The construction crew removed his driveway in the middle of the night and turned it into a sidewalk.
The next morning David Barnes, the owner of Bus Stop Espresso, found half of his business' access eliminated on the most heavily traveled road he gets business on, Northeast 65th Street.
"I was really alarmed," said Barnes, also the president of the Roosevelt Chamber of Commerce. "There was no indication that this was going to happen. There was no discussion about it."
Furthermore, another of Barnes' driveways was reduced to gravel, and the sidewalks around his store were torn up. Barnes, who also serves as a city planner in Kirkland, noticed a corresponding drop in sales and feared that the construction made his customers feel like "they weren't supposed to be there."
"They put signs up that said, 'Businesses are open,'" Barnes said. "But with all the streets and sidewalks torn up, you're still going to think twice about going there, even though you know it's open. I really noticed that, in July, there was a noticeable decrease in sales."
On June 21, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) began its $8 million Northeast Arterial Project, improving sidewalks, roadways and street signals on 35th Avenue Northeast, Northeast 75th and Northeast 65th streets.
To offset all of the increased noise, dust, lane closures and detours that continue to date, SDOT has remained committed to resolving local concerns, including that of David Barnes.
A quick response
With a business reliant on automobile access, Barnes immediately called the senior project manager to restore access to his main entrance. He was pleasantly surprised with the same-day response.
"They said, 'We'd like to meet you, hear what your issues are and try to figure out how we can resolve them,'" Barnes explained.
Flexible to Barnes' busy schedule, the project manager met with him early in the morning and explained the specific construction plans that called for an elimination of his driveway. Neither party knew why the removal was initially designed.
"For me, it wasn't important why it was removed," Barnes said. "It was important that it got fixed."
Before long, all parties agreed that the removal of the driveway was unfounded and should be replaced. Unfortunately, no work can be done until the ongoing union workers' strike against concrete and gravel suppliers is resolved.
"If a certain business or residence needs access to a parking lot or driveway, we coordinate with the contractor or staff to see if they can accommodate their needs," SDOT spokesperson Marybeth Turner said. "Usually, their concern addresses something that we can modify to alleviate the impact."
Emphasis on communication
With fliers distributed to every local home and business, updates sent through the mail, news releases and an email list-serve open to the public, SDOT strives to maintain a high level of communication with the neighborhood.
"[SDOT] also had a changing message board on 65th Street and Eighth Avenue Northeast that also helped keep people informed when they came into the neighborhood," Barnes related.
Turner claimed that most phoned-in complaints regard a specific issue, such as allergies to a particular material, which can be planned around or negotiated.
"Most people are aware that the street needs to be resurfaced," Turner said. "Everyone wants to have a street that's free of potholes, and if there's something we can do to help with people's concerns, we try to be as helpful as we can."
Despite restricted access to his business and no immediate timeline to a solution, Barnes holds no grudges. He remains optimistic and appreciative.
"I'm actually quite happy with what has been going on," Barnes said. "They were very reactive and resolved the issue quite quickly. They're going to return my driveway and everything to what is was like before."
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