[Editor’s note: We received the following from Darrell Bulmer, Communications Lead, Seattle Department of Transportation]
This week, work has begun on N Midvale PL and N 45th St. The new configuration is reflected in the graphic at bottom.
Work this week included clearing of vegetation, fence placement, drainage improvements, and removal of concrete in the project work zone. Crews will work this weekend installing the conduit crossing for the new rapid flashing beacon on N. Midvale Pl. East and West bound traffic will be detoured on Saturday, May 16 while we work in the roadway.
Upcoming Work
As early as Monday, May 18, crews will continue work on the new pedestrian and drainage improvements. Expect lanes to be shifted on N Midvale PL to allow for crew to work safely.
Please note that at this time no work is expected on Memorial Day Weekend.
Work will continue the week of May 26 including additional work at N 36th St and Phinney.
Work on the weekend of May 30 and 31 is estimated to be the most impactful. Crews will start work at 7 am Saturday to remove the existing concrete roadway. The new concrete will be poured overnight Saturday into early Sunday morning. Crews will start work early Monday morning to reopen the road prior to rush-hour traffic. You can expect loud noise, vibrations and dust. East and West bound traffic will be detoured, local access will be maintained where possible. Watch for detour signs.
As work continues, please remember to share the sidewalk and the road with pedestrians and cyclists, practice appropriate social distancing measures, and be aware of your surroundings.
What to expect during construction
- Typical work hours from 7 AM to 5 PM, throughout the week
- On-street parking and lane restrictions near work locations
- Temporary sidewalk and crosswalk closures with signed detours
- Noise, dust, concrete and asphalt odors, and vibration
- Access to businesses and residences will remain open, driveway restrictions will apply
- Work is weather dependent, so timing of work may change if needed
Stay connected
- Contact us directly at [email protected], or call 206-375-5636.
- Please share this information with others you think may be interested.
Thanks for your patience and support while we complete this project. We’re working to minimize construction impacts as much as possible.
Would have been good to wait until either 50th or 40th (or both) were finished. Eh, who needs east-west travel?
Agreed. Despite the fact that every intersection on 45th is a crosswalk whether there’s paint or flashing lights or not, I routinely see multiple drivers fail to yield to me when I’m trying to cross. I guess the flashing lights will help for that crosswalk, but I feel like they will only serve to reinforce the idea that the other intersections aren’t as important to slow down for.
Do you just assume drivers see you when you step out into the street?
Some interesting points here. I’m not brokenhearted to see flashers installed on 45th. It’s our “high street” and thus going to be busy if it’s functioning economically. It’s not like it’s 47th or something, where you’d expect less traffic. Maybe it’s less a failed neighborhood street than a reflection of the city’s failure to provide effective east/west roads and transit.
And it’s very true that every intersection is a crosswalk, and few people even realize that is true…sort of like few people realize it is legal to ride your bike on the sidewalk. While I think in general if a crosswalk is a block or two away one should use it, it is one’s right to cross at any intersection.
Dont get me wrong, I actually advocate use of crosswalk flashers. Anything that improves visibility of pedestrians, especially when they’re wearing dark clothes and it’s dark or raining. And you’re correct, most people don’t know that an unmarked intersection is a legal crosswalk. That doesn’t absolve pedestrians of their personal responsibility to look and step out when it’s safe to do so. I’ve seen it happen countless times where they don’t. They’re looking down at their phones, drunk, crossing on a green, etc.
But the way some of these commenters talk about how 45th is sooo dangerous or a “failure” is just absurd. Some streets are certainly scary to try to get across and pedestrians should treat them accordingly. But if someone’s that terrified of crossing a street like 45th, they’ve got issues. Were they never taught to look both ways and make eye contact?
True, we all have a role to play to keep things safe. And yes, it seems a bit overwrought to deem it a failure but I try to look at it from his POV which is, I think, to hold personal automobiles in low regard.
I do tend to assume that drivers are watching where they’re going, yes. I don’t bet my life on that though. I won’t step into a traffic lane if there’s a car coming and I see no indication that they’re slowing down for me.
I was on a walk in the neighborhood last week, heading south, and I tried to cross 45th at 1st Ave NE. There were no cars coming westbound so I was able to cross halfway no problem. I had to wait in the turn lane for five cars to pass eastbound before I could cross the rest of the way.
Maybe one of them just didn’t see me, but all five? Seems very unlikely. It was broad daylight. Either they didn’t know they were obligated to yield to folks in unmarked crosswalks, or they just didn’t care. If flashing lights are required to get drivers to slow down and yield to pedestrians on 45th, then bring the flashing lights to each and every intersection.
I can’t really disagree with that, except for the part about assuming drivers see you. I think it’s best, whether you’re on foot or on bike, to always assume they don’t see you and go from there. I would never tell my kid to assume that drivers are watching where they’re going.
We may be using different definitions of “assume.” When I see a car with no large dents on the fender I assume that the person driving it tends to notice objects in or near their path nearly 100% of the time.
Like I said above I don’t bet my life on that “nearly,” but when I see someone fail to yield to me my default assumption is that they ignored (or are ignorant of) the law rather than that they didn’t see me.
You don’t last long as a driver if you have a habit of not noticing person-sized objects one lane-width away from you.
I assume we can count on you to rise in opposition to the as yet not official plan to turn the 44 Metro route into a Rapid Ride corridor. If “corridor” sounds a little like “highway”, you get the picture. More travel lanes, etc. As I understand it, it isn’t a realistic possibility, because the street margins (sidewalks etc.) are of insufficient dimension to accommodate the required furniture, so it’s no more than a demented ambition in a few downtown offices, but you never know how far something like that can make it in a place like our city hall.
I come to Wallyhood.org for the glimpses of dystopian futures. Thank you!
“If we drop our goal that every car can travel fast between traffic lights…”
That’s kind of the point of having a car. So you have the freedom to travel from point A to point B faster and more comfortably than you can by foot, bike, or bus. And unless you’re a “non-destination” rider (the latest PC term for folks who’ve been trashing our transit system), buses are not real popular with the masses now because of COVID. So are you envisioning a return to the horse-and-buggy to transport everything?
Are flashing cross signs going to be installed on N 45th? Not as far as I know.
This isn’t just a technicality where 45th just happens to be called “Midvale Place” because it deviates a bit. That turn from N 45th marks a transition in the character of the street, from neighborhood retail core to a fairly intense arterial node involving Green Lake Way, Aurora etc.
A flashing crossing would be totally out of place on N 45th, but the Midvale Pl stretch is a very different situation and maybe it’s a good thing. (I say “maybe” because I have to wonder if anyone tracks these things to find out how effective they are. Do people hit the flashers and pop right out into the street, or do they treat it like a stop light with a yellow phase that gives drivers some time to react?)
The problem with N 45th as a neighborhood street, is (I suspect) the overly high rents on commercial space. Once the zoning changes bear fruit, though, that will change – i.e., it won’t be the only problem any more.