The King County Department of Transportation announced today that the state Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) have approved a replacement alternative for the South Park Bridge spanning the Duwamish River. Following completion of a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and extensive public involvement last fall, the division recommended that the current bridge be replaced with a new drawbridge. The condition of the 75-year-old span between Seattle and Tukwila on 14th/16th Avenue South has severely deteriorated in recent years, and was made worse during the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake. The FHWA rates the bridge a six out of a possible 100 points, one of the lowest ratings of any bridge in the State of Washington. The county considered five alternatives during its environmental review, including rehabilitating the existing structure, constructing a fixed-span or movable-span bridge and removing the bridge entirely. Based on the outcome of the review and input by several agencies, residents and a citizen advisory group, a movable-span bascule bridge was determined to be the best replacement option. This alternative also presents the fewest community impacts. “Following intensive review, King County believes a movable replacement bridge is the best option for both the south King County transportation network and the South Park community,” Department of Transportation Director Harold Taniguchi said. “But the future of this project is far from certain. The county continues to work with federal, state and regional transportation partners in an effort to put together a funding package for the bridge. While the project has been identified as a potential candidate for funding by the Regional Transportation Investment District, the bridge has yet to be formally added to the list of proposed projects.” The cost of constructing a new bascule drawbridge is currently estimated at $90 million. If funding cannot be secured, the rapidly deteriorating bridge will need to be dismantled and removed by the end of the decade due to safety concerns. In addition to severing the community’s main transportation route, removal of the bridge will force more than 20 thousand vehicles a day on to nearby commuter and freight routes such as the 1st Avenue South Bridge, West Seattle Bridge, State Route 99 and Interstate 5. The bridge also provides access to the residential communities of White Center, West Seattle, Georgetown and Boulevard Park. The bridge serves one of the largest industrial and shipyard complexes in the state and is used to haul freight to King County International Airport, Port of Seattle facilities, the Duwamish waterfront, rail facilities and the industrial areas of Kent and Auburn. Now that the county has received state and federal approval of the replacement, the county will develop a final EIS and begin preliminary design. If funding can be obtained, the new bridge will be under construction as early as 2009. The draft EIS is available online in a .pdf format. |
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King County Radio Communications Services is an internal agency that operates, maintains and repairs the King County and Valley Communications portions of the Regional 800 MHz Public Safety Communications System. One of the important duties is maintaining the radio towers in remote areas of King County that link the entire communications system together. Recently, the radio crews needed a helping hand from roads crews to access the tower on McDonald Mountain east of Black Diamond. The usual wintertime mode of transportation by helicopter wasn’t suitable, and driving was hampered by an accumulation of snow on the high-elevation access road to the tower. Roads equipment operator Ron Campo was dispatched with a bulldozer to plow the roadway to the tower, and the maintenance work was completed without a hitch.
Metro will host the final open house to preview plans for the new Burien Transit Center on Tuesday, Feb. 28 from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Burien Community Center, 424 SW 144th St. The drop-in meeting will feature completed design plans for the new transit center, architectural models, and information about the public art components. Metro staff will be there to answer transit questions, and city of Burien staff will be on hand to answer any questions about the adjacent Burien Town Center project. Construction on the new facility - which will be located near the current transit center at Southwest 150th Street and 4th Avenue Southwest - is scheduled to begin this fall, and take approximately a year to complete. The new transit center will have a passenger platform that can accommodate up to eight buses, new passenger shelters, and improved lighting. For information about the Feb. 28 meeting, contact Betty Gulledge-Bennett at (206) 263-3436, or email at: betty.gulledge-bennett@kingcounty.gov.
The annual Seattle Spring Home Show at the Qwest Field Events Center will end Sunday, Feb. 26, so there is still time to browse for bathtubs and barbecues. Metro can help you beat the crowds and save on parking with either regular transit service or free weekend shuttles to the show from the suburban park-and-ride lots. The weekend shuttles travel to Qwest Field from Bellevue, Northgate and Renton. The special shuttles will be available Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 25-26. They travel between Qwest Field and the Northgate Transit Center, South Bellevue Park-and-Ride, and the South Renton Park-and-Ride. The free shuttles will operate from approximately 9:20 a.m. until the show closes for the day. For regular service and routes, use Metro's online Trip Planner. Or, call Metro Rider Information at (206) 553-3000 for trip planning assistance. Full details about service to the show are posted on Metro Online. |
As local residents try to shed off winter doldrums and spring into a more active routine, King County’s highly popular Bicycling Guidemap has been re-published with a new, easier-to-use format.
