Finally figured out Mercer St. changes? More on the way
SEATTLE – Just as drivers were starting to get use to the new layout along Mercer Street, the Seattle Department of Transportation recently announced even more changes are coming soon.
The next major milestone of the Mercer Corridor Project, known as Mercer West, is scheduled to start next month, which means more lane restrictions and closures for commuters into and out of South Lake Union.
Construction on the first phase, Mercer East, started in 2010 from I-5 to Ninth Avenue North. That portion of the project included making Mercer Street into a two-way boulevard through South Lake Union.
As part of Mercer West, crews will begin extending the two-way Mercer Street to First Avenue North in Uptown, widening Mercer Street to offer drivers three lanes in each direction between Dexter Avenue North and Fifth Avenue North, and changing the four eastbound lanes to two lanes in both directions between Fifth and First Avenue North.
All of this work is scheduled to start in April and continue through mid-2015.
Here’s what drivers need to know from SDOT:
- Mercer Street will be reduced to two eastbound lanes between Fifth Ave. N. and Dexter Ave. N. starting in May.
- State Route 99 will also be reduced to two lanes in each direction between Harrison St. and Valley St. These lane reductions will allow crews to widen Mercer under the SR 99 overpass and reconstruct the SR 99 bridge.
- SDOT says crews will adjust signals at the intersection of Fifth Ave. N. and Harrison St. to help with traffic flows.
- Signals will also be included at the intersections of Dexter Ave. N. and Republican St. and Broad St. and Harrison St.
- To help ease congestion eastbound heading towards I-5, Broad will reopen allowing for two-way traffic once construction on Mercer West begins.
Those interested in learning more about these closures and the Mercer West phase of the project can attend a public pre-construction open house this from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday in the Rainier Room at the Seattle Center.
During the open house, a member of the construction team will be on hand to answer questions about this latest phase of the project.
The area looks better but the traffic is worse. Since closing Mercer West, it might take 30 minutes just to move from the Starbucks to Jullians in the morning. There are so many detours, some people give up, turn around and head back toward Fremont. I'm guessing to go around the lake to get to businesses on Eastlake. They need to synchronize the lights better as well.
@Pollywannacracker The left turn lanes simply aren't long enough and regularly backup into the left thru lane, making it even more difficult when exiting onto Mercer from NB I-5.
So its going back to the way it way 50 years ago with more lanes, 50 + plus years to figure it out clown town at its best...
@Windowseat I actually preferred the one-way version. It really made a lot of sense if you could wrap your head around it. Problem is it messed with tourist heads. That's the only reason they're really changing it around.
Dare we hope that these changes will actually make things better instead of making them infinitely worse for more money??
@belsnickles As someone who carpools in SLU every day, I think they've done a great job now that it is finally just about finished. Traffic has eased up ALOT. It used to take us 20 minutes just to get out of the parking garage and now its only about 5 min at 5:30pm to get to the freeway.Â
@quidproquo My husband commutes to and from South Lake Union every day,  and it has seemed a little better recently, but mostly it's still a mess.  They're shelling out $165 million to actually REDUCE the number of lanes and compress an increased volume of cars (Amazon, etc.) into a tinier space... that's an abysmal use of money.
I've completely given up on Mercer there. Every time I get to Mercer and Fairview, something is blocked or I am being detoured to somewhere I don't want to go. So basically, I've given up and just avoid it now. Â
How about the DoT do some renderings with the semi's and dump trucks that frequent the area, nothing about Mercer is airy, or low congestion. There is a SPD officer sitting at the 9th Ave and Mercer intersection, just sitting there most afternoons. He doesn't play a role in traffic control, and the 'box' that is the intersection is overflowing no matter which direction has the green light. Each light just adds to the gridlock, and soon no one will be able to get anywhere near lower Queen Anne.
Can't wait to see how Key Arena handles a full house with Mercer the 'easiest' way to get to I5.