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[Bruce]

I think the cruise ship terminal is going to be decently well served by the "preferred" Smith Cove Link station.

I think we're primarily talking about Pier 66, which has no real transit option unless you hoof it all the way up to 3rd and Bell. The options on 1st and 2nd are both commuter-oriented.

[jakeroot]

I think the cruise ship terminal is going to be decently well served by the "preferred" Smith Cove Link station.

I think we're primarily talking about Pier 66, which has no real transit option unless you hoof it all the way up to 3rd and Bell. The options on 1st and 2nd are both commuter-oriented.

Oh, my bad. I totally forgot about Pier 66. When I think of cruise ships, I always think of Smith Cove. Which at the moment is possibly even worse than Pier 66.

[Bruce]

Seattle's newest street (Elliott Way) will open this week, and comes complete with an honorary indigenous name: Dzidzilalich (DZEE-dzuh-LAH-leech), the Coast Salish name for their settlement on the shores of Elliott Bay near modern-day Pioneer Square.

More from The Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/new-street-signs-honor-first-name-of-seattles-waterfront-dzidzilalich/

And a map from Waterfront Seattle:

[jakeroot]

I find the Lushootseed name quite funny, in English it's very unique, but the actual meaning ("little crossing-over place") is surprisingly quite bland.

The opposition to the new elevated connection is just bizarre to me. Why does everything have to be on ground level?

[Rothman]

I find the Lushootseed name quite funny, in English it's very unique, but the actual meaning ("little crossing-over place") is surprisingly quite bland.

The opposition to the new elevated connection is just bizarre to me. Why does everything have to be on ground level?

Because elevated roads are ugly.

[jakeroot]

I find the Lushootseed name quite funny, in English it's very unique, but the actual meaning ("little crossing-over place") is surprisingly quite bland.

The opposition to the new elevated connection is just bizarre to me. Why does everything have to be on ground level?

Because elevated roads are ugly.

Accidents caused by at-grade connections (eg. car v. train) can be ugly too.

An elevated Japanese-style expressway, which are subjectively ugly by Western standards, Elliott Way is not...


Elliott Way Elevated Structure by Jacob Root, on Flickr

[Plutonic Panda]

I find the Lushootseed name quite funny, in English it's very unique, but the actual meaning ("little crossing-over place") is surprisingly quite bland.

The opposition to the new elevated connection is just bizarre to me. Why does everything have to be on ground level?

Because elevated roads are ugly.

I like elevated roads TBH. Not all infrastructure is gonna be pretty.

[LilianaUwU]

I like elevated roads TBH.

We know.

[Plutonic Panda]

I like elevated roads TBH.

We know.

There are tunnels but how dare I mention that in the US.

[Rothman]

I find the Lushootseed name quite funny, in English it's very unique, but the actual meaning ("little crossing-over place") is surprisingly quite bland.

The opposition to the new elevated connection is just bizarre to me. Why does everything have to be on ground level?

Because elevated roads are ugly.

I like elevated roads TBH. Not all infrastructure is gonna be pretty.

So, you like ugly things.

[Plutonic Panda]

I find the Lushootseed name quite funny, in English it's very unique, but the actual meaning ("little crossing-over place") is surprisingly quite bland.

The opposition to the new elevated connection is just bizarre to me. Why does everything have to be on ground level?

Because elevated roads are ugly.

I like elevated roads TBH. Not all infrastructure is gonna be pretty.

So, you like ugly things.

Stop taking yourself so seriously.

[pderocco]

Seattle's newest street (Elliott Way) will open this week, and comes complete with an honorary indigenous name: Dzidzilalich (DZEE-dzuh-LAH-leech), the Coast Salish name for their settlement on the shores of Elliott Bay near modern-day Pioneer Square.

More from The Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/new-street-signs-honor-first-name-of-seattles-waterfront-dzidzilalich/

They should have used indigenous writing on the sign, instead of the English alphabet. Oh wait...

[stevashe]

The Battery Street tunnel was old and in need of seismic upgrades if it were to be continued to be used, so I don't think it would have been useful as a street, trolley line, or anything else. Better to just fill it (convenient dumping ground for the demo'd viaduct anyway) and be done with it imo.

If you want more details on the work WSDOT did to fill the tunnel, they have a page on it here: https://wsdot.wa.gov/construction-planning/search-projects/battery-street-tunnel-and-north-surface-streets-complete-july-2021

[Bruce]

From today's Seattle Times: a dispute over lids.

7 acres, 3 lids: Eastside cities want the state to mow the lawn

Buried at the end is this interesting nugget: "The Legislature budgeted $200,000 this year to study the impacts of removing some onramps in downtown."

I imagine this would entail some of the problematic ramps like Seneca Street and Union Street that are prone to crashes due to their outdated design and don't actually provide connections that aren't already covered by other ramps.

[jakeroot]

Interesting is an understatement. The Seneca off-ramp is magic coming from the south-end, I'd hate to see it go. The off-ramp to James is decent, but doesn't really connect to where Seneca goes, and the off-ramp to Madison is always busy. Seneca always moves; closing it would just cause further mayhem on the C/D lanes.

I've rarely used the Union off-ramp. I know it's been in the news with the crashes, but that doesn't seem to be a reason to close it. The only good reason might be to reduce weaving in that stretch. But then the only other ramp to downtown there is James St, which is quite a bit further south. Before that, you have to exit at Stewart, which is, likewise, quite a bit further north.

[Rothman]

Interesting is an understatement. The Seneca off-ramp is magic coming from the south-end, I'd hate to see it go. The off-ramp to James is decent, but doesn't really connect to where Seneca goes, and the off-ramp to Madison is always busy. Seneca always moves; closing it would just cause further mayhem on the C/D lanes.

