Life In The Pacific Northwest
Just to the north of Lake Ballinger more light-rail work commenced. This started on Monday, July 19th, and stretches to August 12th. It is overnight work (from 8pm to 5am). I expect it will be less than pleasant for the area residents, with overnight noise and traffic issues.
Here’s the link to the City of Mountlake Terrace’s announcement.
Some important intel about area traffic. Here’s the TLDR:
Crews working on the Lynnwood Link Extension will be closing the southbound lanes of I-5 South from 220th Street SW to SR 104 in Mountlake Terrace overnight on Saturday, June 26 for construction that will allow the light rail alignment to cross over the highway. Northbound traffic lanes will remain open.
Follow this link for more details.
the sky brightens
metal and glass moving
the firs waking
I hope your Monday launches you into a grace filled week.
The brutality of traffic: my journey home impacted. Made my way through Kirkland, though extremely slowly. The upside? These great photos taken from my car. Right off Lake Washington, the light felt perfect. The cold air, though, presented another challenge. One solved with rolled up windows, I suppose.
On my drive home from Bellevue to Lynnwood this evening I noticed something. The State Patrol was enforcing the “Illegal to Cross The Double White Lines” in the toll lanes. I’ve noticed those lines for awhile now. In the past month, now that I’d driving to Bellevue daily, I see them more. However, I really never gave it much thought. There are a number of spots where it’s inconvenient to wait. And, well, I have just crossed them.
I guess shan’t be doing that anymore. Though I think it’s a bit petty/silly thing to be investing time and energy in. But it’s not my call to make.
Earlier this evening I was considering traffic, while driving home…in traffic. Now, I don’t hate it like some folks do. But I did have a snarky moment today where I thought I’d be clever to text my family saying “I just left Bellevue. I should be home in time for high school graduation”.
Anyway, for me it’s a great opportunity to listen to music or podcasts. So I’m relatively happy. Sure, I’d rather not be stuck, but it’s the way of things, I guess.
With that, as I rolled through Kirkland and looked over all the growth, I was struck by the increasing density. I’ve noted before that we’re watching the greater Seattle area become more dense. Pretty much daily. I’m seeing many lots that held one house hey torn down and reolaced by three. Or more. With Growth Management Act limitations on where we cam build, and our economy continuing to bring new residents here, there’s only one way for things to go. Also, density is the solution to creating affordable housing.
I’m glad to see light rail getting implemented region wide. I drive by the Bellevue and Redmond, as well as the Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace extension construction sites daily. We will have desperate need of tthese as the region continues its growth.
Tis a mixed blessing, clearly. So much has changed in my lifetime. I’m pretty sure my school friends who left the area would find it quite hard to navigate now.
How do you feel about all this? Terrifid? Excited? Bridging the hike between them?
Lately I’ve thought a lot about traffic. First there’s the ever increasing volumes on northbound I5 through Marysville to Arlington My trips to Bellingham have stretched out from 60 minutes to an hour and a half…on good days. Then there’s taking this new position in Bellevue, which has thrown me into heavier traffic then I’ve dealt with for some time, if ever.
I’ve jokingly told myself many times “welcome to LA”.
I live in a place that’s attracting new people at an exponential rate. Can’t blame them. Jobs are cool.
With this, though, I’ve noticed an uptick in aggressive driving. Whether tailgating, cutting people off; there are myriad examples of destructive behaviors. I believe the challenge here is simple: A sense of entitlement for speed. Anything that slows us down challenges us a to our birthright. This explains why people get homicidal over the bicyclist, a pedestrian, or that car doing 50 in the fast lane. I should be able to go as fast as I want, statistics and public safety be damned!
This, combined with the aforementioned increase in the sheer volume of cars pushes us hard. No wonder people are snapping.
Our culture needs to calm down, to slow down. This rage kills, but not just on the road. Increased stress causes all kinds of horrible things to our bodies and minds. We need to walk more, get on our bikes and ride, getting out of our cars. And we need to remember that the other drivers out there are people. Doing the best that they can.
Just like us.
