October 21, 2005
Proposed Arboretum Bridge and interchange not acceptable to UW, officials say
University of Washington officials who have reviewed plans for a proposed additional bridge crossing the Arboretum and Union Bay have found that the proposal is “unacceptable” to the UW.
“The Arboretum Bridge design, as presented, would require significant use of University property. Plus, it would greatly increase the traffic impacts on city streets through the University and in surrounding communities,” said UW Executive Vice President Weldon Ihrig. “The University has limited property available to deal with continued growth in programs, and the surrounding communities are already hampered by traffic congestion, especially on Montlake Boulevard and Pacific Street. We would ask that the Washington State Department of Transportation explore other options which would not require the use of University property and would also reduce traffic congestion.”
The proposed bridge, being considered by the SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Project team, would eliminate the current Montlake interchange and create a new six-lane interchange adjacent to the Arboretum. The new bridge would cross Union Bay and land at an expanded intersection which would be built largely on UW property. A new Montlake/Pacific intersection would be built to handle the increased volumes of traffic.
The plan calls for an additional two lanes of traffic added to Montlake, and an additional lane on Pacific Place, all on UW property.
Transportation studies done by the Washington Department of Transportation estimate that traffic volumes on local streets around the UW and adjacent neighborhoods would increase anywhere from 20 to 49 percent. Traffic south of the Montlake Bridge, in the Shelby-Hamlin neighborhood, would decrease by an estimated 46 percent, while traffic on the ramps leading from the Arboretum to SR520 would increase by 49 percent. Traffic on Montlake would have a peak afternoon volume equivalent to 90 percent of the volume carried by SR520 at Portage Bay, and 45th Street east of Montlake would have a peak volume 83 percent of SR520 volume.
“The University shares with the Arboretum and Botanical Garden Committee similar concerns about the Arboretum Bridge option’s effect on the Arboretum, of which the UW is a joint steward with the city,” said Sandra Lier, UW assistant vice president for business services and the UW’s representative on the Arboretum and Botanical Garden Committee.
###
For more information, contact Theresa Doherty, assistant vice president for regional affairs, 206-221-2603