I've rarely used the Union off-ramp. I know it's been in the news with the crashes, but that doesn't seem to be a reason to close it. The only good reason might be to reduce weaving in that stretch. But then the only other ramp to downtown there is James St, which is quite a bit further south. Before that, you have to exit at Stewart, which is, likewise, quite a bit further north.

On a scale of magic to busy, what is the airspeed of an unladen swallow?

[Bickendan]

Interesting is an understatement. The Seneca off-ramp is magic coming from the south-end, I'd hate to see it go. The off-ramp to James is decent, but doesn't really connect to where Seneca goes, and the off-ramp to Madison is always busy. Seneca always moves; closing it would just cause further mayhem on the C/D lanes.

I've rarely used the Union off-ramp. I know it's been in the news with the crashes, but that doesn't seem to be a reason to close it. The only good reason might be to reduce weaving in that stretch. But then the only other ramp to downtown there is James St, which is quite a bit further south. Before that, you have to exit at Stewart, which is, likewise, quite a bit further north.

On a scale of magic to busy, what is the airspeed of an unladen swallow?

South American or Indian?


(Mixing it up a little )

[Bruce]

SR 504 is blocked near milepost 43 (near Coldwater Ridge) by a landslide. No access to Johnston Ridge Observatory, which was supposed to reopen for the season.

https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/sr-504-coldwater-lake-mount-st-helens-closed-debris-slide/281-6d452110-62d0-4f42-aa97-006444eae332?ref=exit-recirc

https://twitter.com/MtStHelensNVM/status/1658604477912428544

EDIT: WSDOT has some more pictures and a map:


SR 504 Spirit Lake Outlet Bridge - washout by Washington State Dept of Transportation, on Flickr


Drone photo of flooding near the highway along SR 504 by Washington State Dept of Transportation, on Flickr


SR 504 Road Closure Location by Washington State Dept of Transportation, on Flickr

[Amaury]

I took a drive up there on May 22, 2021, my first time being to Johnston Ridge Observatory. I went there again last year and took my mom, which was a little challenging because of her fear of heights. She doesn't like drop-offs in particular where you can look down on the side of the road.

I've been trying to help her on that and have taken her over White Pass, Chinook Pass, Cayuse Pass, Washington Pass, as well as Rainy Pass and the rest of the North Cascades Highway. Luckily, because of where we live, these aren't roads we absolutely have to go over. White Pass westbound is easier for her now, but she can't really do eastbound because of the drop-off being on that side. She said Washington Pass wasn't too bad, other than just before or after the summit, depending on whether you're heading westbound, which is the direction we went, or eastbound. Chinook Pass and Cayuse Pass were really difficult for her. We went westbound and southbound, respectively, but on those, either side is bad for those with a fear of heights.

Sections of Washington State Route 821 are difficult for my mom on the southbound side, but northbound is okay. There's a section of US Route 97 Alternate that's difficult for her northbound because of the drop-off right before the tunnel. Until the last year or two, she didn't even know of mainline US Route 97 on the other side of the Columbia River. Before I started driving about 14 years ago now, anytime we went anywhere in the Chelan area or beyond, we always took US Route 97 Alternate.

When I took my mom to Conconully last year, there was a cliffside on one of the forest roads that I didn't know about when we were circling back to the Okanogan area since I hadn't driven them before. When I went to Conconully by myself back in November 2021, I got stuck on a hill on National Forest Road 42 because there was snow I wasn't expecting there, as there wasn't snow anywhere else other than on Loup Loup Pass, and turned around after some help from the guy who runs the Shady Pines Resort. Anyway, when we went, it was challenging for her. And then she had to help me back up along the cliffside section because there was a truck coming up that I thought was stopped, but was coming up very slowly.

[pderocco]

SR 504 is blocked near milepost 43 (near Coldwater Ridge) by a landslide. No access to Johnston Ridge Observatory, which was supposed to reopen for the season.

Well, it's not the worst mudslide they've ever had.

[jakeroot]

Grading for a new freeway isn't something you see everyday in the 21st century. Now visible on Google Maps...


I-5 / WA-509 New Freeway Grading by Jacob Root, on Flickr

[Plutonic Panda]

Awesome! I love to see more of that.

[jakeroot]

Awesome! I love to see more of that.

You definitely will: all of the rest of this freeway, the 167 extension, and the rest of the North Spokane Corridor. And that's just Washington.

[ErmineNotyours]

Interesting is an understatement. The Seneca off-ramp is magic coming from the south-end, I'd hate to see it go. The off-ramp to James is decent, but doesn't really connect to where Seneca goes, and the off-ramp to Madison is always busy. Seneca always moves; closing it would just cause further mayhem on the C/D lanes.

I've rarely used the Union off-ramp. I know it's been in the news with the crashes, but that doesn't seem to be a reason to close it. The only good reason might be to reduce weaving in that stretch. But then the only other ramp to downtown there is James St, which is quite a bit further south. Before that, you have to exit at Stewart, which is, likewise, quite a bit further north.

The state is spending not a little money to widen northbound I-5 at Seneca by inches to add another lane here.  If they were going to close Seneca anyway they could have saved a lot of money because they could have used its exit-only lane.

[kkt]

I used to take the Union St. exit from southbound I-5 fairly regularly, when we had season tickets to the 5th Avenue Theatre and would drive there.  The exit is safe enough if you follow the recommended speed for the curve.  But if you go bombing along the exit ramp at 60 and around the curve, yes, you'll have to do a panic stop to avoid hitting stopped traffic on the surface streets.

When the light rail extension to Northgate opened, it became the easier and more reliable way of getting downtown for shows.  You never know when I-5 will be a parking lot for an hour.