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WSDOT Seeks Community Feedback on “Rest of the West” Design

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Rest of the West UpdatedVIA WSDOT

Last week WSDOT and the city of Seattle released a draft design report containing the final conceptual design recommendations for improvements to the SR 520 corridor in Seattle. Planned but still unfunded improvements in this west side section of the highway include a new Portage Bay Bridge, the new west approach bridge south, lidded overpasses in the Montlake and Roanoke neighborhoods, and enhanced facilities for bicyclists, pedestrians and transit riders.

Got an idea or opinion to share about the design? We love residents taking an interest – tell us what you think! The official public comment period is open, and will run through Feb. 13. You can review the full final report here (as a 22.5 mb PDF) or find it on our website split into smaller bites (better for the digestion).

We have developed a short survey for people to fill out in response to the report.

If you wish to provide your own free-form comments, you can submit them via e-mail or snail mail:
Email: SR520Westside@wsdot.wa.gov
Mail: SR 520 West Side Project, SR 520 Program Office, 999 Third Ave., Suite 2200, Seattle, WA 98104
Thanks for your participation as we finalize plans and seek funding for the Rest of the West!

Discriminating Taste | Union Bay Watch

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EB2R9535This week’s post focuses on Varied Thrush and their very selective food preferences. You might even say they are a bit “picky”. It is funny when you look at their tongues they do not look at all like ours so it makes me wonder if they even have taste buds. Somehow they definitely have preferences about their food. You can learn more and see the photos on:

Union Bay Watch

Larry

 

 

 

Sharing The Wealth | Union Bay Watch

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EB2R1165This week’s post focuses on two red-breasted sapsuckers in the Arboretum. It is interesting to compare their differences in both coloring and behavior. Plus it may be surprising to see who is taking advantage of their work.

Click on: Union Bay Watch

Have a great day on Union Bay…where nature lives in the city!

Larry

 

Happy Holidays! | Union Bay Watch

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Red-breasted Sapsucker

Red-breasted Sapsucker

This native west-coast woodpecker has a taste for rare, imported european food. In the spirit of the holidays the sapsucker shares its bounty. Visit Union Bay Watch to find out who is making good use of this free flowing food source and learn more about our local bird with a taste for the good life.

Union Bay Watch

What Was That Noise? WABN Construction Schedule

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montlake work zoneVia WSDOT – SR 520 Bridge Replacement & HOV Project

Upcoming construction activities in the Montlake Interchange area

Major construction kicks off this month around SR 520’s Montlake Boulevard interchange as part of the West Approach Bridge North Project (WABN). Crews plan to begin a variety of local street improvements, starting with the widening of the eastbound SR 520 ramps to and from Montlake Boulevard during the week of Dec. 15.  Montlake-area improvements are designed to provide additional capacity on 520 ramps and local streets, and safer travel for bicyclists and pedestrians when WABN is complete. As construction plans are finalized and work proceeds in the Montlake area, additional notifications will be sent.

Noisy work expected during the night at SR 520 eastbound ramps

Crews will perform work to widen the ramps between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. on the following weeknights:

  • Monday, Dec. 15 – Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014
  • Monday, Dec. 22 – Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2014
  • Monday – Thursday nights, Jan. 5 – Jan. 29, 2015

Note: Nighttime activities are not planned between Dec. 24 and Jan. 4.

Work includes site preparation, cutting through the roadway surface and installing drainage to prepare for future intersection modifications.

Crews will close a single lane of each ramp to safely perform their work. At least one lane will remain open in each direction and access will be maintained to the Montlake 76 gas station and other nearby businesses via Montlake Boulevard East.

Crews are performing this work at night in order to avoid disrupting weekday traffic. Nearby residents and businesses may hear noise and feel vibrations from the construction activities. All noisy impact equipment, like jackhammers, will occur before 10 p.m. as required by the city of Seattle temporary noise variance. In accordance with our construction contract and the city of Seattle noise variance, the work will be performed using construction best management practices and sequenced in a way to minimize noise as much as possible.

E LakeSneak peak! Planned daytime work on East Lake Washington Boulevard

Flatiron expects to begin improvements along East Lake Washington Boulevard in the coming weeks. We’ll be sending you further details before the work begins along East Lake Washington Boulevard, but we wanted to give you a sneak preview so you know what to expect.
During construction, drivers can expect temporary lane configurations and on-street parking to be removed so crews have room to complete the street improvements. You may also see crews repairing potholes, pruning and removing trees along East Lake Washington Boulevard, and installing sewer and power utility improvements. Drivers should be on the lookout for “no parking” signs, which will be placed 72 hours in advance of that work starting.

