The Washington State Patrol is looking for witnesses to Wednesday morning’s fatal multiple car accident on I-5 in the southbound lanes of I-5 in Tukwila near SR-518.
The fatality was a 43-year old Seattleite who was driving a Toyota Land Cruiser without a seatbelt. A passenger in a Toyota Camry was treated for minor injuries at the scene, while others involved were not injured.
Most of southbound I-5 was closed during the morning rush hour while police and detectives investigated the scene.
If you saw the accident, you are urged to call 425-401-7719 as soon as possible.
by Burien long has wanted an interchange connecting State Route 518 with Des Moines Memorial Drive to improve access to businesses that, city officials hope, will move into the Northeast Redevelopment Area (NERA).
Now an interchange from SR 509 to NERA, located under flight paths from Sea-Tac International Airport north to S. 138th St., is also under consideration.
Burien City Manager Mike Martin said recently that any interchange on SR 509 would provide access to the Northeast Redevelopment Area.
“No one has agreed to a 509 interchange,” Martin stressed. “This is just a concept. There are only draft plans (at the city) now.” And it’s not on any to-do list at the Washington State Department of Transportation or the Puget Sound Regional Council.
Both the Port of Seattle, which owns much of the property in the area, and the city anticipate business and commercial development here within a few years. Business parks, technology and light industry, and auto sales – perhaps an auto mall, to which dealers now on 1st Ave. S. would relocate, all could play a role in the economic development of the NERA.
“This property has been blighted by the second runway and now the third runway,” Martin said. “What we are doing (by planning for a new interchange) is trying to make NERA more accessible so we can put this property back into use.”
He added that the area “is large enough to accommodate small box stores and retailers of construction materials.” But the market will determine what kind of businesses locate here. In the meantime, “we need to prepare the area to be ready for certain types of activities.”
The cost of a new interchange, including planning, design and construction, has yet to be determined, Martin said. Most of the financing probably would come from federal and state funds.
So far, he’s talked with local state legislators, “who have received the idea very warmly.”
According to BTB Contributor Jim Branson, a fire burned up part of a hill on the east side of SR-509 Friday afternoon around 3-3:30pm:
North Highline fire crew put out a brush fire beside SR-509, a block or two north of 128th.
Two trucks responded, and the fire seemed to be out when I drove by and took the pictures at 3:55.
Winds were from the northwest at the time, about 9 mph.
The picture is looking east.
The burn pattern seems to fit the scenario of someone pitching a cigarette beside the road, and the flames spread uphill and toward the southeast, pushed by the wind, spreading out up the hill.
A small outbuilding may also have been burned partially.
| Jun ’09 |
| 2 |
| 1:00 pm |
On Monday (May 18th) the Port of Seattle announced that it will be holding a public meeting to consider a proposed land exchange with the Washington State Department of Transportation during the regular meeting of the Port of Seattle Commission on Tuesday, June 2nd to discuss the possibility of extending SR-509 to connect with I-5.
The meeting will take place at 1pm in the Port Commission Chambers, located on the waterfront at 2711 Alaskan Way in downtown Seattle.
The proposed deal will reduce the cost of completing improvements to the Northern Airport Expressway, allow the FAA to maintain the north approach lights for the Third Runway, and reduce the cost of future projects.
The land exchange would include nine properties currently owned by the Port transferred to WSDOT and three properties currently owned by WSDOT transferred to the Port along with rent credit toward three airspace leases needed by the Port for current and future Aviation projects.
In October 2007, the Commission authorized the execution of a Memorandum of Understanding with WSDOT to negotiate the transfer of properties needed by WSDOT for the SR-509 extension in exchange for the properties and airspace leases needed by the Port for current and future aviation projects. The proposed Property Exchange Agreement and Airspace leases will facilitate the accomplishment of that memo’s intent.
The nine Port-owned properties that are proposed to be declared surplused and transferred to WSDOT are located in the City of SeaTac and include:
- A 0.64 acre detention pond site lying at the intersection of South 170th Street and 8th Avenue South
- A 0.02 acre remnant off South 188th Street
- A 0.24 acre parcel at 1205 South 196th Street
- Four noncontiguous parcels (0.68, 18.76, 3.24, and 1.13 acres respectively) in the area bounded by South 196th Street, 14th Avenue South and South 200th Street in vicinity of Tyee Golf Course
- Two noncontiguous parcels (0.08 and 0.45 acres respectively) in the area bounded by 24th Avenue South, South 202nd Street and South 204th Street
