Northgate Link update: Big Red crane work on Sunday, UW campus monitoring work

Roosevelt Station

Roosevelt Station construction site at 3:30 PM on Friday, August 15, 2014. (Click to visit the current view.)

Roosevelt Station construction site at 3:30 PM on Friday, August 15, 2014. (Click to visit the current view.)

1. Capitol Hill Station’s big red crane has been disassembled and the pieces trucked up to the Roosevelt Station construction site. Assembly has already begun during normal construction hours; however, Sound Transit will be adding a Sunday work day this weekend, on August 17, to put together the crane’s jib and hoist it into place.

Work will occur during daylight hours and start at 9 AM. And you should totally go check it out when it’s being hoisted because it’s gonna be something to see.

2. As soon as Monday, August 18, construction crews will start work installing a drainage line from the construction site to a sewer line in NE 67th Street. This project is expected to take up to three weeks, with work occurring between 8 AM-5 PM on weekdays.

Crews will work westward starting from just east of Roosevelt Way NE on NE 67th Street. Roosevelt Way will be reduced to one lane from 9 AM-3 PM for approximately two days during the first week of work.

Once the work has traveled to the west side of Roosevelt Way, the sidewalk and parking lane on the south side of NE 67th Street will be closed during work hours. Access to residents and businesses will be maintained, but minor delays during work hours should be expected.

 

U District Station

U District Station construction site at 3:30 PM on Friday, August 15, 2014. (Click to visit the current view.)

U District Station construction site at 3:30 PM on Friday, August 15, 2014. (Click to visit the current view.)

The Northgate Link tunnel boring machines are not yet near the University of Washington campus, but a whole bunch of monitoring equipment is about to arrive.

Sound Transit will start installing equipment for 16 monitoring sites around the UW campus over the next couple months, starting here in August. The equipment will monitor the ground, utilities, and buildings located above the light rail alignment during tunneling on campus.

If you’re on campus during this work, here’s what you can expect:

  • Hours: Activities between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.
  • Drilling Activities: Drilling into grass, asphalt or concrete, removing ground material and installing the monitor. Drilling will sound similar to a truck running with occasional hammering sounds. The vacuum truck will make noise while soil material is being removed (during the first few feet of drilling at each location). Drill rigs and support equipment may be temporarily stationed on streets or parking lots overnight during this work.
  • Equipment: Drill rig, trucks, traffic signage and cones, vaccum trucks, ladders
  • Access: Pedestrian, bicyclist, and motorist traffic will be maintained. Some locations may require temporary lane or sidewalk closures. There may also be impacts to street parking. Traffic cones, No Parking signage, roadway signage, and flaggers may be used when travel lanes or parking areas are affected during this work.
  • Stickers on buildings: Building monitoring stickers, called structural settlement points, are 3″x3″ stickers that crews affix to the outside of buildings and check regularly for any movement.

Between the U District Station up on Brooklyn and the University of Washington Station down on Montlake, nearly one mile of tunnel will pass under the university’s campus. TBMs are expected to arrive at the U District Station in late 2015.

Are you ready to huddle up? Husky Football traffic is coming. (UPDATE)

After nearly a two year absence (and $280 million dollars), University of Washington Football is back with us in Northeast Seattle.

The countdown to the first game on Saturday night has a motto: “Retake Montlake.” But residents in the path of 70,000+ spectators leaving the stadium area may take that slogan to mean “Retake Montlake, and 25th, and 45th, and 520, and residential streets used as a shortcut and…” etc.

The traffic plan for game days this year is similar to the one used in the past. But additional restrictions on parking in certain areas may be new to you.

