Busiest paving season in a decade; mayor thanks residents
City paved 41 lane-miles under aggressive schedule

SEATTLE - Thanking residents for their patience through the busiest paving season in at least a decade, Mayor Greg Nickels today celebrated the completion of paving projects along four key corridors and announced some new projects for 2009.

This year, the city paved 41 lane-miles, making $24.3 million in improvements to the Denny-Western-Elliott-15th Avenue corridor, Fifth Avenue through the heart of the business district, the Boren-Madison corridor and First Avenue South in south downtown.

"This aggressive paving work is another sign of our commitment to improving Seattle's transportation infrastructure," said Nickels. "With voter support for our Bridging the Gap program, these enhancements keep our city moving now."

Mayor Nickels also announced that next year, Seattle residents will see work on First Avenue South, Second and Fourth Avenues through Belltown, Stewart Street and Fauntleroy Way in West Seattle.

"I am pleased the city of Seattle is making substantial transportation improvements throughout Seattle and its downtown core. Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) project teams have done an excellent job of keeping the public informed and working with businesses and residents to minimize construction impacts," said Kate Joncas, president of the Downtown Seattle Association. "We have a lot of work ahead of us, but if 2008 is any indication, I am confident SDOT will do an excellent job of working with the community to ensure the work gets done -- and done well."

The 2008 work by SDOT replaced asphalt surfaces and sections of failing roadway base. Pedestrian, bicycle and transit improvements were also part of each project.

In addition to the paving work on arterials, SDOT continues resurfacing roads in neighborhoods across the city. In 2008, city crews improved nearly 39 lane-miles of residential streets in Cedar Park, North Matthews Beach and Columbia City with its chip seal program.

As part of the Bridging the Gap program, the city prioritized key routes to and through downtown, making improvements that will be critically important to transit, freight and cars during upcoming work on the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Already, more than 68 lane-miles have been paved since Bridging the Gap efforts began in 2007.

The department upgraded curb ramps, replaced sidewalks at intersections, installed bike detection loops that ensure signals react to bikes as they do to automobiles, installed bicycle-friendly drainage grates, and striped new bike and pedestrian pavement markings.

Bridging the Gap is the $365 million levy passed by Seattle voters in 2006. It supports much-needed work, such as roadway paving, sidewalk development and repair, bridge maintenance, and tree pruning and planting. It also funds the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plans, enhanced transit connections and large Neighborhood Street Fund projects.

Get the Nickels Newsletter and the mayor's inside view on transportation, public safety, economic opportunity and healthy communities at mayor.seattle.gov

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Office of the Mayor