C-012-001 Thank you for your support for the creation of new public space and nonmotorized access between downtown and the waterfront through the Overlook Walk, the East-West Connections, and the Promenade. C-012-002 As described in the Draft EIS, current City plans and policies encourage the use of transit and nonmotorized modes of travel, and discourage the use of single-occupant vehicles. In keeping with these plans and policies, the City does not provide SEPA authority to mitigate the impact of development on parking availability in the Downtown urban center (SMC 25.05.675M.2.b.1). Goal TG18 of the Seattle Comprehensive Plan notes that mobility is the primary purpose of the arterial street system, and Policy T42 of the Seattle Comprehensive Plan s Transportation Element states that it is the City s general policy to replace short-term parking only when the project results in a concentrated and substantial amount of on-street parking loss. The removal of parking that would occur under AWPOW, in conjunction with enhanced nonmotorized and transit facilities that are included in the project, is consistent with this policy direction and supports overall City planning goals for reducing dependency on single-occupancy vehicles in the downtown area. The Final EIS and Parking Discipline Report have been revised to discuss the MarketFront parking as part of the existing conditions; it is not being developed as mitigation for AWPOW and is not in the Operational Impacts and Mitigation section. Please see the Final EIS and the Parking Discipline Report for updated information on parking under the Preferred Alternative.
C-012-003 The methodology used for the EIS analysis, including the traffic operations analysis, was approved by a multi-agency review committee facilitated by the City of Seattle that consisted of the City, WSDOT, Washington State Ferries (WSF), King County Metro, and the Port of Seattle. Establishing multimodal standards is a Citywide policy issue requiring analysis and decision-making beyond the scope of the AWPOW project. The transportation analysis used level of service and travel time to determine impacts to automobile and freight vehicles. The transportation analysis also included an analysis of the impacts to public transportation, water transportation services, rail, emergency services, and nonmotorized users. The nonmotorized transportation analysis evaluated access, circulation, and safety for pedestrian and bicyclists within the AWPOW study area. Details on the transportation methodology are summarized in Chapter 4 of the Transportation Discipline Report. Please refer to Final EIS Section 3.4.2 for the analysis of the Preferred Alternative's nonmotorized impacts.
C-012-004 The proposed transit-only lanes, which are described on page 2-7 of the Draft EIS, would run in each direction along Alaskan Way between S. King Street and Columbia Street and on Columbia Street between Alaskan Way and First Avenue. The lanes would accommodate King County Metro s Southwest Transit Pathway Improvements to address transit needs following AWVRP completion. Figure 3-1 in the Supplemental Draft EIS and Figure 1-2 in the Final EIS show the locations of proposed transit stops in the vicinity of the Colman Dock Transit Hub. The closest stops are located adjacent to westbound Columbia Street just east of its intersection with Alaskan Way, and adjacent to northbound Alaskan Way between Yesler Way and Columbia Street. Pedestrians could make a grade-separated crossing of Alaskan Way at the Marion Street Pedestrian Bridge to reach the transit hub or could use the crosswalks at Yesler Way or Columbia Street. The City will design all crossings to make them as safe as possible for pedestrians, in keeping with its Vision Zero initiative. C-012-005 The City is committed to developing safe pedestrian and bicycle detour routes during construction and will work with pedestrian and bicycle advocacy groups to coordinate this process. C-012-006 In determining the design speed for Alaskan Way, the City must balance the needs of all users of this important arterial. These users include transit, freight, and general-purpose traffic as well as pedestrians and bicyclists since Alaskan Way must carry additional traffic demand in the future when the viaduct is removed. The design speed of 30 mph was set to accommodate these varied uses. As described in Chapter 2 of the Draft EIS and Chapter 3 of the Supplemental Draft EIS, the Main Corridor incorporates many safety features for pedestrians, such as
