You party animal. We know what you want to do with your Friday night — help plan the glorious, multi-modal future of the 23rd Ave corridor. Details on a Friday night community meeting to talk about the changes are below. CHS wrote about the 23rd Ave greenway opportunity here. The cool kids in the Central District, Montlake and eastern Capitol Hill call it the Central Area Neighborhood Greenway.
Here’s part of what’s coming to make 23rd a fully functioning major artery in a growing part of the city: “After reviewing data and soliciting community input, SDOT will redesign 23rd Avenue between E John Street and Rainier Avenue S to three lanes – two lanes in each direction with a center-turn lane.” Add the greenway’s “mix of signage, pavement markings, speed bumps, roundabouts and other traffic-calming features” and you’re talking about some big opportunities for positive change.
The full $46 million+ project is planned to have construction wrapping up before the end of 2017.
Take 20 minutes for 23rd Avenue
We’re excited about our plans for the 23rd Avenue corridor – and we’ve taken our show on the road! This week we’ve been at the Douglass-Truth Library and SOAR having great conversations with Central Area neighbors.
We hope you can join us at our final session tomorrow, January 31 at the Miller Park Community Center from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m.
Check out our project website for more info. See you real soon!
About our work in the 23rd corridor area
Beginning in fall 2014, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) plans to begin constructing corridor improvements on 23rd Avenue as well as implementing a neighborhood greenway in the area. Investing in these important projects means improving safety for drivers, pedestrians, and bike riders – plus faster and more reliable transit in the corridor.
The condition of 23rd Avenue creates a poor environment for the many vehicles, transit users, bike riders, and pedestrians who use the corridor today. Since early 2013, SDOT has been reviewing existing traffic data in the area and asking for community input about how improvements to the 23rd Avenue corridor could balance the needs of all users.
On streets with fewer than 25,000 vehicles per day, redesigning a street from four lanes to three can have many safety and mobility benefits, including:
- Reducing collisions
- Reducing speeding
- Allowing vehicles to turn without blocking traffic
- Managing drivers cutting in and out of lanes
- Creating space for wider sidewalks
- Making streets easier to cross, and
- Make it easier for larger vehicles (e.g. buses) to travel
After reviewing data and soliciting community input, SDOT will redesign 23rd Avenue between E John Street and Rainier Avenue S to three lanes – two lanes in each direction with a center-turn lane.
More info
www.seattle.gov/transportation/23rd_ave.htm
www.seattle.gov/transportation/centralgreenway.htm.
(206) 684-7963 (Maribel Cruz, Outreach Lead)
Should be a huge step forward. Can’t wait to see if it works out (hopefully) and have a chance to move stress free down the corridor and or greenway by bike or car.
I think 23 sucks right now. I get agressive trying to figure out whether I’ll get jammed by left turners or busses on the right. Weaving left and right, squeeking past trucks in the narrow lanes. It’s a bummer. So much so that I just don’t go down 23rd unless I have to go to U Village twice a year.
A decent street for a bike or car would get me down to eat or drink now and then. I’ll sooner go to Georgetown, Columbia City or Cap Hill at present.
Did SDOT find the budget for expanded sidewalks on 23rd?
I’m not seeing many specifics on the 23rd Corridor website: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/23rd_ave.htm
It would also be nice to know how traffic will be impacted during the construction phase?
Thanks for the post.
Good questions — we’ll look into it.
“SDOT will redesign 23rd Avenue between E John Street and Rainier Avenue S to three lanes – two lanes in each direction with a center-turn lane” This doesn’t even make sense. That would be five lanes.
Will be very interested in how SDOT plans to manage traffic during construction, no good answer when I was at Douglass/Truth for info meeting.
Would also be nice if their schematics were less pretty and more accurate. It all looks so simple on the posters.