Category Archives: Walkability

Sustainability, Transportation, Walkability

Sidewalks in Crown Hill — Are We Getting Any Closer?

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In the last round of project submissions for the Bridging the Gap Levy funds, the Ballard District Council recommended three Crown Hill Projects for funding. The three projects are: 1) Walkway along 13th Ave NW from NW 90th to Holman Road, plus walkway along 90th from 13th Ave NW to 14th Ave NW; 2) Walkway along 13th Ave NW from NW 95th to NW 100th; and 3) Walkway on 18th Ave NW from NW 85th to NW 89th. It is estimated there will be approximately $340,000 to spend within the entire Crown Hill/Ballard area.

On Wednesday, May 19th, 2010, the Seattle Department of Transportation released their preliminary cost estimates for the three projects. The first two projects (originally submitted in 2007) come in at $994,000 and $480,000 respectively, and the third project (submitted in 2009) comes in at $480,000. You can see all the projects costed out by SDOT on their website.

Clearly any of the three projects, as estimated by SDOT, exceed the Ballard District’s fair share of the pot city-wide. The estimates are for traditional sidewalks, rather than less expensive walkways or paved paths, and there is the possibility that some of the cost of the walkway on 18th could be offset by funds available for Combined Sewer Overflow abatement (that project location is in the North Beach CSO area).

What’s next? The Ballard District Council will reconvene its committee to look at the projects, and possibly change the scope so that one or more can be built within the allotted funds. Then a final recommendation will go forward in June. The recommendation will go forward to the city-wide Bridging the Gap oversight committee to assess which projects will be built over the entire city. The oversight committee’s recommendations will then be forwarded on for approval by the Mayor and City Council.

Art, Businesses, Transportation, Walkability

Murals of Crown Hill

Pipe wrench mural
Pipe wrench mural

Upon moving to Crown Hill in 2002, I noticed many blank walls on buildings, often tagged with graffiti, painted out graffiti, re-tagged, re-painted out, etc. What is it about a blank wall that encourages vandals to leave their marks? Our major streets, 15th Ave NW, Holman Road, and NW 85th Street appeared quite tired, even dreary. As new businesses have moved in, old businesses and new alike have taken to spiffing up their storefronts with bright colors, and … murals. Most recently the Value Village relocated a couple of doors south on 15th, and engaged the services of Seattle muralist, Ryan “Henry” Ward. Henry’s murals drew much attention in the press (MyBallard article, and even some television and radio coverage). It has certainly sparked lots of discussions among neighbors and passerby (as I snapped photos early on a Saturday morning, 6 people volunteered their opinions, four very positive, one negative, one shrug).

Henry Mural on Value Village
Henry Mural on Value Village

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Announcements, Transportation, Walkability

Sidewalk Closures Holman Road, Feb 1st to 12th, 2010

A contractor working for the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will paint the railing on a raised portion of Holman Road NW at 8th Avenue NW from February 1 to February 12. The sidewalk will be closed 24-hours-a-day. During the first week, the crews will close the northern sidewalk, and then starting February 8 the crews will close the southern side. Pedestrians will cross Holman Road at 7th Avenue NW and at 13th Avenue NW.

Announcements, Transportation, Walkability

SDOT Bridge Painting Projects Rescheduled

This just received from SDOT. The Holman Rd railings repainting project has been rescheduled to begin on January 27th. It was originally slotted to be completed in December. During painting pedestrian access to the walkway on the Holman Road overpass over 8th Ave NW may be restricted.

2009 Bridge Painting Projects
Construction Update:  January 14, 2010

Due to several issues the scheduled start of the 2009 bridge painting projects has been revised.  The following is the latest information on start dates for the projects.  More information will be provided in the upcoming weeks concerning vehicle and pedestrian traffic restrictions.

Revised Construction Start Dates:

(1) Carkeek Park over BNSF Railroad — January 20, 2010
(2) Holman Road over 8th Ave NW bridge railings — January 27, 2010
(3) Fairview Avenue N bridge railings — February 15, 2010
(4) E Boston Terrace bridge railings — February 23, 2010
(5) Washington Street Pier — Week of March 1, 2010

Project Contacts

George Frost, Public Outreach Coordinator, george.frost@seattle.gov, (206) 615-0786
Ron Scharf, Project Manager, ron.scharf@seattle.gov, (206) 684-5192

Transportation, Volunteers, Walkability

Street Light Repairs

At the December Ballard District Council meeting, Council President Jennifer Macuiba called for volunteers to address poor illumination and impaired pedestrian safety along major thoroughfares in Ballard and Crown Hill. Seattle City Light does not automatically check for street light operation, leaving that up to citizens like us to initiate a repair by reporting the outage.  During the week before Christmas, the volunteers fanned out along Market, 15th, 8th, Holman Rd, 85th, 65th and other areas with high pedestrian traffic, and identified a total of 198 malfunctioning (either completely or intermittently out) street lights. Each of the lights was entered into Seattle City Light’s online trouble report at: http://seattle.gov/light/streetlight/ Some of the lights were already repaired by the first week of January 2010.

The volunteers covered the major streets and arterials, but there are many streetlights which were not surveyed by this effort, and are on the much darker interior streets of our neighborhood. This is where we would like to enlist your assistance in this effort to improve pedestrian safety. As you walk, bicycle or drive on our neighborhood streets, make a note of any lights which are malfunctioning, and report them. You will need the pole number (a reflective number affixed to the pole), the closest street address, and a description of the issue (light out, light intermittent, vegetation blocking the light, etc.). Report any lights which are out promptly using the online form at: http://seattle.gov/light/streetlight/ Seattle City Light will endeavor to fix the lights within 10 days of first report. A less than 5 minute investment of your time can make a difference for both you and your neighbors!