[Editted because I hit “post” too soon and, thus needed to clean up a bunch of grammar]
Saturday i had a meeting in south Everett, on 128th to be more specific. Well,traffic on that road was wretched, but I improvised, taking side streets back to Lynnwood. I ended up driving past the door where the z over Park drive in used to be. Now it’s a medical center and apartment complex. I
Along this street are now many multifamily/higher density housing projects.Several duplexes, apartment and condos, within this area that was semi rural single family homes a generation back.
This got me thinking about density. That we’re gong to see the greater Seattle area become increasingly densified. I expect in the next dozen to two dozen years this whole region will become mostly multifamily. The economic forces will drive that hard. I’ve long thought that the Growth Management Act’s limits on development will combine with our region’s continued economic expansion to drive this.
Many will see if as something to lament, and to resist. Me? I see it as a a mixed blessing, so to speak. And as something that good planning can make a great thing. Planning for a transit system that will accommodate this load will be crucial. A predominantly car-centric system will not work. When the majority of commuters take transit, things will be more manageable.
So, what do you think?
This will annoy those of you late night/early riser types. If you’re tucked into bed from midnight to 4:00 am, fret not!
From the good folks at the WSDOT.
Overnight rolling slowdowns on I-5 in Seattle, Aug. 27 and 28
Overhead power line work for Sound Transit Lynnwood Link Extension will cause overnight delays on I-5 between Seattle and Lynnwood
SEATTLE – Seattle City Light crews plan to relocate existing overhead power lines over Interstate 5 near Northeast 180th Street to support Sound Transit’s Lynnwood Link Extension project. This work will result in traffic impacts on Aug. 27-29.
To complete this work safely, Washington State Patrol troopers and contracted crews must intermittently conduct rolling slowdowns of traffic in both directions of I-5 to ensure safe work operations and passage for motorists. Traffic will be intercepted and escorted at slow speeds for up to 15 minutes between Lynnwood and north Seattle as crews pull overhead feeder cables across the highway. Traffic will return to normal speeds once past the work area.
Rolling slowdowns will occur on the following dates:
Additional Details:
Drivers should expect delays and consider using alternate routes during construction. Real-time traffic information is available on the WSDOT mobile app and the WSDOT Traffic Twitter feed.
For more information on Sound Transit’s Lynnwood Link Extension project, which will extend light rail into south Snohomish County and serve stations in Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood, please visit https://www.
I just got this alert from the WS DOT. Folks driving around Skagit/Snohomish county line will want to be prepared. I’ve pasted the press release directly into here.
| Washington State Department of Transportation Northwest Region – 15700 Dayton Avenue N. – Shoreline, WA 98133-9710 – 206-440-4000 TRAFFIC ADVISORY                      Aug. 21, 2019 Contacts:    Andrea E. Petrich, communications, 360-757-5963 Shane Spahr, project engineer, 360-848-7103 Bridge work to close lanes of southbound I-5 in Snohomish County starting Saturday, Aug. 24 STANWOOD – Drivers traveling between Skagit and Snohomish counties need to prepare for weekend delays and backups as crews work to rehabilitate two southbound Interstate 5 bridge decks. Washington State Department of Transportation contractor crews from Graham Construction will repair the bridge deck on two separate sections of southbound I-5 over the weekend. One section is near the Skagit/Snohomish county line and the other is south of State Route 532. This work is part of a two-year interstate improvement project between Conway and Arlington. Lane closure details
Drivers using this stretch of I-5 Sunday night into Monday morning should be aware of two separate work zones and a reduced speed limit of 55 mph south of SR 532. During the closures, crews will add a new waterproofing barrier and fresh asphalt on the bridges. While the forecast looks favorable, this work is weather-dependent. The longest delays are expected Sunday afternoon, Aug. 25, and could last into the evening hours. Travelers can help reduce backups and delays by adjusting travel plans around this closure. If you must travel, consider: Drivers between Skagit and Snohomish counties should continue to plan for single lane closures during the day and double lane closures overnight, until this project wraps up in fall 2019. Get real-time traffic information on the WSDOT North Twitter account and WSDOT traffic app.  Hyperlinks within the release:
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