Two project managers from the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) unveiled an elaborate plan for the Mercer West Project, and tackled a tough question or two, at a meeting of the Uptown Alliance the evening of Thursday, March 10.
Deputy Project Manager Eric O’Brien, with some help from Project Manager Eric Tweit, showed the Alliance meeting a slide presentation of plans for the Mercer West Project to the Alliance meeting at the Metropolitan Market.
These plans include a six-lane underpass running under Aurora Avenue North; a reconfiguration of Mercer Street to run two lanes in each direction; and removing a bike lane from Mercer to Roy, giving Roy one bike lane in each direction.
The Project would also remove parking from the south side of Roy Street and move that parking to the north side of Mercer Street.
SDOT’s O’Brien told the meeting that he has four mandates from his superiors about the Mercer West Project: “"Save the parking, save the parking, save the parking, and bring this thing in on budget."
O’Brien and Tweit told the meeting that while the budget now exists for the underpass and the multi-lane modifications, the proposed changes to West Mercer Place have only enough budget money for a feasibility study.
That West Mercer Place proposal would add another lane to West Mercer Street. This proposed move is controversial; with many neighborhood residents feeling it would increase truck traffic and worsen traffic hazards in the area.
The Alliance formally adopted a letter to city officials, opposing the West Mercer Place plan, at its last meeting in February.
O’Brien and Tweit did not directly address the plans for West Mercer Place at the Alliance Meeting. The SDOT plans to present those plans at a special Open House on Tuesday, March 15 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Seattle Center’s Rainier Room.
The underpass at Aurora, explained O’Brien, should run past the Gates Foundation, with three lanes in each direction. SDOT plans to keep the street open during construction, although O’Brien acknowledged that individual lanes might have to be shut down temporarily.
The underpass plan also calls for a 25-foot sidewalk on its north side, divided between pedestrians and bicyclists; and a 16-foot sidewalk on the south side.
The two Project Managers also took questions from the audience. They acknowledged that the Gates Foundation did not want a traffic-heavy route through the Foundation campus, but seemed uncertain as to how those details were worked out.
When asked if the plans for the two-way streets were “locked in,” the SDOT officials replied that “It’s always been planned to have those done.”
In response to a question about how bus routes might be affected, O’Brien said, “We are talking to Metro. I don’t want to speak for Metro.”
According to O’Brien and Tweit, SDOT plans to have the Mercer West Project plans finished by April 2011, and ready to present to the public in May.
A final design should follow by April 2012, with construction to follow in the fall of that year, they added.
The SDOT project managers invited additional commentary from the public through mail, telephone, or email. The email for the Mercer West Project is mercerwest@seattle.gov and its telephone number is 206.233.1804 .
Tweit and O’Brien also encouraged concerned neighborhood residents to attend the March 15th meeting dealing specifically with the Mercer West Project.
The next meeting of the Uptown Alliance is scheduled for Thursday, April 14th at the Metropolitan Market.
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