Westlake Streetcar Plaza (also known as McGraw Square) is currently under construction at the southern terminus of the Seattle Streetcar. This project will provide a new public space downtown and should be a welcome improvement to people on foot in the area. However, it appears that six crosswalks will remain closed during the construction period through Thanksgiving.
The area in red below is closed to pedestrians:
View Westlake Streetcar Plaza in a larger map
Like much of downtown, this is an area of high pedestrian traffic, however the area under construction is completely closed to pedestrians. SDOT spokesperson Rick Sheridan says that safety is the reason:
The southeast corner of Stewart and Fifth is closed because buses, trucks and larger vehicles have difficulty making the corner in turning left from Stewart and often cut it. Until it is reconfigured as part of the work, it is not safe for pedestrians to stand there. The closing the sidewalk and crosswalk are due to this corner not being available for use.
The northeast corner of Olive and Fifth Ave is closed because it is now under construction. There is a deep excavation of approximately 20 feet in depth at that location. As it is now a construction zone it is no longer an area where we should have pedestrians walking.
We apologize for the inconvenience but safety is a key priority as we undertake construction. We encourage walkers to respect the closures as they exist to keep pedestrians safe.
I’m appreciative that SDOT is concerned for the safety of people walking in the area. However, sometimes obstacles can create unsafe situations as people walk around them. While passing by earlier in the week, I saw a man on crutches walking in the roadway of 5th Avenue along the fence. While that kind of behavior is not legal, it’s not surprising either.
This makes me wonder – does the closure of these crosswalks really improve safety in the area, or does it just invite people to make dangerous decisions? It seems like parts of this area could be made available to pedestrians during parts of the construction process. Should SDOT be doing more to make the area passable for pedestrians while under construction?
So are the streets still open for traffic? In other cities, contractors are required to provide walkways in the street, often under cover ( I’ve seen shipping containers adapted for this purpose). It’s really shows the thinking that cars matter and pedestrians don’t in this city when all kinds of accommodations are made for vehicles during construction and none for people afoot.
When I was last down there, all the streets were open to vehicles.
I had asked SDOT about their planning process and whether they had considered the impact to people on foot, but they did not respond do that part of my email.
It seems that many construction projects around the city (not just SDOT projects) close sidewalks but leave the streets open.