Traffic Plan for Game Days

From the Seattle Department of Transportation’s Husky Game Day page:

  • The Washington State Department of Transportation will operate the Montlake Bridge under a modified schedule which will keep the bridge in the down position (open to vehicles and pedestrians) approximately two hours and thirty minutes before the start of the game and up to three hours after the game concludes.
  • Seattle Police officers will staff intersections before and after the event in the immediate area to help facilitate safe vehicle and pedestrian flow.
  • Lane and traffic restrictions to help control traffic flow will also be implemented throughout the area.
  • At the conclusion of the game, Montlake Boulevard NE will be closed to through traffic between NE Pacific Street and NE 45th Street until the traffic volumes exiting the stadium parking lots subsides.
  • All northbound traffic crossing the Montlake Bridge, excluding emergency and permit holding vehicles, will be re-routed westbound on NE Pacific Street.
  • Southbound traffic traveling toward Husky Stadium will also be detoured away from the stadium.
  • All traffic exiting stadium parking lots along Montlake Boulevard NE will be routed northbound.
  • Pedestrian traffic is given precedence for the first 20 minutes after the conclusion of the game by Seattle Police officers to help move the crowds safely away from the stadium.
  • At the conclusion of the game, NE 25th Street between Montlake Blvd NE and NE 75th Street becomes one-way northbound for approximately two hours.

Astute observers may note that there is no new traffic plan component for the newly redesigned NE 75th Street itself.

Reminder: NE 75th Street’s rechannelization was designed for the other 358 or so days of the year. As were all the other streets leading to and from Husky Stadium. We should all expect congestion on local roads when those other seven or so days of the year roll around, and 70,000 people all try to go home at once.

But having said that, should residents have comments/observations for SDOT about the massive traffic exodus (on NE 75th Street or elsewhere), we can leave them at this number: 684-ROAD.

Additional Restrictions on Parking

To ease parking congestion in popular areas of the city, SDOT has set up Restricted Parking Zones (RPZs) that allow residents to park for longer periods of time than visitors.

New to you, however, may be the RPZs around Husky Stadium: the Game Day RPZs  —  set up in Zones A, B, 1, 6 and 20 to specifically maintain parking for residents in the area on game days.

Zone A: Montlake / Husky Game Days

Zone B: Ravenna/Laurelhurst Husky Game Days

Zone 1: Montlake

Zone 6: University Park (NEW)

Zone 20: Ravenna/Bryant

This year, SDOT added Game Day restrictions to RPZ 6 (University Park). This area is directly south of Ravenna Park to NE 50th St, and between 15th Avenue NE and Ravenna Ave NE (down Ravenna all the way to NE 45th Street)

SDOT map of RPZ 6. Click to see the map in color (PDF)

SDOT map of Restricted Parking Zone 6 (University Park). Click to see the map larger and in color (4 KB PDF).

Below is a picture of a couple parking signs posted in RPZ 6. The green one on the top is probably familiar to you. The red one on the bottom, however, is new.

Pair of RPZ signs near NE 51st Street and Ravenna Ave NE. Photo by Jef Jaisun.

Pair of RPZ signs near NE 51st Street and Ravenna Ave NE in the University park (RPZ 6). Photo by University Park resident.

What this means for Saturday, for example, is that vehicles without a RPZ 6 decal or guest pass are NOT ALLOWED TO PARK in this area between 4 PM and 11 PM (three hours before the 7 PM game, and two hours after).

That’s seven straight hours of no parking for any vehicles without a RPZ 6 decal (or guest pass).

And this restriction does include those cute little Car2Go vehicles (answers apply to all Game Day RPZs):

https://twitter.com/car2goSeattle/status/373124725913841665

https://twitter.com/car2goSeattle/status/373132353729622016

The new restrictions have at least one resident of RPZ 6 very concerned. This individual lives in an area of the zone known as the Ravenna Springs neighborhood. Via email (name withheld until we get permission to use it):

These new restrictions were pushed through by several members of UPCC. Those of us who live on Ravenna Ave below 55th and have been following the “process” are extremely unhappy with it. We happen to live on the last street in Zone 6, and have pretty much nothing to do with the UPCC neighborhood up the hill. In fact, we’re the independent Ravenna Springs neighborhood.

