. In May, the curved canopy and its neon lettering will be removed, and stored for later use in the station.

And one last bit of Roosevelt Station-related news: The stretch of NE 66th St (from I-5 to 15th Ave NE) identified by the Seattle City Council as a “Green Street”* is getting a planning committee (made up of Sound Transit and “neighborhood representatives and city staff”). For more on “Green Streets,” visit the City of Seattle’s website here.

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In other North Link Light Rail news, there are some upcoming events for Brooklyn Station (or whatever you choose call it) that you might be interested in…

Brooklyn Station Construction Open House

Tuesday, May 1, from 6-8:30 PM, at the Neptune Theatre (1303 NE 45th St). Presentation starts at 6:30.

Agenda items include:

  • Revised construction schedule
  • Updated street, sidewalk and parking restriction plans
  • Construction noise and the nighttime noise variance process
  • Potential construction mitigation measures
  • Station naming

Brooklyn Station 60% Design Open House

Wednesday, May 23, from 6-8:30 PM, at the Neptune Theatre. Presentation starts at 6:30.

Agenda items include:

  • Design plans for Brooklyn Station
  • Initial concepts for station art
  • Station naming

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* Not the same as a “Greenway,” by the way. Here’s a Seattle Department of Transportation page on “Greenways.”

Filed Under: Businesses, City Council, Construction, History, Light Rail, Meeting, Photos, Roosevelt, Seattle Department of Transportation, University District

Roosevelt Station 60% Design Open House (LIVE COVERAGE)

April 10, 2012 by 2 Comments

This Wednesday, April 11 finds Sound Transit staff back in the Roosevelt High School Commons (1410 NE 66th St) for the Roosevelt Station 60% Design Open House. The open house runs from 6-8:30 PM, with the presentation portion starting at 6:30 PM.

A fun bonus to this particular Sound Transit open house is that the initial concepts for station art will also be revealed. (You may recall that the Meet the Artists event schedule for January 20 was postponed due to snow.)

The Roosevelt Neighborhood Blog has a good overview of the artists selected for the Roosevelt Station.

For those of you who can’t make the event (and/or want to read about it later), we will once again be providing LIVE COVERAGE: Just head on back to this very post to follow along live (and/or read about it later).

Filed Under: Light Rail, Live Coverage, Meeting, Roosevelt, Roosevelt High School

Roosevelt Station project updates and meetings (Monday LIVE COVERAGE)

March 21, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Lots of nearby North Link Light Rail news to report, including two open houses, building salvage, and fate of “overbuilding” at the Roosevelt Station.

Roosevelt Station Construction Open House

On Monday, March 26, Sound Transit staff will be hosting the Roosevelt Station Construction Open House at the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center (6535 Ravenna Ave NE). The event goes from 6-8:30 PM, with the presentation portion starting at 6:30 PM.

Topics for the meeting include (via Sound Transit email):

Revised construction schedule
Construction noise and the night-time noise variance process
Updated street, sidewalk and parking restrictions
Potential construction mitigation measures

Ravenna Blog will be there covering the event. You can follow along at home on this page for live coverage, or come back later to read our notes at your leisure.

Roosevelt Station 60% Design Open House

On Wednesday, April 11, Sound Transit will be holding the Roosevelt Station 60% Design Open House in the Roosevelt High School Commons (1410 NE 66th St). Initial art concepts will also be presented (you may remember that the Meet the Artist event in January was canceled due to snow). This open house also runs from 6-8:30 PM, with the presentation starting at 6:30 PM.

One part of that 60% design that we will not be seeing is any “overbuilding” of the station itself.

Sound Transit Decision on Roosevelt Station “Overbuilding”

At their February 23 meeting, Sound Transit board members were “presented recent analysis of the technical, financial and housing capacity implications of accommodating residential structures directly above the future underground Roosevelt Station.” Benefits and costs to “overbuilding” were discussed, but the board ultimately confirmed that the design of Roosevelt Station should proceed without providing accommodations for overbuilding the station entrance.

Sound Transit Board meetings are archived here, should you want to watch the “overbuild” discussion (though the player may not work on your mobile device).

Station Site Salvaging Begins

In other North Link news, Sound Transit says that building salvaging is underway at both the Roosevelt and Brooklyn* Station sites (though a drive-by of the Roosevelt Station sign on Sunday showed that the neon Standard Radio sign was still in place).

Visit Sound Transit’s Flickr photostream to see pictures of current salvaging at the Brooklyn Station site, as well as happenings all along the Light Rail route.

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*We’ll be calling the University District station “Brooklyn Station” as long as Sound Transit does.

Filed Under: Construction, Light Rail, Live Coverage, Meeting, Ravenna, Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center, Roosevelt

North Link Light Rail Update includes Roosevelt Station redesigns, more QFC time

December 21, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Sound Transit’s December North Link Light Rail Project Update arrived our inbox today, and included a few early goodies for our stockings this holiday season.

First, the Roosevelt neighborhood QFC (6600 Roosevelt Way NE) will NOT be closing in January 2012. Due to changes in design and construction plans, Sound Transit was able to extend QFC’s lease to the end of May 2012.

The Project Update email said “[e]xtending the QFC lease will not affect the North Link project schedule,” and we have an updated construction schedule to look forward to in early 2012.

Second, a few changes in the Roosevelt Station design were revealed at the Sound Transit Board’s Capital Committee meeting on December 8. These “recent refinements” include:

  • Reducing the height and footprint of the north and south entrance facilities.
  • Expanding the public plazas bordering Northeast 66th Street to create a sense of place and reinforce opportunities for view corridors and the City of Seattle’s ‘”Green Street” program, which gives priority to pedestrian circulation and open space.
  • Moving and reducing the height of a vent structure at the south entrance to reduce view conflicts with adjacent condominium windows and balconies.

You can view these changes in the station design presentation to the Capital Committee (6.4 MB PDF).

Check out the changes in the design of the North Entrance (in this composite image we put together this afternoon):

North Entrance Design Comparison. The latest station design reveals a much smaller lobby due to overlap with the escalators/stairs, in exchange for a larger outdoor plaza area facing NE 66th Street. Plans from Sound Transit presentations, borders and dates added by Ravenna Blog.

The 60% Design Review Open House will be held sometime in Spring 2012.

Filed Under: Construction, Light Rail, Roosevelt Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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