Here at the blog, we’ve received a number of emails from the Green Lake and Wallingford Paving and Multi-Modal Improvements Project providing us with status updates on the ongoing work. I guess it’s high time we pass those on to you!
The Paving Project work is taking place in four areas:
- Along 40th St from Stone Way to Latona
- Along 50th from Phinney to Roosevelt
- Around the east side of Green Lake
- On 80th St. from Aurora to I-5
All of these areas involve, obviously, repaving of the street(s). There will also be a considerable number of new ADA-compliant curb cuts created (more than 500 in all). Here are some additional details about the work ongoing — or to be started in the next year or two — in each of these four work areas.
50th St: Phinney to Roosevelt
This is the focus of current work. Crews generally work 7 to 7, we are told, although when I biked up there a couple of days ago around 6pm, I didn’t see much going on. SDOT crews are saw cutting pavement from Meridian east in preparation for final paving next year. Expect occasional lane closures.
The really narrow bike lane west of Stone going past the zoo will be widened as a part of this work. Two flashing beacons will be placed where Dayton and Woodland Park Ave. cross 50th. to aid pedestrians. (This is right near the zoo.)
40th St: Stone Way to Latona
We first wrote about this phase of the work back in May of 2017. A key part of the work in this area will be improved crossings on 40th. After a pedestrian was hit near Irwin’s at the Bagley Street intersection, a minor, immediate upgrade was made by installing curb bulbs and some pedestrian crossing signs (see photo). To this intersection will be added a flashing beacon, and another beacon will be installed down by 2nd Ave. Although plans for a bike lane on 40th have been scrapped, bicyclists working their ways north or south along Latona will be aided by improved crossings at 40th as well as Pacific (which can be pretty hard to get across during rush hours). Sidewalks will also be repaired along 40th at the cost, perhaps, of some trees. This phase was expected to begin this August, but I haven’t seen anything happening yet.
Green Lake: East side
The biggest part of this phase of the work will be the new, protected bike lane around the lake’s east side extending south down Stone Way as far as 46th St. as Eric wrote about last year. This will consist of a two-way cycle track on the west side of Green Lake Way, and two one-way lanes south of the lake. There will also be changes to a number of the Green Lake Way intersections to improve pedestrian safety although a final design for the problematic intersection with 50th St. has yet to be arrived at. This work could begin as soon as this November.
80th St.: Aurora to I-5
This area will see the least dramatic of the changes. In addition to repaving and curb cuts, the crossing at Ashworth will be improved through the addition of curb bulbs. This is expected to start in late 2019 or early 2020.
Note that this is just a synopsis. Much, much more information for each of these four sub-projects can be found on SDOT’s Green Lake and Wallingford Paving and Multi-Modal Improvements Project website.