On the Friday morning following Thanksgiving night, when friends and family are visiting and there is normally no parking enforcement, restrictions will begin at 9am! The only way you won’t get a $50 ticket is to have a Zone 6 permit or a guest pass. Problematic because guest passes cost an additional $30 and are limited to one per household.

UPDATE (10:41 AM): For more information on the city’s Restricted Parking Zones and how to obtain RPZ decals and guest passes, visit SDOT’s Restricted Parking Zone Program Online Permitting page.

Let the games begin.

Joint work on the NE 45th St Viaduct starts next Monday

We can’t let Sand Point Way NE have all the lane closure fun, can we?

The Seattle Department of Transportation sent out an advisory this week about upcoming work on the NE 45th St Viaduct that will cause various lane closures from August 5-19.

Structures crews from the Seattle Department of Transportation will close one lane at a time on the Northeast 45th Street Viaduct starting next week to repair an expansion joint. They will start on the outside, westbound lane and progress to the opposite side of the roadway. When the eastbound lane is closed, eastbound traffic will be shifted to temporarily use one of the westbound lanes, providing one lane in each direction. The closures will be from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. from August 5 to August 19.

But on the bright side, it’s good to get this work done before the UW students come back to town, right?

Get schooled on UW architecture, with a Seattle Architecture Foundation tour

Ever strolled onto the University of Washington campus, marveled at all the different architecture, and thought, “Gosh, I’d sure love to learn more about these buildings from a knowledgable person, for a modest fee?”

Well, you’re in luck, dear reader! Because the Seattle Architecture Foundation (SAF) is doing just such a thing.

Via email:

Purple and Gold: From Gothic to Modern at the UW Core

Come see how this glorious “University of a Thousand Years” has managed through its first 150. Go back in time to bask in the rich detail of Gothic, Renaissance, and Beaux Arts architecture. Stroll through serene quadrangles, lush gardens and awe-inspiring interiors along the way. Witness some new stars as contemporary buildings change with the needs of this fine institution. Oh, and did we mention it has the most fabulous view of Mount Rainier.

The tours run from 11:30 AM-1:30 PM on July 27, August 31*, September 28*, and October 26* (the last Saturdays of the next four months).

Tickets are $15 ($10 for SAF members, $25 day of IF there are any available). Advance tickets are strongly recommended, and can be purchased through Brown Paper Tickets, here.

The Seattle Architecture Foundation is a non-profit organization that connects people to the architecture, design and history of Seattle. SAF provides entertaining workshops, dynamic tours, educational seminars and enthusiastic community advocacy.

*A word of caution: All of these starred tour dates are also Husky Football home game dates. You may want to consult the Husky Football season schedule before choosing one of these dates; however, not all the game times are set as of this writing.

Start your future together among the (pre)history of the Burke Museum

Today, Sunday, June 30, from noon to 3 PM, the University of Washington is holding a
Campus Wedding and Special Events Fair. You can register for the event here, or learn more about Burke Museum rentals here.

The Center for Urban Horticulture and the University of Washington Club are among the event space possibilities the university offers…

…but, frankly, we think a reception at the Burke Museum would be the best choice.

Aaron Piazza

Photo by Aaron Piazza

RAWR!

Staged by Cori Ready and photographed by Anne Fenton

Staged by Cori Ready and photographed by Anne Fenton

Staged by Cori Ready and photographed by Anne Fenton

Staged by Cori Ready and photographed by Anne Fenton

Staged by Cori Ready and photographed by Anne Fenton

Staged by Cori Ready and photographed by Anne Fenton

Photo by Jenny GG Photography

Photo by Jenny GG Photography

All photos courtesy the Burke Museum.

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

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.

UW_Station_tour21

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

UW_Station_tour20

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

UW_Station_tour19

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

UW_Station_tour17

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.

