Fw: Connecting About the NE 130th St & NE 125th St Mobility and Safety Project

[Lee Bruch]

SDOT has announced the project to improve access for the 130^th St. Station. See the email below and the SDOT website at https://www.seattle.gov/transportation/projects-and-programs/programs/transportation-planning/ne-130th-and-125th-mobility-and-safety-project.

The project, from 1^st Ave NE to Lake City, has been subject to both various advocacy and announced SDOT intentions for roughly the entirety of the last decade. We should celebrate that it's finally taking another step towards fruition.

But it's disappointing; It leaves out half of the population that the 130^th Station was meant to serve, those who live west of I-5, including Haller Lake, Bitter Lake, and points west. It does NOT improve access from anywhere west of 1^st Ave. N E. (it essentially only improves access between the station and Lake City and points east of I-5), nor does it have definitive plans to improve access over I-5.

We must continue to redouble our advocacy to improve access west of I-5. The city simply cannot keep kicking the can down the road.

130^th west of I-5 reportedly has some structural problems requiring substantial upgrading to support the weight and frequency of currently planned additional bus services. And there are roadway allocation difficulties between Stone Ave, Aurora, and Linden Ave where 10 pounds of need are stuffed into a 5 pound bag. Both of those difficulties will require the City or others to allocate additional attention and additional funds.

Northwest Greenways and others have identified two mutually-supporting strategies that the City could and should simultaneously undertake.

1. Focus on the future of 130^th west of 1^st Ave N.  Make some hard choices; resolve plans for its future. Then find and allocate the funds to carry out those plans.
2. Realizing that 130^th may take time to resolve and implement, simultaneously and quickly plan and implement some cheaper and quicker alternative routes. We have identified those routes  at https://nwgreenways.seattlegreenways.org/connections-to-light-rail/

It's a good time to engage the city:

1. The Seattle Transportation "Plan's draft is out for public comment. We must ensure that it includes for the 130^th corridor with its alternative routes.
   
2.  City Council elections are coming up. It's imperative that we get the attention of both candidates (Cathy Moore and Christiana Obeysumner) and importantly, their commitment.
   

Who of you are willing to help create a strong advocacy campaign?

Lee Bruch

     206-355-4282 Mobile & Text

     Lee....@outlook.com

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From: DOT_NE130thSt_NE125thSt_Project <DOT_NE130thSt_N...@seattle.gov>
Sent: Thursday, August 31, 2023 4:42 PM
To: DOT_NE130thSt_NE125thSt_Project <DOT_NE130thSt_N...@seattle.gov>
Subject: Connecting About the NE 130th St & NE 125th St Mobility and Safety Project

 

Good afternoon,

 

My name is Drue Nyenhuis, and I am the Public Engagement Lead for the Seattle Department of Transportation’s (SDOT) NE 130th St & NE 125th St Mobility and Safety Project. I’m reaching out to connect with you about the project and to discuss how we can best engage with the people your organization works with. I also wanted to share the recent email update we sent (below this email) and encourage you to sign up for email updates to get the latest project information.

 

In 2026, Sound Transit is opening the NE 130th St Infill Station near I-5 and anticipates 3,300-3,700 daily riders – with 90% arriving by walking, biking, or transit. We’re planning improvements to make it safer and easier to get to the new light rail station for people walking, biking, rolling, and taking the bus. Our team is focusing on designing improvements along NE 130th St, Roosevelt Way NE, and NE 125th St between 1st Ave NE and Lake City Way NE. Planned improvements include:

 

·         Protected bike lanes throughout the project area

·         Transit improvements such as new or upgraded bus stops and priority bus features to improve frequency and reliability

·         Updated street and intersection designs to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes

·         Crossing improvements such as leading pedestrian intervals, new signalized crossings, and restricting right turns on red

·         Sidewalk repairs and new accessible curb ramps in selected locations

If you would like to meet with our project team and get more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us and we would be happy to coordinate a meeting.

 

As we consider these improvements, we want to hear from the community about their needs and wants for the area. In addition to being available to meet with you and/or your organization to discuss the project, there are several ways we can help engage your community. We can:

 

• Provide social media posts to share with your followers
• Draft email content that you can send directly to your community or include in a newsletter
• Visit a meeting or workshop you have planned to share project details (virtual or in-person)

I look forward to working with you and hope to chat soon. You can reach me at NE130thSt_NE1...@seattle.gov or (206) 400-7515.

