July Project Updates

Coal Creek Parkway Update:

Renton has completed the four lane project on Duvall Avenue. It’s done. One of the fanciest retaining walls I’ve ever seen holds back tons of dirt. Renton must be very proud.

King County Metro is now able to run the 240 bus line back on the regular route except they might need special permission. When the street was closed last year the bus drivers had to get “route deviation” to use Nile Ave NE. The planned opening of Duvall Ave was July 20 but since it opened early the route deviation might still be in effect. I’ll have to check.

Newcastle, on the other hand, has opened all lanes of the new May Creek Bridge. They’re very proud. The Newcastle News headline reads; “City celebrates completion of parkway expansion project.” It’s all about the new bridge. Parts of the Phase 2 section are still being completed. The paver has been working overtime.

My goal now is to walk (or ride my bike) along the route and inspect the quality of the work. It’s my mission. I don’t plan to get near the scary development retaining wall around the corner on SE 95th Way because with all the shrubbery growing out of it I expect it to collapse any second. That wall was not included in the street project but if it falls it could block traffic.

Check out the web site: http://www.coalcreekparkway.com/ and click on the Project Updates button for some photos. They really are proud of the new bridge. The old bridge is the picture you see first.


I-90 Expansion Joints:

At the same time the State DOT (Washdot) has closed the main west bound lanes of I-90 across Lake Washington to replace expansion joints. These joints apparently have cracks. That’s just a term meaning the x-ray machine can see into the metal.

Here’s something I don’t get. In the rest of America (except California) it gets cold in winter and hot in summer. Road materials expand and contract several feet over these temperature variations. Too technical? Think about chewing gum and ice cream.

Western Washington is about 40 degrees all year long. Why are our expansion joints such a big deal? Remember the world class traffic stopping saga of the expansion joints on the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge? Do other states have these issues?


Link Light Rail to Open:

This is July and it’s the month the Link Light Rail will begin revenue service between the downtown bus tunnel and Tukwila. We already have a problem. Sound Transit has been running the trains on intense schedules 20 hours a day to get people used to having them around and to train the drivers. They’re noisy.

Yes, it’s true; these silent electric trains are getting noise complaints. The wheels are made of steel and the track is made of steel. When the trains go around corners the flanges on the steel wheels tend to squeal like an Alaskan Governor resigning from office. Neighbors say it keeps them awake at night.

One neighbor offered to spray the tracks with WD-40. That should do it. If they had routed the line through Renton instead there would be no complaints. People in Renton are also up 20 hours a day trying to figure out how to get out of town. OK, maybe not the same 20 hours that the trains run.

In any case, on July 20 we’ll be able to take our Orca Pass into Seattle’s bus tunnel and catch the Link for a ride to Tukwila. The Orca Pass won’t work, of course, but it’ll be fun to try it and raise a big stink. Once we figure out how to get change for a $20 and try again we’ll be treated to a joyous ride toward the Beacon Hill Tunnel.

At that point we disappear under ground and emerge in a whole different world on Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd… Did you know King County was named before him? Then after the trek down MLK we rise up and over I-5 and sail into Tukwila where we’ll be greeted by hundreds of sleepy people carrying protest signs.

At some point along I-5 we should expect to see giant trucks with expansion joints wending their way to various Washdot projects in every direction. I’m looking forward to it.

Al