When work is complete, a new roadway configuration will include an additional westbound right-turn lane, a westbound lane that allows vehicles to turn left or continue straight onto eastbound SR 520, and a single eastbound lane on East Lake Washington Boulevard. Crews may take six months or more to complete work and finish the final roadway configuration along East Lake Washington Boulevard.

 

520 Construction Team Apologizes To Neighbors

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On Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014, the regular monthy meeting of the WSDOT and the Flat Iron Construction Co. leaders met with Montlake residents.  The teams reviewed the November construction activities and reported on plans for December and January.  The activities from the November weekend when 520 was closed to allow removal of the “ramps to nowhere” was discussed.  The team received many complaints from neighbors awaken in the middle  of the night by excessive noise.  The noise was ecessive because a very large jack hammer, that is only to be used during daytime hours was used by mistake, in violation of the noise limits.  The teams apologized for this mistake and tried to assure residents that it would not  happen again.  Because of this mistake the city has revoked the noise ordinance waivers it had previous issued.

Work to remove the ramps progresses very slowly because the contractor is not allowed to let any debris fall  into the wetlands.  That means the pillars must be wrapped so all dust and cement debris can be collected and disposed of off site.

Much of the November work focused on tree removal in the path of the new, wider exit ramp from west bound 520 to north bound Montlake Blvd.  December and January work will be on the exit ramp from the Portage Bay Bridge to Montlake Blvd (the “Hop-In exit”) which will be widened to 3 lanes.  This work will necessitate closure of 1 lane on  the exit ramp which will occur during nightime construction.

Sidewalk work on the east side of Montlake Blvd. will begin soon to widen and smooth the pathway for bikes and walkers.  This work will be coordinated with city arborist staff to ensure that sidewalk trees, including the roots will not be damaged.

Complaints were raised about the frequent noise of the trucks driving in reverse.  The construction team said that the noise could be changed to a lower intensity alarm.  This was done during construction of the east end of the bridge in Bellevue.  They agreed to make this change as soon as possible.

The next meeting will be held at the Graham Visitors’ Center at the Arboretum, on Wednesday, January 7, 2015 from 5:30 to 6:30.

Visit the Montlake.Net Everything 520 Page for updates and meeting notes.

Golden Gifts | Union Bay Watch

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354A1316Earlier this week, a couple of male, golden-crowned kinglets came down from the treetops to search for food at my eye level. The opportunity to view their raised orange crests, in the middle of their golden yellow crowns, felt like a gift. Have you ever compared the differences between the male and female golden-crowned kinglets? How about the difference between a golden-crowned and a ruby-crowned kinglet? See the photos on:

Union Bay Watch

Montlake Historic District Update

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montlake historical homes

SR520History.Org

On Tuesday, December 2, 2014, a public meeting was held at the Community Center.  The purpose was to report to the neighborhood on the progress of our application to have Montlake designated as a National Historic District.  The neighborhood is eligible for this designation because of the large number of homes and buildings constructed in the early 1900’s that show distinct architectural styles, and that have been maintained in their original form over the years.  The evaluation team has reviewed over 1100 of our 1200 homes. They are still hoping to collect from owners any unique information about their home’s history.

The team reviewed the benefit of having Montlake receive this historic designation. While there are not regulations imposed on the property owners, there are federal regulations that must be observed if a federal project is conducted in the district.  These regulations protect the district from potential damage to historic structures by limiting the vibration and noise that can occur during a construction project.  The SR 520 bridge construction which is partially funded by the federal government must observe these standards.  The Montlake Community Club board has supported this application for Historic District designation so that vibration standards would be in play and hopefully will reduce the likelihood of damage to our old and beautifully maintained homes near the construction zone.

Holiday Elves Return to Montlake

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December 2014 Montlake Playfield Tree

December 2014 Montlake Playfield Tree

After hearing reports of activity in Montlake playfield last night,  we investigated this afternoon and found the lone tree near the Bill Dawson trail had once again been sprinkled with holiday cheer. This year it appears the elves may have had some assistance or a taller ladder as a golden star rests at the top of the tree.

Happy Holidays!

What’s Happening In & Around Montlake

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wh 1126 updatedEvents in and around Montlake for the week of Nov 26th – Dec 3rd.

In Montlakechristmas ship_greg_Shaw_15_small

Saturday, November 29th

Tuesday, December 2nd

Wednesday, December 3rd

OngoingFuel image 3

Around MontlakeThanksgiving_FBTimelinePhoto-01 (3)

Wednesday, November 26th

Wednesday, December 3rdrain city

 

Visit our neighborhood calendar to keep track of upcoming events. All registered users of Montlake.net are authorized to submit events via our Post Your Event tool.