Google has announced a new feature to Google Maps which should make bikers happy by making it easier to find bike-friendly routes in major cities across the USA. The feature is easy to use and seems quite accurate. Google wanted to customize the look to their maps for cycling to encourage people to use their bikes. To accomplish this goal, they included the following feature set: provide as much... [Read more]
Water main work completed, force main work to begin With the early morning work last week to tie-in the remaining section of the water main, all of the work to install the new water main under 3rd Street has been completed. This week work has shifted to the installation of the new force main that leads to the County’s Pump Station located in Kirkland Square. Excavation work for the force main will... [Read more]
Early morning work scheduled for water main tie-in On the morning of Thursday, March 4, starting at 4:00 a.m. crews will begin to tie-in a new section of the water main under 3rd Street that was recently completed. As the new section of water main is brought into service, the tie-in will temporarily impact water service to some tenants inKirkland Square. The work is expected to be competed by 7:00... [Read more]
If you are in need of parking in downtown Kirkland, and you find yourself on Main Street, and you have a few bucks to spare, pull in to the City’s newest parking lot which opened Monday. The lot is located on the old Antique Mall site and has scores of shiny, new, never-before-parked-in spaces just waiting for your car to be the first. View Larger Map Read More →
By Debra Sinick A trail now on the BNSF corridor? Over 40 people came out for last week’s Eastside Trail Advocates meeting to hear about the possibilities of a trail on the corridor now, with a train, if needed at a later date. The ETA supports the publicly funded studies that have concluded commuter rail is not appropriate in the corridor for at least the near to mid-term future, which... [Read more]
The sale of the BNSF corridor seemed like a done deal. The news media reported the sale of the BNSF line to The Port of Seattle at the close of 2009 with plans to sell the line to King County in 2010. But now some question how the sale will be funded. By Debra Sinick Keith Ervin of the Seattle Times said, After acquiring the rail line (which the Port has now done), the Port would sell the southern... [Read more]
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has completed the Eastside Corridor Tolling Study – a traffic and revenue study including potential funding for future improvements and high occupancy toll (HOT) or express toll lanes on I-405 – for the 2010 Washington State Legislature. The following activities were part of the study: Develop a plan to operate up to two express... [Read more]
Kirkland Transit Center Construction Update - Dec. 17, 2009 Excavation work begins on 3rd Street Starting today and Friday construction crews are ready to begin excavation work to install a new water main under 3rd Street between Park Lane and Kirkland Avenue. Excavation will start at Park Lane and 3rd Street and will continue south along 3rd Street toward Kirkland Avenue near the Heathman Hotel.... [Read more]
Executive given authority to negotiate additional county interest in transportation corridor Public ownership of the 42-mile parcel that extends from Renton to Snohomish is closer to becoming reality today with the adoption of an ordinance by the Metropolitan King County Council. The Council has agreed to give the County Executive up to $26.5 million in negotiating authority to assist in the public-private... [Read more]
Commuters should expect traffic delays due to the 12k’s of Christmas Holiday Run event to be held on Sunday, December 20, 2009. The following roads will be closed from 9:20 a.m. until the final athlete finishes at approximately 11:40 a.m.: Road Closures Intersection of Market Street, Central Way, Lake Shore Plaza and Lake Ave. W (Boat Launch access will not be available during this time) South... [Read more]
The City of Kirkland has come to agreement with the owner of the Antique Mall property to turn the unused lot into a pay parking lot for the general public. The property located at 151 3rd Street is just north of the Heathman Hotel and is owned by Ms. Marilyn Dillard. It currently has a cyclone fence surrounding it. According to an agreement between the City and Dillard, the lot will has 93 parking... [Read more]
Kirkland commuters should expect traffic delays due to the Kirkland Downtown Association’s (KDA) annual Tree Lighting Ceremony to be held on Saturday, November 28, 2009. The following downtown roads will be closed from approximately 2:00 to 9:00 p.m.: Eastbound and westbound lanes of Lake Street from Central Way to 2nd Avenue South Eastbound and westbound lanes of Kirkland Avenue from Lake... [Read more]
The Seattle P-I has posted a reader question asking who gets the right of way at traffic circles (also known as ’round abouts’ to our friends from the British Isles). Kirkland neighborhoods have many such traffic circles — Norkirk alone must have over three hundred. Even the casual observer will notice there seems to be great confusion among drivers as to how they should navigate... [Read more]
TRAFFIC ALERT NE 85th Street Geotechnical Borings (NE 85th Street Corridor and Intersecting Side Streets) What: The City of Kirkland has issued a permit to a geotechnical consulting company to perform geotechnical borings and soils reconnaissance on NE 85th street from 120th Avenue NE to 132nd Avenue NE, and at the intersection of 85th Street at 114th Avenue NE. Some work is planned to... [Read more]
This simulation shows Option A, one of three west side design options currently under environmental review for the SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Project. Option A is most similar to today’s configuration, with the addition of a second Montlake drawbridge over the Montlake Cut. This WSDOT video depicts preliminary design information and is provided for informational purposes. Read More →
