MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THE FINAL DAC MEETING
The final meeting of the Design Advisory Committee (DAC) is scheduled for Tuesday, June 2, 2015 from 5:30-8:00 PM at the Swedish Cultural Center (located at 1920 Dexter Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109). The purpose of this meeting is for SDOT to present their final design for the Westlake Cycle Track (WCT).
Since spring 2014, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) met with a Mayor-appointed 13-member Design Advisory Council (DAC), comprised of people representing businesses, residents, bicyclists, pedestrians, maritime industry and Lake Union Park users. As one of the participants of this council, I have outlined below the SDOT goals, objectives and final cycle track alignment. Throughout these past thirteen or so months, there has been input from 10 community proposals, three public meetings, 11 Design Advisory Committee meetings, five community and parking roundtables, and dozens of community briefings, as well as extensive data gathering and technical analysis.
Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) goals for the Westlake corridor are:
- Safety for all users
- People biking – support people riding bikes of all ages and abilities
- People walking – separate bicycles from pedestrians
- People driving – provide predictability within the parking area
Objectives:
- Connectivity – Connect with Fremont and South Lake Union neighborhoods, the Fremont Bridge and surrounding trails and park
- Economic vitality – Create a space that preserves parking, attracts customers and supports adjacent land and water uses
- Accessibility – Provide a flat, low-stress bike path making this scenic corridor more accessible to residents, employees and visitors
SDOT is moving forward with an alignment that places the cycle track on the east side of the Westlake parking area adjacent to the sidewalk. Throughout the series of meetings, safety remained the number one propriety; per SDOT, this alignment minimizes the number of vehicles crossing the cycle track and includes treatments based on research and context they feel will best fit the needs of the corridor. The second priority was parking preservation; SDOT feels that this proposal minimizes the loss of parking, retaining 85-90% of the currently available stalls. Parking management will play a key roll in maintaining available parking for business and residences. SDOT has assured the community that they will actively monitor and adjust parking regulations to the best of their ability.
The design phase of the Westlake cycle track is nearing completion, SDOT will present their final drawings at a meeting yet to be determined but will be in late May or early June. Construction is slated to begin in late fall with completion in mid winter 2016. The project will be phased in three segments from South to North each section taking approximately 2 months.
For visual aids, view the City of Seattle Westlake Cycle Track Website.
