The Seattle Squeeze...The Seattle Squeeze Democratized Data Access Webinar Heather Marx, Director of...
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Department of Transportation The Seattle Squeeze Democratized Data Access Webinar Heather Marx, Director of Downtown Mobility 08/20/2019
Transcript of The Seattle Squeeze...The Seattle Squeeze Democratized Data Access Webinar Heather Marx, Director of...
DepartmentofTransportation
The Seattle Squeeze
DemocratizedDataAccessWebinarHeatherMarx,DirectorofDowntownMobility08/20/2019
DepartmentofTransportation
Presentation overview
• Background• ProblemandGoal• Objectives• SDOTresponse• Whatdidwelearn?• Whatcomesnext?
DepartmentofTransportation
Background: a time of unprecedented growth
DepartmentofTransportation
Background: Closing the Viaduct
• AlaskanWayViaduct(SR99throughdowntownSeattle)• 65-year-oldstructure;weakenedbythe2001NisquallyEarthquake• ClosedpermanentlyonJanuary11
• SR99closedforthreeweeksinJanuary2019• LongesthighwayclosureinthePugetSoundRegion’shistory
• SR99tunnelopenedtotrafficonFebruary4,afteraweekendofcommunityfestivities
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DepartmentofTransportation
A regional effort
DepartmentofTransportation
Problem and goal
Problem ClosingSR99displaced90,000tripsperdayintothedowntowncoreandotherregionalnetworks,whichthenetworkmaynotbeabletoabsorb
SDOT Goal Maintainbroadmobilityandequalaccesstodowntownemployment,commerce,tourismandhousing
DepartmentofTransportation
SDOT Objectives
• Ensuretheefficientmovementofpeopleandgoodsbyavoidingpersistentgridlock
• Expandtheuseandreachoftransitandotheralternativestodrivingalone
• Reducethenumberofdrive-alonevehicletripsdowntown
• Maximizethepublicrightofwayavailableforthetravelingpublic
• MakeSDOTtheindispensablesourceofpublicinformationrelatedtotravelaroundtheregion
• Prioritizesafetyforallusers,particularlyforthosewhoaremostvulnerable
• Workconsistentlyandeffectivelywithpartnerorganizations
DepartmentofTransportation
What SDOT Did
• DevelopedastrategicplanforSR99Closure• StaffedtheTransportationOperationsCenter24/7• Made1,800signaltimingplansandthousandsofreal-timeadjustmentstosignaltiming• Deployedmorethan100people,working12-hourshiftsforthreeweeks• Createdaswingshifttoenhanceresponse
• Implementedtemporaryandpermanenttactics–buslanes,increasedparkingrestrictions• Revokedmorethan50permitstomaximizespaceforthetravelingpublic• CreatedaSqueeze-focusedwebsite–www.seattle.gov/traffic• Briefedhundredsofcommunitygroupsandelectedofficials
DepartmentofTransportation
What we learned
• Frequent,formalcommunicationamongtransportationagencieswascritical• Twice-dailymulti-agencyphonecallsandco-location• Dailyelectedofficialbriefings
• Shared,consistentmessagestothepublic• Dailypressconferences• Socialmediaeffort
• On-going,multifacetedpubliccommunicationsmayhavebeenthesinglebiggestcontributortosuccess
• Lackofrapid,formaldatasharingwasourbiggestdetriment
DepartmentofTransportation
What we learned
• OverallCommute• Peakperiodsskewedaboutanhourearly• Overallvolumedownabout10percent• Nopersistentgridlock• Weatherandincidentsaffectedtraveltimesandcongestion
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DepartmentofTransportation
What we learned • Transit,bicyclesandtelecommuting• TransitcongestionwasvariableinthePM• 14percentincreaseinLinkridership• BicyclecountsatkeylocationsweresubstantiallyhigherthanJanuary2018• Telecommutingplayedabigrole
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SR99ClosurePMPeakCongestionIndex
PM-PeakCar PM-PeakBus
PM-PeakCarBaseline PM-PeakBusBaseline
-15.0% -10.0% -5.0% 0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0%
DrovealoneTransit
Carpool/vanpoolWatertaxiorferry
BikeorwalkEmployershuttle
Telework
ModeSplitChangeDuringtheSR99Closure
DepartmentofTransportation
What we learned
• PermitRevocationandModification:• 50jobsiteswereimpacted• 6citationsand85warningsissued
• Communications:• Excellentinterdepartmentalandinteragencycommunication• Dailymediaavailability;weeklypressconferences
• Safety:• CollisionsdowncomparedtoJanuary2018
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SR99ClosureMediaSentiment
Positive
Negative
Neutral
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Jan-16 Jan-17 Jan-18 Jan-19
SR99ClosureTotalCollisions
DepartmentofTransportation
What Comes Next?
DepartmentofTransportation
Questions?
[email protected]|(206)615-0801
www.seattle.gov/trafficwww.seattle.gov/transportation
