The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is beginning the outreach phase of its Aurora Avenue N planning study, a pivotal step toward vitally needed improvements that will help to fix one of the most deadly roads in the entire city. Originally planned as a bicycle and pedestrian safety study, SDOT has also announced that they will be teaming up with King County Metro to plan transit improvements on Aurora Avenue at the same time.
When the Washington State legislature allocated $50 million to fund construction of safety improvements on Aurora, it also passed legislative language setting a strict timeline for SDOT’s completion of the corridor study. The department has until September 30, 2023 to “fully complete” plans, and those plans must “prioritize designs that ensure slow vehicle speeds and systematic improvement to the quality of multimodal access,” per the state’s supplemental transportation budget passed this year.
Love art and all things handmade? Come out to Phinney-Greenwood and visit outdoor pop-up galleries and boutiques in neighborhood yards!
Using our mobile map as your guide, take a stroll or drive around the neighborhood and peruse art, jewelry, photography, cards, clothing, accessories, textiles, pottery, and more. In addition to sales in yards, we will have booths at the Phinney Center lower parking lot as well!
Chat with the makers and meet the person behind your beautiful new purchases.
The Cellar Homebrew store opened in 1971 in the basement of 323 N 145th the building which currently houses Kiriba Sushi and later moved across to the west side of Greenwood at 144th then for the past 20 years to 14321 Greenwood Avenue.
In 1978 President Carter signed legislation which legalized homebrewing “for personal or family use”. The legalization of homebrewing contributed to the growth of the craft beer industry, 90% of the pioneer craft brewers started out making homebrew.
The current owner closed the business Tuesday May 31st due to the economy and labor shortages. For many years the Cellar was part of the Northwest’s thriving winemaking and craft brewing industry and concentrated on servicing the home brewing and winemaking community. Customers found fresh hops, grain and yeast for homebrewing and helpful advice. A large volume of Eastern Washington wine grapes would find their way to the cellar every fall and winemakers would gather and press grapes to create their home vintages.
A paint store is set to open in the Cellar’s old space.
Seattle Department of Transportation is installing new sidewalks along both sides of Greenwood Ave N between N 117th St and N 125th St. These new sidewalks will fill critical gaps and help connect residents to frequent transit services, schools, and other neighborhood destinations.
Updated June 1, 2022 Construction has started on the east side of Greenwood at 125th St and will progress southward toward 117th St. Once the east side is complete, crews will switch over to the west side and work their way back north to 125th. As the new sidewalks are completed, landscaping work will begin. You will see a combination of trees, shrubs and grass in the planting strips. Landscaping in the planting strip has been determined by SDOT Urban Forestry using several safety factors such as meeting clearance requirements and proximity to other trees, poles and driveways. This project will install 49 new trees along the corridor, and will provide the additional trees necessary to meet the 2 for 1 Executive Order Standard to be planted by SDOT Urban Forestry.
A 26-year-old man was seriously injured in a shooting at an Aurora motel late Wednesday.
Just before midnight, police were called to the motel in the 12000 block of Aurora for reports of gunfire.
Officers found the 26-year-old man laying in the parking lot.
Police learned the victim had been speaking with a second man in the parking lot before the man pulled out a gun and shot the victim. The suspect then fled the scene in a vehicle.
Medics transported the victim to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition.
Detectives are asking anyone with information to call the Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000
Forwarding this email from Aurora Reimagined Coalition…. in case you would like to join them.
Good afternoon all,
I’m writing to invite you all to a walk and talk session that the Aurora Reimagined Coalition is planning for the Bitter Lake/Haller Lake section of the Aurora corridor next Wednesday, April 27 at 2:30pm. We’ll begin at 130th and Aurora, at the east side of the pedestrian overpass. From there, we hope to see the Ingraham students who cross Aurora at the end of their school day. Then, we’ll walk a few blocks south to see the intersection of the proposed bike crossing and bike routes around 128th. We’ll then walk north up to 135th to observe the issues with sidewalks on the west side of the road. We’ll finish our walk with some time to debrief in the conference room at the Cambridge apartments at 130th and Aurora. The address of the Cambridge is actually 13030 Linden Ave. N, but is accessible from Aurora. We’ll finish our time together by 4:30pm.
