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Broadway Bikeway gearing up for May opening — Yesler Hill Climb ahead

The future Yesler Hill Climb

The future Yesler Hill Climb

The First Hill streetcar might not have its cars finally manufactured until the fall but the (mostly) complete Broadway Bikeway could be open as early May. Meanwhile, Seattle Bike Blog also has news of a potentially excellent addition to the area’s biking infrastructure — the under the radar Yesler Hill Climb.

First, SBB reports that the bikeway is likely to be fully open by May:

The Broadway Bikeway is getting so close to being paved all the way to Yesler, but it may not be fully opened until project work wraps up in May. This late opening is to avoid situations where people encounter unexpected closures due to continued construction, as has been a problem at the north end of bikeway.

In January, CHS reported on the ongoing construction on the Capitol Hill Station pedestrian underpass beneath Broadway that will lop off the northernmost reaches of the bikeway even after the possible May opening. Still, as the Bike Blog notes, the opening of the bikeway will still create “a protected space to bike all the way from Yesler Way to Seattle Central Community College.”

And, when yet another swarm of area construction and development project is complete, Seattle Bike Blog says there will be a new connection to the bikeway and streetcar route’s southern reaches.

Here is what the future home of the Yesler Hill Climb looks like today. The image up top is how planners hope it will look in the future. You can learn more about the climb from SBB.Screen Shot 2014-02-12 at 4.56.30 PM

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timmy73
timmy73
10 years ago

10th and Jackson is a street that services Pacific Rim Center. I used to live in the Condos above the retail space. If there were a hill climb, it would be further North that what is shown.

That area is in need of an update. It’s currently a nasty rats nest from the dumpsters that service the occupants of the plaza to the East. Just a horrible, smelly mess. A place where no one wants to stop mid way and socialize like is depicted in the rendering.

There is a hill climb to the West of Pacific Rim Center and I would never ever think of walking it alone as it’s home to drug users, homeless camps and is just plain creepy (not to mention noisy as you’re feet away from I-5).

andy
andy
10 years ago

how nice! they put a skateboard rail right down the middle of that staircase

joel
joel
10 years ago

timmy73, I take that stair climb next to I-5 about 4 days a week. While I do agree, that it looks a little scary first time you go up it. But it’s not. I actually never see anyone. And once you get to the top of the hill you are treated to a really nice view.
I have often wonderd why the city didn’t clean it up and put better lighting. Its a perfect walking connection between first hill/ yesler/ cap hill And the International district.

timmy73
timmy73
10 years ago
Reply to  joel

Thanks for the update. I lived there back in 2008. I took those stairs a few times over the course of a year. At the time it was quite unsavory so I avoided it. We actually had been warned by the HOA not to use those stairs for fear of safety.

Sounds like things have cleaned up a bit so that’s good news.

joel
joel
10 years ago

I still don’t understand why they built the bike lane on south broadway. NO ONE is going to go out of there way AND ride up a hill when they can zoom up and down 12th ave. When I dont walk I ride my bike from the I.D. to capitol hill.
12th is packed with bike commuters. I wonder if the people who plan these things ever use them or ask the people that do?

Andrew Taylor
Andrew Taylor
10 years ago
Reply to  joel

As I recall it was a Capitol Hill Community Council project. It was planned before the present Greenways concept became popular and does seem to be in conflict with Greenways.
Nonetheless, the Streetcar on Broadway (particularly if extended north to Aloha, say) may gum up traffic on Broadway enough that car traffic will be displaced to 12th, so the Broadway Bike Track may yet become popular.

trackback

[…] Woods said that early issues with keeping the Broadway cycle track clean have also helped planning on 2nd Ave. She said the maintenance budget for the 2nd Ave route was boosted to keep the lanes clean after planners saw how quickly debris piled up in the Broadway bikeway before it fully opened in May. […]