Sincerely,

 

Drue Nyenhuis

Public Engagement Lead
NE 130th St & NE 125th St Mobility and Safety Project

City of Seattle, Department of Transportation

 

 

NE 130th St & NE 125th St Mobility and Safety Project Updates Hello neighbors, We’re excited to launch the NE 130th & NE 125th Mobility and Safety Project! Thank you for signing up for email updates to stay informed about the project. We hope you’ll share this email with your neighbors and encourage them to sign up for email updates. In 2026, Sound Transit is opening the NE 130th St Infill Station near I-5 and anticipates 3,300-3,700 daily riders – with 90% arriving by walking, biking, or transit. We’re planning improvements to make it safer and easier to get to the new light rail station for people walking, biking, rolling, and taking the bus. Our team is focusing on designing improvements along NE 130th St, Roosevelt Way NE, and NE 125th St between 1st Ave NE and Lake City Way NE. Planned improvements include: Protected bike lanes throughout the project area Transit improvements such as new or upgraded bus stops and priority bus features to improve frequency and reliability Updated street and intersection designs to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes Crossing improvements such as leading pedestrian intervals, new signalized crossings, and restricting right turns on red Sidewalk repairs and new accessible curb ramps in selected locations Check out our blog post and visit the website to learn more about the project, review our design proposals, and give your feedback! This project map shows the new light rail station and the streets where project elements will be built. The project area starts at NE 130th St and 1st Ave NE, heading southeast along Roosevelt Way NE, and then east along NE 125th St, ending approximately at Lake City Way NE. The new light rail station is at NE 130th St near I-5. We want to hear from you! We want to hear from you about your needs when travelling in this area! There are multiple ways to give feedback about the project: Share your thoughts about our design proposals on our online Feedback Form (takes about 10 minutes to complete) Stop by one of our community drop-in sessions with project staff (we’ll announce dates and times as they are scheduled) Send us an email at NE130thSt_NE1...@seattle.gov Leave us a voicemail at (206) 400-7515 Thank you! We look forward to connecting with you to hear your feedback as we move forward with design! Sincerely, Drue Nyenhuis Public Engagement Lead NE 130th St & NE 125th St Mobility and Safety Project NE130thSt_NE1...@seattle.gov (206) 400-7515

 

Seattle Department of Transportation 700 5th Avenue Suite 3800 Seattle, WA 98104 Phone: 206-684-7623 Manage Preferences  |  Unsubscribe  |  Contact Us  |  Help |  Privacy

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[Lee Bruch]

In response to my email below, SDOT sent me a link to their post on their blog: https://sdotblog.seattle.gov/2023/08/31/weve-started-to-plan-improvements-along-ne-130th-roosevelt-way-ne-ne-125th-to-make-it-easier-safer-for-people-to-walk-roll-bike-take-transit-around-the-future-ne-130th/.

Feedback to SDOT (and our electeds) is always important (the squeaky wheel gets the grease)

They have a form for feedback on this project, here: 

But other forms of personal feedback help too.

Don't be too impatient.

It takes a long time to turn a ship, and the city of full of needs that various people are insisting must be prioritized.

Importantly, it works better when the ship's crew and all involved are working together with each other.

So I ask again:

Who of you are willing to help strategize and create a strong advocacy campaign?

Planning is underway for new, safer streets to walk, bike, and bus to future Link station at NE 130th St and I-5 - SDOT Blog Blog Stats: 1,100 words| 6-minute read At-a-Glance: Improvements are coming to the Pinehurst and Lake City neighborhoods! With the scheduled opening of Sound Transit’s NE 130th St Infill Station in 2026, we’re looking ahead to necessary bike, transit, and pedestrian enhancements along NE 130th St, Roosevelt Way NE, and NE 125th St to support area […] sdotblog.seattle.gov

Lee Bruch

     206-355-4282 Mobile & Text

     Lee....@outlook.com

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From: greenwood-phi...@googlegroups.com <greenwood-phi...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Lee Bruch <lee....@outlook.com>
Sent: Friday, September 1, 2023 11:22 AM
To: Greenwood-Phinney Greenways Google Group <greenwood-phi...@googlegroups.com>
Cc: Drue.N...@seattle.gov <Drue.N...@seattle.gov>; Doug Trumm <do...@theurbanist.org>; Ryan Packer <ryanpa...@gmail.com>
Subject: [NW Greenways] Fw: Connecting About the NE 130th St & NE 125th St Mobility and Safety Project

 

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[Lee Bruch]

Re 130^th west of 1^st Ave NE.:

I have sent the reminder email below to SDOT.  They simply have to get on with planning for access to the 130^th St. station from the west.

