Some are frightened. Some have made plans, and some haven't.
But, scared or not, and with or without plans, the 19 days of I-5 construction starting Aug. 10 can't be stopped.
Unless, of course, it rains.
Assuming, however, that it won't rain, the I-5 lane closures not only will test drivers' flexibility but also the flexibility of businesses along the alternate routes.
With an estimated 50 percent of drivers taking alternate routes, the closure will most significantly cause backups through Georgetown, Capitol Hill, Beacon Hill and Rainier Valley. And for the businesses along streets like Airport Way, one of the main alternate routes during construction, losing their customers seems more likely than not.
"I'm quite frightened about the whole thing because... the risk is that we're a new business. If it kills our business it could kill us," said Sara Aruguete, owner of Calamity Jane's on Airport Way.
Arugete said her main concern is that the predicted bumper-to-bumper traffic along Airport Way will prevent her regulars from getting to the restaurant.
"I'm afraid that the streets will be so blocked off that no one will want to come down from the neighborhoods, and so many of my customers come from Beacon Hill," Aruguete said.
Although Aruguete has her concerns, she also said the surge of traffic through the neighborhood may not restrict her business as badly as she thinks. It may even give a boost.
As traffic slows down along these alternate routes, Aruguete - along with other business owners - said she hopes it helps the businesses' visibility.
"We've never had a situation like this happen," she said. "Maybe it'll be okay and people will stop in because they are stopped anyways."
Although Mayor Greg Nickels advised citizens to take a vacation - the best option he could provide for avoiding the traffic - independent businesses likely can't afford simply to shut down for three weeks, or even one.
The next option Nickels gave in a press conference last week may help commuters, but not those in Georgetown or Rainier Valley.
"Avoid or delay your commute," Nickels said. "Go to Starbucks. Fill up, log in and chill out."
That doesn't seem like an option that will aid neighborhood businesses.
Instead, the Georgetown community, for instance, decided to turn the downside of the construction into a positive outlet for advertising.
Kathy Nyland, owner of George on Airport Way and chair of the Merchant's Association, said, "We're hoping to gain visibility and hopefully tapping in to a new market. If the gridlock is so bad, we've got tons of restaurants that serve breakfast and coffee. There is a lot to do here to pass time."
Nyland also said the neighborhood has been working with Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) for the past six monts to figure out possible means of helping businesses gain visibility as well as protect their neighborhood.
WSDOT spokesman Stan Suchan, who lives in the Mount Baker neighborhood, said he hopes drivers will help residents, especially along heavy traffic corridors
"We're all in it together," Suchan said. "The pain will be spread throughout the region, which doesn't make it any easier, but it gives everyone a reason to try to make it easier."
As for the potential harmful effects to Georgetown businesses, Suchan conceded it's a concern for businesses in every neighborhood, including Capitol Hill.
"The sad new is, we don't really have a choice here. We're doing it because we need to, not because we want to. The good news is that everyone knows about it. This planned closure is a much better choice because surprise closures would hurt businesses even more," Suchan said.
Although Nyland also conceded the project will probably negatively affect businesses, she said the neighborhood plans on giving commuters something engaging to look at, from promoting businesses to snippets of Georgetown's history.
"We're just acknowledging that it's not going to be an ideal situation," Nyland explained, "but we're going to have a totally captive market of people who normally just drive through so we figure let's promote ourselves."
Apart from the positive spin Georgetown put on the upcoming construction, Nyland said her biggest concern centers on potential disrespect being shown the neighborhood.
"We're really pleading to the people who are driving through to respect the neighborhood you're in, and hoping that people don't use our neighborhood as a thoroughfare. We don't want people cutting through the neighborhood streets," said Nyland.
Safety along the streets is a main concern for the entire neighborhood.
"I'm very concerned about access to my house," said Robin Pomazic, Community Council for Georgetown Community Council. "Hopefully people won't see it as the same as being on the highway. I don't have any advice. I don't know what it's going to look like, just expecting this is going to be a really tough 19 days."
Georgetown isn't the only group trying to deflect the harm caused by what the mayor called "the big kahuna" of construction projects. Nickels also urged residents to exercise patience and help the city by using alternate means of transportation.
The city is encouraging residents to carpool, take the bus or use the water taxi when coming from West Seattle, for instance.
And if city plans to increase green-light time in the north-south direction along Airport Way South, Beacon Avenue South, Rainier Avenue South and Broadway works, then perhaps neighborhoods won't suffer as much.
But as city officials and residents have said, it's a matter of preparing for the worst, and hoping the measures taken beforehand ease the predicted traffic congestion.
"There are financial incentives for our contractor to get done early, and our contractor is very eager to get that money," Suchan said. "Every day we can shave off the schedule is critical and we're doing everything we can to make it happen."
The bridge is more than 40 years old, and Suchan also iterated the importance of taking care of the city's infrastructure before a major accident happens.
The construction consists of replacing expansion joints and repaving slightly more than a mile of the freeway on the northbound bridge deck between I-90 and Spokane Street. In the first phase of construction, two of four lanes of northbound I-5 will be closed; in the second phase, three lanes will be closed.
"That means we are really telling people that we need at least 50 percent of vehicles to go away, and that means people need to carpool, take a bus or find an alternate route," Suchan said. "We're really counting on the drivers to help us. With that kind of help, we can get through this 19 days."
Suchan, who said he already has his routine planned out, explained that it's important to plan ahead, especially since no one will be able to know exactly what the congestion will look like.
"It's the biggest closure of this type that we've ever tried. We're taking a calculated risk here, but it's a risk nonetheless. We can't predict exactly what's going to happen with traffic exactly, either," Suchan cautioned.
Suchan urged drivers to call the hotline that opened Monday, 440-4704, which help gives WSDOT additional information about the various traffic areas.
"I think we all know this is going to be a huge burden on so many neighborhoods in South Seattle," Nyland said. "We're just realizing that it has to be done and trying to make the best of it."
For further information about the closure, visit the Web site at www.metrokc.gov/kcdot.[[In-content Ad]]