The Aurora Reimagined Coalition is a grass-roots, all volunteer organization that has been working for a little more than a year to advocate for a safer Aurora. We want to be in conversation with those who live and work along Aurora as we shape proposals, especially for this neighborhood closest to Haller Lake and Bitter Lake because of the unique characteristics of the community and the specifics of the roadway in this section. We are hoping that this session will be an opportunity to continue the conversation with all of you. If you have questions or suggestions, don’t hesitate to let me know.
Addressing safety on Aurora Ave N is a critical step in our work to achieve our Vision Zero goal of ending traffic deaths and serious injuries on Seattle streets by 2030
We are committed to achieving our Vision Zero goal of ending traffic deaths and serious injuries on Seattle streets by 2030. Addressing the safety challenges on Aurora Ave N (State Route 99) is a critical step in our work to achieve this goal.
Aurora Ave N, as well as other major arterial streets in the city, has continued to see a concerning and tragic trend of life altering and life ending crashes. Over the past five years, 18 people have lost their lives in a traffic crash on Aurora Ave N (between Mercer St and N 145th St). This includes 15 pedestrians. This is unacceptable, and we are determined to make Aurora Ave N safer for all travelers, especially people walking and rolling, who are often the most vulnerable in cases of traffic collisions as they are not protected by the shell of a vehicle.
This work to keep people safe reflects our commitment to serving everyone, regardless of their mode of travel or socioeconomic background – part of our One Seattle efforts to work across departments, and bridge gaps to come to better outcomes, together.
We see many opportunities to improve Aurora Ave N so that everyone can travel safely. Today, the street is not a comfortable place to walk, roll, or bike, and access to transit could continue to be improved. We look forward to working with the community, and with our partners at the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and King County Metro, who have also shown their desire to improve safety in this corridor.
Gov. Jay Inslee joins in celebration with attendees and speakers of the Mukilteo Ferry Terminal bill signing event on March 25, 2022. Photo: Washington State Governor’s Office
Last month, Governor Jay Inslee signed the 16-year “Move Ahead Washington” transportation funding package. This is a major milestone for transportation projects across the state, Puget Sound region, and Seattle.
Colorful mural on Aurora Ave N near Green Lake Drive N. Photo: SDOT
This summer, we’ll begin working with residents, businesses, travelers, and our partners at WSDOT and King County Metro to create a comprehensive, long-term plan for Aurora Ave N.
This $2 million safety study was previously announced in July 2021 and will be funded through a WSDOT grant and our SDOT investments, in addition to the $50 million in funding allocated by the Move Ahead Washington transportation package. This safety study will help determine the course for future safety improvements, including the investment from the Washington State Legislature.
We are grateful to the legislature for providing this funding and we also appreciate the work of Aurora Reimagined Coalition and other community groups who have been a strong voice providing ideas and raising awareness of the need for a safer Aurora Ave N.
Lastly, we have also been working already to help slow vehicle speeds in locations throughout Seattle based on proven data that shows that slower vehicle movements lead to significantly better safety and health outcomes for people walking, rolling, and biking. You can check out more information about our work to improve safety in Seattle, and how it relates to our overall Vision Zero safety goals, at our Speed Limits web page. As we work to develop long-term plans for Aurora Ave N, we are also continuing to make other near-term safety improvements, which are detailed below.
Conceptual rendering of the preferred project design along Aurora Ave N, on the west side of Green Lake’s Outer Loop. Graphic: SDOT
Last summer, we installed vertical posts in the middle of the State Route 99 Aurora Bridge to make the center line separating northbound and southbound traffic more visible. This was intended as a near-term safety improvement while we continued to work with WSDOT to plan the larger, long-term corridor safety project now funded by the Legislature and Move Ahead Washington transportation package.
Installation of a 25 mph speed limit sign last year. Photo: SDOT
Safety improvements to the Aurora Ave N corridor represent a vital part of an overall citywide effort to improve traffic safety for all travelers in Seattle.
We have made numerous investments to make our streets safer, including reducing speed limits and creating safer crosswalk signals citywide – as well as redesigning other dangerous streets with a shown history of traffic collisions resulting in serious injuries and fatalities, including Rainier Ave S. We recognize that traffic safety trends are not improving and there is significantly more work to do to elevate and enhance safety for all travelers, particularly people walking, rolling, and biking, who are some of the most vulnerable travelers when compared to people driving or riding transit.
We will continue to work to design and implement a safer transportation system, and this investment to Aurora Ave N will be an important part of that overall strategy. Thank you for your interest, and let’s all help to keep each other safe out there as we travel where we need to go.