UW_Station_tour12

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

UW_Station_tour15

And the other side, on the northbound trains side.

UW_Station_tour11

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

UW_Station_tour18

Q13 drops the mic sets the mic down carefully.

UW_Station_tour16

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

UW_Station_tour14

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

UW_Station_tour10

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

UW_Station_tour13

YOU ARE HERE.

UW_Station_tour08

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.

UW_Station_tour02

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.

UW_Station_tour07

Another view of the scaffolding.

UW_Station_tour05

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.

UW_Station_tour03
Close-up of the southbound/Capitol Hill Station tunnel entrance.

UW_Station_tour04

Close-up of the northbound tunnel exit.

UW_Station_tour09
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.

Enjoy Story Time this week in your PJs, or with seeds, or both!

Story Times at the Northeast Library (6801 35th Ave NE) are back on their regular weekday schedule the first week of May, but there is a Pajamas and Puppets this Wednesday, April 25, from 7-7:30 PM.

And if you’re looking for a weekend story time to take your sprout(s) to, you may want to check out the Miller Library at the University of Washington Botanic Gardens (3501 NE 41st St) this Saturday, April 28. The library holds a monthly story time with activities for kids age 3-8 years and their families. The program runs from 10:30-11:15 AM.

Here’s a description:

Amazing Seeds Story Program

This is a story program that starts small and grows into something amazing! Before the stories, join us in the program room to make a seed mosaic.

HOW GROUNDHOG’S GARDEN GREW by Lynne Cherry
FLIP, FLOAT, FLY: SEEDS ON THE MOVE by JoAnn Early Macken
PLANT SECRETS by Emily Goodman

Information on upcoming Story Times at the Miller Library can be found here.

Family Walking Group starts at Magnuson Park this Thursday

Nursing students at the University of Washington are working with the American Heart Association this quarter, and bringing a Family Walking Group to Northeast Seattle.

The kickoff walk takes place this Thursday, February 23, at 2 PM (coinciding with Seattle Public School’s mid-winter break). Meeting place is Picnic Shelter #3 at Magnuson Park (7400 Sand Point Way NE; north side of soccer fields).

Sign up your family at the Magnuson Park Meetup page. You can find the day’s walking route map there as well.

Thank you to Jessica Fosse for sharing the event information with us.

Eckstein Bikes, 35th Ave NE planning – Ravenna Blog Sunday Edition

UW professor’s propeller, bound for park, winds up stolen instead (UPDATE)

UPDATE (Friday, February 3): The propeller has been found! Via Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Parkways blog:

Seattle Parks has possession of the propeller that was stolen earlier this week from the University District. After discovering the stolen propeller at the Northwest Corporate Park in Kent, a security guard contacted the Kent Police Department.

___________________

Seattle Parks and Recreation is asking for the public’s help in finding a stolen object bound for installation at a north end park.

The missing object in question: A 70-inch diameter 1,260-pound stainless steel propeller.

Details from Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Dewey Potter (via email):

The University District Community Council and Philip Thiel, naval architect and Professor Emeritus of Architecture and Urban Design and Planning at the University of Washington, were preparing to donate a 70” diameter, stainless steel propeller to Parks as an installation in a north end park.

Unfortunately, thieves drove up an alley in the University District this morning and, managing to overcome the obstacles of both a retaining wall and a fence, lifted the 1,260 lb. propeller onto a truck and drive away with it. There were no witnesses. Neighbors heard a commotion and called the police, but the thieves were long gone.

Professor Thiel and the missing propeller (pre-theft) / Photo courtesy Seattle Parks and Recreation

The propeller is/was to be used in North Passage Point Park in the Northgate area.

The public is asked to keep an eye out for the missing propeller. If spotted, please call the Seattle Police Department’s non-emergency number (206-684-5011) and contact Seattle Parks and Recreation (206-684-7241).