The Sufrace Alternative

While the People’s Waterfront Coalition wants a boulevard as a stick to reduce demand by inducing gridlock, that is certainly not the only way a boulevard could work. Beyond the flip, a boulevard concept that retains capacity while maintaining a vibrant waterfront.

What about Ballard?

Ballard is another neighborhood heavily dependent on the Viaduct. The untimely demise of the monorail leaves transit riders dependent on bus routes made increasingly slow and unreliable by congestion on 15th NW and Westlake. After the break, a modest proposal to rectify the situation…

Focus on West Seattle

West Seattle is the neighborhood most directly affected by the changes the Viaduct will undergo. As it closes for construction, trips that used to access Downtown via the Seneca St. exit will be forced to take 4th Ave South or I-5 to reach the core. This will require a rerouting of the most popular bus in West Seattle, the 54, which currently uses the Viaduct for express trips to downtown from the Junction.

Not to worry, Ron Sims is on the case. His Transit Now! initiative plans to provide the closest thing to a “true” BRT line yet attempted in Washington. Some thoughts, after the jump.

Mitigating the Viaduct

With the failure of the Green Line, the transit situation for the western portion of Seattle has been thrown into disarray. Whatever option is chosen for the viaduct replacement, there will be a considerable reduction in auto capacity through downtown during construction. This will last years, and the reduction in capacity could be permanent if the People’s Waterfront Coalition boulevard plan gains traction.

However, choosing the boulevard would reduce the cost of the project signifgantly. In an ideal world, this would free up resources for transit improvements to offset the loss of people-moving capacity. Over the next few weeks, I aim to explore the neighborhoods affected by the viaduct’s closure, and what sort of transit projects might improve mobility among Seattle’s neighborhoods.