City of Kirkland Public Works Construction Update Notice: Downtown Kirkland Transit Center What: Construction is ready to begin on the Kirkland Transit Center project in downtown Kirkland. Bayley Construction has been selected as the contractor for the project and URS Corp will provide construction management services. What to expect: Bayley Construction has mobilized on site and a portion of... [Read more]
Commuters should expect traffic delays due to the Turkey Trot event to be held on Sunday, November 15, 2009. The following roads will be closed from 1:00 p.m. until the final participant passes at approximately 1:20 p.m.: Eastbound and Westbound lanes of Kirkland Avenue from Lake Shore Plaza Drive to Lake Street South Southbound lane of Lake Street South from Kirkland Avenue to 5th Avenue South Commuters... [Read more]
The Port of Seattle will be joined by several local agencies in preserving the Eastside Rail Corridor and placing it in public ownership. King County, Sound Transit, the City of Redmond, Puget Sound Energy, and the Cascade Water Alliance will partner with the port in maximizing the corridor’s benefit for the region. The six partners signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Thursday that... [Read more]
Sound Transit Notice: Kirkland Transit Center Transit Center Construction Set to Start, 3rd Street to Close. Construction is ready to begin on the Kirkland Transit Center project in downtown Kirkland. Bayley Construction has been selected as the contractor for the project and URS Corp will provide construction management services. Bayley Construction has mobilized on site and a portion... [Read more]
The Eastside Corridor connects I-405 and SR 167 to form a 50 mile bypass to I-5. As part of the Eastside Corridor Tolling Study, WSDOT is considering adding an additional lane on I-405 that combined with the existing HOV lane could operate as two express toll lanes, creating a 50+ mile corridor from Puyallup to Lynnwood. To involve the public and gather feedback, they are hosting a public open house... [Read more]
State Representative Larry Springer discusses the future of the bridge over the big water in Capital Ideas, a podcast produced by the Washington State House Democratic Caucus. One of the most pressing, most expensive, and most controversial projects in Washington state today is the proposed replacement of the State Route 520 floating bridge that spans Lake Washington. It’s a bridge that’s used... [Read more]
UPDATED Plans underway to operate our highways smarter. Ever driven on the express lanes? Or the SR 167 high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes? If so, you may be interested in a possible new transportation option. WSDOT is considering creating a two-lane express toll lane system, alongside existing toll-free general purpose lanes on I-405. The express toll lanes would connect with SR 167 HOT lanes, creating... [Read more]
Tuesday, Oct. 20, 10:30 a.m. Site of the future transit center 3rd Street & Park Lane A new transit center is being built in beautiful downtown Kirkland, replacing the exisiting 22-year-old facility. Join us as we break ground on this important transportation project that will improve local and express bus service to the heart of downtown. The Kirkland Transit Center will make it easier for... [Read more]
Relocated transit center to be used for 1 year during construction of new transit center The Downtown Kirkland Transit Center will relocate on September 19 in preparation for construction of the new Center. During construction, the eight (8) bus routes that use the transit center will be redirected for approximately one year. This includes King County Metro Transit routes 230, 234, 236, 238, 245,... [Read more]
Commuters have just one more week to plan for the closure of westbound I-90 across the floating bridge. Severe backups are predicted for two weeks during major safety repairs. One sure way to avoid congestion is to commute by bicycle across the I-90 floating bridge. WSDOT is keeping the bike and pedestrian path open during construction by building two temporary bridges. “Bicyclists... [Read more]
The City of Kirkland Public Works Department has a new draft of More People, More Places, More Often, A Plan for Active Transportation for which they are seeking comment. The plan highlights are available as an overview or you can download the full draft plan weighing in at 7 MB. Please visit the City website for details on this extremely detailed draft. Your comments are welcome and should be sent... [Read more]
UPDATE: According to the Seattle Times, the new cost of a bridge has risen to $4.5 billion or more: “New cost estimates from the state Department of Transportation released today show the most likely price of a new Highway 520 bridge has increased to $4.5 billion, if an interchange similar to today’s Montlake interchange is chosen with a second Montlake Boulevard drawbridge. “If other... [Read more]
Improvements to include Library Services, Transit Operations, Sewer Capacity, Pedestrian and Vehicle Mobility Kari Page, Neighborhood Services Coordinator for the City of Kirkland, sent this letter titled, “Downtown Kirkland is on the move | Fall 2008″ to downtown property and business owners. I received a copy of it from the Downtown Advisory Committee, upon which I have the good... [Read more]
From the City’s Newsroom: Sound Transit and Evergreen Healthcare cordially invite you to join us October 29, 2008 11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. DeYoung Pavilion on the Evergreen Healthcare Campus 12039 NE 128th Street Kirkland, WA 98034 We hope you’ll join us as we dedicate the Eastside’s newest transit center, which connects Evergreen Healthcare and Totem Lake businesses with local... [Read more]
Nearly a century after a “Mosquito Fleet” of small boats linked the communities that ring Lake Washington and Puget Sound, a new King County Ferry District is up and running to operate Vashon passenger-only ferry service, year-round operation of the popular Water Taxi, and begin development of five demonstration routes. The official web site for the King County Ferry District is full of good information. Last... [Read more]
