Tag Archives: wsdot

Lower speed limits on state highways through city proposed by Seattle

Update (3/1): SDOT has confirmed speed limit changes on Aurora and other corridors is expected in 2021 pending approval from WSDOT. The post has been updated below with comment from the department. Late last year, the Seattle Department of Transportation … Continue reading

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WA House Democrats propose transportation package with huge multimodal component

Correction: a previous version of this post listed the timeframe of this package at 12 years instead of 16. Yesterday the Democratic caucus in the Washington State House announced their proposal for the next major state transportation package. Their proposal … Continue reading

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Roger Millar: safety impacts cost Washington nearly $15 billion per year

The Washington State House of Representatives Transportation Committee convened for the first time this session on Tuesday and WSDOT head Roger Millar was there to lead the members through a presentation, which was titled “Return on Investment”. At the beginning … Continue reading

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Time to comment on the Washington State Active Transportation Plan

State law in Washington that dates from the 1990s requires that the Washington Department of Transportation complete a “bicycle transportation and pedestrian walkways plan”. The last version of the plan was created in 2008, and is getting a brand new … Continue reading

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Governor’s Proposed Budget Includes $20 Million Boost to Bike & Ped Grants

Governor Jay Inslee has released his proposed two-year budget for July 2021 through June 2023 in advance of the legislative session starting in January. He has touted the budget as the “strongest environmental justice proposal in U.S. history”, and says … Continue reading

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Bike Route Alert 9/11-14: 520 Bridge closed, including the trail

The 520 Bridge will be closed 11 p.m. September 11 until 5 a.m. September 14 for a series of major construction projects. These closures include the trail over the lake. The trail under the bridge on the Montlake side connecting … Continue reading

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WSDOT will reallocate space on some state highways for walking, biking and commercial use during the outbreak

Cities across the country, including Seattle, Bellevue, Bothell, Edmonds and others around the region, have been experimenting with repurposing street space to provide more room for socially-distanced movement and outdoor commercial activity. They have provided expanded space for walking and … Continue reading

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New bike path under SR-520 opens in Montlake

Just in time for a virus-news-escaping bike ride, WSDOT has opened a long-awaited biking and walking trail that crosses under SR-520 between the start of the 520 Bridge Trail and Lake Washington Boulevard. This is a “temporary” path, but you … Continue reading

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Bike Route Alert 1/27: Awful 2-week sidewalk detour on Montlake Blvd near SR 520 starts Monday

So you finally got used to biking around the SR 520 construction in Montlake, eh? I have bad news. It’s about to get way worse for two weeks. Starting as soon as Monday, people walking and biking on the east … Continue reading

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Other 49 states still seemingly uninterested in being more bike friendly than WA

After Washington won the top spot in the League of American Bicyclists’ bike friendly state list for a decade straight from 2008-17, the League took a different tactic in 2018, providing each state with a report card to show how … Continue reading

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Trail Alert 10/12-13: State will replace bumpy 520 Bridge Trail covers

It’s happening! WSDOT is going to replace all those abruptly bumpy expansion gap covers on the 520 floating bridge trail this weekend. Of course, replacing the covers means crews need to close the trail for the weekend starting 11 p.m. … Continue reading

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As a birthday present to yours truly, WSDOT will fix 520 Bridge Trail bumps

In what is obviously a birthday present to yours truly, WSDOT announced today that they will fix every bumpy expansion gap plate on the 520 Bridge Trail. We first reported about the bumpy plates back in 2016 before the trail … Continue reading

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WSDOT is testing out a less bumpy gap cover on the 520 Bridge trail

The trail on the 520 Bridge is amazing, except for one annoying and possibly dangerous detail: The metal plates that cover the floating bridge’s expansion gaps are jarringly bumpy. It’s a frustrating detail in what is otherwise a wonderful experience … Continue reading

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After WA won #1 for a decade, Bike League changes its state-by-state report cards

Perhaps tired of handing the top honors to a barely-deserving Washington State year after year, the League of American Bicyclists changed its annual state-by-state rankings into a set of 50 individual report cards that track each state’s progress. And by … Continue reading

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WSDOT Secretary Millar: Congestion is a symptom of lacking ‘affordable housing and transportation solutions’

WSDOT Secretary Roger Millar delivered a keynote speech to the nation’s highway and transportation officials that directly challenged the central focus of transportation investments in nearly every state: Building and expanding freeways. “We like to talk about traffic congestion as … Continue reading

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Do you travel to or from the Eastside? You gotta give biking the 520 Bridge a try

Biking across the 520 Bridge during a sunny evening commute this week, I was floored by the sheer number of people biking across Lake Washington. I knew demand for a biking connection on this bridge was going to be big, … Continue reading

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The new 520 Bridge Trail brings our region closer together

The trail across the new 520 Bridge opened just before Christmas, opening new possibilities for biking in the region. For example, a trip from downtown Kirkland to UW Station has been cut in half, and you can make it most … Continue reading

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520 Trail opens today + Where to go for the opening celebration

Today’s the day! Starting at 3 p.m., you will finally be able to bike across the 520 Bridge whenever you want. To celebrate, Cascade Bicycle Club is hosting free group rides from both the Seattle and Bellevue sides of the … Continue reading

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520 Bridge Trail will finally open December 20

Well, WSDOT has said all along that the 520 Bridge Trail will open in Fall 2017, and it technically will. The region’s most significant new biking and walking connection in decades will open December 20 at 3 p.m., 17 hours … Continue reading

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For 10th year in a row, 49 states somehow fail to be more bike-friendly than WA

Washington State has some great public servants and advocates working hard to make our state safer and more inviting for people riding bikes. But try biking across almost any state highway, and you’ll be confronted with scary off-ramps and skinny … Continue reading

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