Though some may consider the final $30 million needed to fix the Mercer Mess the final nail in the coffin of a misguided project, others ask: Could it be any worse?
The $30 million given by the federal government concluded the funding needed for the $190.5 million project. The project will turn Mercer Street into a two-way boulevard, three lanes in each direction with left turn pockets at most intersections. The tree-lined boulevard will be separated by a median and sidewalks will be widened.
The project's been stalled for more than four decades and revamped several times, and been passed down to more than a few project managers. With that kind of timeline, Mercer Corridor Project manager of four years is excited about finally breaking ground.
While residents have mixed feelings about the project, project manager Angela Brady said the project will increase capacity of Mercer Street up to 12-14 percent for drivers getting off Interstate 5 and traffic times will improve westbound traffic up to four minutes in the morning and in the evening.
Seattle Department of Transportation's modeling does not show savings in the morning for eastbound traffic, but does indicate evening travel times could drop up to three minutes.
Though the changes are small, Brady said this it the best and "preferred" alternative for alleviating the bottleneck caused by the 80,000 vehicles that travel the corridor every day.
"Safety is the biggest problem out there right now, as a vehicle, as a pedestrian for sure, and as a bicyclist. You just don't have the protection barriers between traffic and pedestrians and bikes that's necessary for people to maintain a safe access out there," Brady said. "This particular plan takes a holistic view of the entire area, not just improvements for vehicles."
Along with changes planned for Mercer Street, Valley Street will be narrowed to one lane each direction from its current five lanes. The idea is to put more westbound traffic onto Mercer and, Brady said, keep Valley a quieter corridor incorporated into the urban design features of South Lake Union Park.
Without significant changes to travel times, some wonder: Is this a transportation project or actually an urban renewal project to boost investment in South Lake Union?
"My primary concern with the plan is it was not a traffic transportation plan," said city councilmember Nick Licata. "It's an economic development tool for property owners alongside Mercer because they want two-way traffic to attract buyers for spaces they'll be renting."
Though SDOT's modeling projects a few minutes saved in travel times, Lockhart thinks the added signal lights along Mercer will increase traffic jams and the diversion of traffic from a narrowed Valley Street isn't going to help either.
"This is basically a publicly financed urban renewal project," Licata said. "The bottom line is Seattle residents will not see improvements to the roads and bike lanes in their neighborhoods because the money's been directed elsewhere."
Like Licata, Queen Anne Community Council Vice Chair Kirk Robbins does not see the project as a transportation issue.
"Essentially it's supposed to be nice for the waterfront, but that's not my focus," Robbins said. "It's still transportation dollars diverted to an urban renewal project to benefit wealthy landowners down there and that's unfortunate."
But not everyone's assuming it will make matters worse, or that the project was misdirected.
"My thoughts are basically, 'Could it get any worse,'" asked Lower Queen Anne resident Bill Flaherty. "It's so poorly engineered now, getting something to change is better than leaving it. It's time."
Whatever residents may think about the project, preparation for construction is just around the corner. Buildings will be demolished in the next couple of weeks to set the stage for the construction start this summer. By mid-2012 there will be a two-way Mercer open to traffic, and then the final stage of the project-reconstruction of Valley Street-will begin, Brady said. Westlake will also be converted to a two-way in the last year of the project.
These changes focus on one phase of Mercer Corridors eventual overhaul. Phase one includes improvements from I-5 to Dexter Avenue, and the second phase, Mercer West, will focus on changes from Dexter Avenue to Elliott Avenue. The third major project that will change the driving experience will be North Portal project, associated with the tunnel.
Though it may be hard to see the positives now, Brady said, "I think the communities will be delightfully surprised at how much better, how much more comfortable it will feel to drive, walk and bike through this area in the future."[[In-content Ad]]
