The SunBreak » congestion

Forget Mercer Street! Mercer is Dead (Until Mid-2015)!

Michael van Baker — Thu, 09 May 2013 18:23:06 +0000

As of today through Friday, May 17, Westbound Mercer Street (and Broad Street) will narrow to a single lane from Westlake Avenue North to Harrison Street. Tomorrow, Friday, eastbound Mercer will be a single lane from just west of Dexter and 9th from about 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Seattle Takes Light Rail Train to Job Growth

Michael van Baker — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 15:30:34 +0000

In a related Reuters story, APTA spotlights Seattle, "where transit rides rose 11.8 percent over the year as the metropolitan area added more than 30,000 jobs." From January 2012 to January 2013, the state of Washington added some 65,800 jobs (98 percent of which were in the private sector), with the unemployment rate now holding steady at around 7.5 percent statewide, 6.3 percent in Seattle.

Ballmer and Nordstrom Brothers’ New Triangle Offense May Get NBA’s Attention

Michael van Baker — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 17:14:22 +0000

Yesterday a buzz started building that something new was afoot in the attempt to bring the NBA back to Seattle. Insiders were whispering about a game-changer. This morning, it's clear what that is: Hedge-fund manager Chris Hansen revealed three big investor names on KJR Sports Radio: Microsoft's Steve Ballmer, and Erik and Peter Nordstrom.

The Viaduct is a Hard Habit to Break

Michael van Baker — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:26:06 +0000

Last weekend, the Washington Department of Transportation opened a closed Viaduct to pedestrian traffic, so people could say their (first) goodbyes to the spit-and-baling-wire structure in person. It wasn't the end of the entire Alaskan Way Viaduct--just the end of the southern end, which is being torn down this week, a project that is right on schedule. You can follow along yourself via WSDOT's construction cameras.

The Autumn of Our Traffic Backup Discontent

Michael van Baker — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:29:14 +0000

Traffic was going to be a little hinky at times anyway this weekend, thanks to Saturday Huskies (12:30 p.m.) and Sounders (7:30 p.m.) games, but WSDOT is also going to be working on the 520 bridge, which is slightly less old than its namesake, Albert Rosellini, who died this week at 101. Well after the Huskies play, at 8 p.m., both directions of the SR 520 floating bridge and highway and all ramps between Montlake Boulevard and I-405 will be closed until 5 a.m. Monday.

With Tolls, New Larger 520 Bridge Could Serve Half as Many

Michael van Baker — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:38:42 +0000

Why would so much traffic divert? Tolls. As Mike Lindblom reports for the Seattle Times, WSDOT's financial projections call for some 48 percent of existing traffic to seek other routes, thanks to $3.50 Good to Go tolls on the bridge during peak hours (that's $5.00 if you haven't signed up with Good to Go). The tolls are supposed to increase 2.5 percent annually until 2017, at which time they will increase 15 percent.