Is anyone interested in helping plan a campaign?

Other more hopeful news: See this article in The Urbanist about planning for improvements to Metro's Route 5 along Greenwood Ave.: https://www.theurbanist.org/2023/09/05/metro-looks-at-speeding-up-route-5/

Metro Looks at Speeding Up Route 5 through North Seattle - The Urbanist King County Metro is eyeing upgrades to another one of Seattle's workhorse bus routes, as increased traffic on the city's streets continues to impact bus arrival times across the entire Metro system. The Route 5 has not been able to meet Metro's on-time performance goal of at least 80% of trips arriving on time -- www.theurbanist.org

Lee Bruch

     206-355-4282 Mobile & Text

     Lee....@outlook.com

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From: Lee Bruch <lee....@outlook.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 5, 2023 9:18 AM
To: greg....@seattle.gov <greg....@seattle.gov>; Emily Reardon <emily....@seattle.gov>; Brian Dougherty <brian.d...@seattle.gov>; Curtin, Jim <Jim.C...@seattle.gov>; Drue.N...@seattle.gov <Drue.N...@seattle.gov>; Christa Dumpys <Christa...@seattle.gov>; Saleeba, Chris <Chris....@seattle.gov>; Beaty, Caylen <Caylen...@seattle.gov>
Cc: Tom Lang <tomofwa...@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Connecting About the NE 130th St & NE 125th St Mobility and Safety Project

 

After sending you the email below I received the following update from the Haller Lake Community Club about projects now going through the development process along the Aurora corridor between 115^th and 135^th. https://hallerlakecc.blogspot.com/2023/08/landuse2023-09.html

Its total of 1,499 dwelling units in the pipeline is not a comprehensive list, and does not include a large project at 125^th & Aurora (12245 Aurora): a7-story, 124-unit apartment building with child care center, and a 7-story, 90-unit permanent supportive housing apartment building (214 units total). 

All of that totals more than 1,613 dwelling units, conservatively a new  town of more than 2,200 people, all a mile west of the station.

Access to the station from the west desperately needs improvement. SDOT and the city need to plan and budget for those needs.

Haller Lake Land Use Update  Haller Lake Land Use Update By Sean McEwan Lincoln Towing redevelopment : BODE Apartments is still working on their master use permit for ... hallerlakecc.blogspot.com

Lee Bruch

     206-355-4282 Mobile & Text

     Lee....@outlook.com

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From: Lee Bruch <lee....@outlook.com>
Sent: Friday, September 1, 2023 12:01 PM
To: greg....@seattle.gov <greg....@seattle.gov>; Emily Reardon <emily....@seattle.gov>; Brian Dougherty <brian.d...@seattle.gov>; Curtin, Jim <Jim.C...@seattle.gov>; Drue.N...@seattle.gov <Drue.N...@seattle.gov>; Christa Dumpys <Christa...@seattle.gov>; Saleeba, Chris <Chris....@seattle.gov>; Beaty, Caylen <Caylen...@seattle.gov>
Cc: Tom Lang <tomofwa...@gmail.com>
Subject: Fw: Connecting About the NE 130th St & NE 125th St Mobility and Safety Project

 

Hi  All:

We, Northwest Greenways and other residents of District 5, are delighted by the recent SDOT announcement about moving forward with the eastern half of the 130th/125^th street project. People have been talking about its need for the last decade. It's heartening to watch you taking another step forward. You're assured that we will be supportive of you during these next steps.

It's disheartening that the current proposal does not address the other half of the need, the western half of the population that the 130^th Street station was intended to serve. You will be hearing more from us over the next years; we'll advocate that for the remaining half as loudly and as long as it takes.

Lee Bruch

     206-355-4282 Mobile & Text

     Lee....@outlook.com

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From: greenwood-phi...@googlegroups.com <greenwood-phi...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Lee Bruch <lee....@outlook.com>
Sent: Friday, September 1, 2023 11:22 AM
To: Greenwood-Phinney Greenways Google Group <greenwood-phi...@googlegroups.com>
Cc: Drue.N...@seattle.gov <Drue.N...@seattle.gov>; Doug Trumm <do...@theurbanist.org>; Ryan Packer <ryanpa...@gmail.com>

Subject: [NW Greenways] Fw: Connecting About the NE 130th St & NE 125th St Mobility and Safety Project

 

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