clearly signalized crosswalks at intersections, lighting, curb treatments, and median refuge areas. C-012-007 In response to comments on the Draft EIS expressing concern about the width of Alaskan Way, the City evaluated several options for reducing the width of the southern portion of Alaskan Way between S. King Street and Columbia Street. One of the ideas was to eliminate one generalpurpose travel lane in each direction. Our evaluation found that a reduction of general purpose lanes would result in unacceptable traffic operations. Please see Table 2-1 in the Final EIS. The purpose of the proposed Alaskan Way improvements is to provide safe, efficient, and reliable travel for all modes, consistent with Seattle s complete street policy. Because of the elimination of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, Alaskan Way will be required to serve additional traffic demand and replace the viaduct s surface connection to Belltown. This increase in north-south demand requires maintaining two general purpose lanes for vehicles and freight throughout the corridor. However, the street width has been kept as narrow as possible given the traffic functions that the roadway must accommodate. Crosswalks would be provided on each leg of all intersections (except on the south side of Yesler Way, where the two ferry left turn lanes would be located) and would be clearly delineated to improve pedestrian safety and comfort; a landscaped center median would provide a refuge area at crossings. The relatively wide sidewalks and median include landscaping and street trees that would help to visually offset the width of the roadway in this area by buffering pedestrians and bicyclists from traffic. The implementation of a reservation system at Colman Dock is under the purview of WSDOT Ferries Division. At this time, such a system is not planned at Colman Dock. The Preferred Alternative in the Final EIS includes two dedicated lanes for ferry queuing on northbound Alaskan
Way between S. Washington Street and the main entrance to Colman Dock at Yesler Way. The ferry queuing lanes were closely coordinated with WSDOT, who has authority of the lane configuration south of Colman Dock because it is part of SR 519. The Preferred Alternative would decrease the amount of ferry queuing space available compared to what existed underneath the viaduct prior to AWVRP construction. C-012-008 Streets, crosswalks, and intersections would meet City design standards and would be constructed with pedestrian and bicyclist safety as a priority. Safety features will continue to be refined as the final design progresses. C-012-009 The number of general-purpose lanes on Alaskan Way would be the same under 2017 existing conditions, No Action, and the Preferred Alternative. No new general-purpose capacity would be added on as a result of the project. The only additional capacity proposed by the Preferred Alternative would be for transit vehicles. C-012-010 The transit lanes proposed for AWPOW would accommodate King County Metro's Southwest Transit Pathway improvements to address transit needs following AWVRP completion. Alaskan Way between S. King and S. Dearborn streets and Columbia Street between First and Third Avenues are outside of the AWPOW project footprint; therefore, no improvements are proposed for these segments as part of the project. The configuration and improvements associated with transit lanes on Alaskan Way south of the AWPOW project footprint are the responsibility of WSDOT under the AWVRP. The configuration and improvements associated with transit lanes on Columbia Street after the viaduct is removed are also part of a separate project led by King County Metro.
C-012-011 Your support for wide sidewalks, accessible open spaces, wayfinding, and pedestrian lighting affirms many of the design elements proposed for AWPOW. The Promenade would provide a continuous public open space with a wide sidewalk and space for sitting, gathering, and viewing the waterfront. To create a safe and friendly pedestrian environment amenities planned as part of the AWPOW project include wayfinding, signage, and pedestrian lighting. C-012-012 AWPOW would support bicycle commuting through its separated bicycle facility along Alaskan Way and improved east-west connections planned as part of the project. These improvements are described in Chapter 2 of the Draft EIS and the Final EIS. Specific improvements to support Bainbridge Island bicycle commuters at Colman Dock, as suggested in this comment, are not part of the AWPOW project. Such improvements would be considered as part of the Seattle Multimodal Terminal at Colman Dock project. The City will plan and implement bicycle improvements discussed in the Bike Master Plan separately from AWPOW. C-012-013 Bicycle parking will be included in AWPOW. Locations for bicycle parking along the project corridor will be determined during final design.