OK, as a novice (really?) I don't know how all this space got into the post below. However, from now on I won't put photos on the left or right of the text. I think that's what's doing it. Since I don't know how to edit HTML there's no way I can get rid of the space. So keep scrolling.
Guess what? I think I figured it out to some extent. When I uploaded the photos the draft post had photos beside text. After it was published the photos were above and below, leaving the space also above and below, as if there was something there, only backwards. Since it should be squished rather than expanded that doesn't seem right. You dig? Neither do I.
Al
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Coal Creek Parkway Open
Recently Glen, the Lake Boren Carp, was celebrating the completion of the Coal Creek Parkway project. He was giving water ski rides to the squirrels. A Squirrel doesn’t require a lot of speed to water ski.
The greys were lined up to get a turn on the water and the little Douglas finally began joining in as well. Regular news media didn’t report this because they were down at the May Creek Bridge for the ribbon cutting. If there was a person involved they would have reported it.
The south end of the project is Duvall Avenue in Renton. It’s fairly open now except for a few random lane closures. This is a very classy retaining wall that Renton should be proud of. 
Around the corner from the classy wall is the one I predict won’t last. As you can see (assuming your puter can see these photos) there are trees growing out of it. It’s doomed. I just hope nobody gets hurt. For example a retired bald guy getting too close to take a photo.
Continuing north along the new road we come to the new May Creek Bridge. Looking over the railing you can see it’s a very long way down. I never did that before because the old bridge didn’t have enough room for cars and certainly not some random pedestrian. It’s a very long drop if one had to leap over the rail to escape being squished. The new bridge has nice walks on both sides.
The swooping décor is unique on the east side of Lake Washington. I had fun with it.
Then, just for comparison, here’s an old bridge in Indiana. Spring in Indiana this year was very wet.
My boat was floating well above the standard level of the river. As you can see the yellow numbers are expertly applied and professional looking. You can also see why I want to have the boat painted.
OK, back to Coal Creek Parkway. King County took the construction opportunity to build a large pond for rain water. The in thing these days is to hold runoff in ponds to let the debris settle out before releasing it into the streams. This pond is above May Creek.
Up the hill north from May Creek is Wall 104. It’s anchored into the hillside by long bolts and backed up by tons of rock. This stairway goes up to a hiking trail. Us eastsiders have lots of trails where we can wander to and fro hardly knowing where we are. It’s one of the benefits of living in the Bellevue/Newcastle area.
As you can see there’s a handrail on top of the retaining wall. The sidewalk goes up and over the wall while the roadway stays below it. Probably safer that way.
Next up are the Newcastle Oxen. These beasts can haul huge wagon loads of facts and figures about the new roadway construction. If you like facts and figures you’ll just have to wait until these guys bring them to you. My report is all hearsay and rumor.
These next two are the entry and exit portals of the Boren Creek culvert. The crew completely revamped the culvert to make it big enough for Glen to swim in and out of the lake. They’ll deny it had anything to do with the Lake Boren Carp, but we know the truth. It’s hard to see in these photos because I declined to climb down the bank but the culvert is at least six feet around.
Next up is retaining Wall 106. This one is anchored quite far into the hillside in order to make sure the houses on top never come down. There’s a secondary wall topped with a fence and the sidewalk is at street level in this case. This is another retaining wall built for the long haul. I think a number of Volkswagons are stuffed in there to help ballast the wall against any chance of a problem.
Right now you’re probably wondering if there really are 106 retaining walls on Coal Creek Parkway. No. I don’t have a clue why they chose to use those numbers. I don’t do facts and figures. Wait for the oxen.
Al
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
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
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
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