Last week the city officially kicked off the Northgate Way/North 105th Street Project that we warned you about in February, when the road construction project that snarled traffic around Northgate Mall finally ended.
This time, the project extends 1.3 miles away from Maple Leaf, from Corliss Avenue North to Greenwood Avenue North, and involves completely paving North 105th and Northgate Way along that stretch, constructing new sidewalks and curb ramps, upgrading and adding street lights, and installing drainage improvements. Work on signals will continue all the way to Lake City Way with the project including upgrades to traffic signals and other “Intelligent Transportation System” components, which include electronic message boards and traffic cameras.
The project is expected to cost $9.2 million, and improve (eventually) nearly 27,000 trips each day. From the news release:
“Focusing on the basics like pavement and sidewalks is part of our Transportation Action Agenda,” said McGinn. “This project will help improve conditions on one of the major arterials in North Seattle.”
Demonstrating SDOT’s ongoing commitment to environmentally conscious design and construction, this major infrastructure project features several environmentally friendly elements. Over 20 percent of the new sidewalks will be pervious, allowing rainwater to be absorbed into the ground instead of running off. Additionally, the project will make significant drainage upgrades and use environmentally friendly paving materials.
Focusing on basics like pavement and sidewalks should not be PART of the “Transportation Action Agenda.” It should be the sole purpose of it. This might explain McGinn’s dismal showing in the primary. I can’t wait for him to be gone.