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friday, July 18, 2014
I-90 bridge work means a messy, weeklong commute WSDOT encourages motorists to plan ahead BY BRANDON MACZ BELLEVUE REPORTER
Westbound I-90 will be reduced to one lane across the East Channel Bridge from 9:30 p.m. today through 5 a.m. Friday, July 25. not going to be normal,” said Bart Treece, a WSDOT spokesman. Starting at 9:30 p.m. tonight, transportation crews will begin replacing two 92-foot-long, 29-ton expansion joints — under 11 inches
high-flying protest At the Somerset neighborhood’s Fourth of July celebration, CENSE, the Coalition of Eastside Neighborhoods for Sensible Energy, took its protest of proposed Puget Sound Energy towers to a new height. The orange balloon at the bottom is the height of current PSE towers while the orange balloon at the top is the height of a 130-foot tower. PSE says it is still gathering information and hasn’t yet determined the exact look of any new towers. COURTESY PHOTO
travel times. As motorists are being asked to add an hour to their commutes, peak times are also expected to be longer, added Treece. Engineers estimate the best times to travel at before 6 a.m., between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and after 7 p.m. Those considering taking SR-520 are encouraged to set up a short-term Good To Go! account, as the bridge there will remain tolled during the project. Treece said waiving tolls is up to the state transportation commission to decide. WSDOT has also published an I-90 survival guide on its blog, which offers detailed advice for dealing with this traffic disruption: http://bit.ly/1okf5p0
County to vote on bus cuts Monday BY BRANDON MACZ
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BELLEVUE REPORTER
bellevuereporter.com
The King County Council will vote Monday on legislation outlining bus service reductions to shore up a long-standing funding gap. The ordinance in question is substantively no different than one that failed this week. At contention during this week's meeting was a revised striking amendment submitted ahead of a vote that Rod Dembowski, chairman for the transportation committee, said
needed additional legal review and more public input during a Tuesday committee meeting. Council Chairman Larry Phillips pushed for council a vote on July 14, saying Dembowski and others have had ample time to review the ordinance, which authorizes King County Metro to reduce service by about 160,000 hours beginning Sept. 27. The council tied 4-4 in a vote, with Councilmember
Jane Hague excused on July 14. The transportation committee met Tuesday and passed another revised version, which made no substantive changes to what has already been negotiated, with Phillips excused from the meeting. The striking amendment also creates an ad hoc committee on transit reductions, which will consist of King County Executive Dow Constantine and three councilmembers. representing council committees working to find ways to adjust service in February 2015.
Sound Transit committee passes on rail yard opinion BY BRANDON MACZ
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BELLEVUE REPORTER
bellevuereporter.com
The Sound Transit Capital Committee agreed new information likely won't surface in the next two weeks to ease a decision on where an operations and maintenance facility should be located on the Eastside, and opted not to forward a preferred alternative to the full board on July 10. Three of the sites are in Bel-
levue and one in Lynwood. "I just think we've got to do better than what we've got right now," said Bellevue Mayor Claudia Balducci, who serves on the transit board. "… What we're being asked to do is simply accept one of those sites." Three Bellevue options — two between the Eastside Rail Corridor and 120th Avenue
Northeast and one over the top of Plaza 520 south of State Route 520 — also lacked support during public comments Thursday. Lincoln Vander Veen for the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce said a facility in the rail corridor is expected to result in an annual loss of $1 million in tax revenue. The displacement of more than 100 businesses under the 520 option is estimated at a $6 million annual loss.
Our New Eastside Location
Opens next week at Bellevue Crossroads next to QFC
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The Washington State Department of Transportation is advising Interstate 90 commuters to change their habits for the next seven days, as work begins today to replace aging bridge expansion joints westbound on the East Channel Bridge. “People need to make a choice because we don’t need people doing what they used to do for a normal commute, because it’s
of concrete — on the East Channel Bridge, which is anticipated to close up to three westbound lanes on I-90, starting at Bellevue Way Southeast. Project engineers estimate more than half of the 85,000 daily commuters on westbound I-90 will need to find an alternate route. The I-90 HOV lane will be open to all traffic between I-405 and the east entrance to the center roadway. The closures are expected to last until 5 a.m. July 25. Treece said this project will cause regional traffic issues, and motorists should expect backups on I-405, State Route 520 and also I-5 in Seattle. Those who can are encouraged to carpool, vanpool, telecommute, seek alternate routes or drive during off-peak