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TRAFFIC WATCH: Afternoon baseball game Wednesday

The Mariners homestand against the Boston Red Sox ends on Wednesday, July 23 with a 1:40 p.m. game.

Depending on when the game ends, afternoon commute traffic in the south end of downtown Seattle could be disrupted or congested, which could delay bus travel through the area.

Regular commuters may want to adjust their schedules to leave town earlier that day, or avoid the area around the stadium. For those going to the game, Metro Transit offers lots of regular service that travels near Safeco Field in the mid-afternoon. After the game is over, avoid the congestion, by taking regular bus service home. There is no special shuttle service either before or after the day games.

Check Metro Online for more information, or call (206) 553-3000 (voice) or (206) 684-1739 (TTY).

Bye-bye old Tolt Bridge

Watch video of the bridge removal

It was a sight to behold last Saturday, as the old Tolt Bridge was swung off its supports, lowered to a barge, then floated ashore to be dismantled and recycled.

The old Tolt bridge was removed and floated to shore to be dismantled.

The bridge has spanned the Snoqualmie River west of Carnation for more than 80 years, and was replaced by a new bridge in May. Since that time, crews have been prepping the old steel truss bridge for its departure. Over the past several weeks, the deck and approaches were removed until all that was left was the steel skeleton of the old bridge, unbolted, resting atop two concrete supports.

It may have been a shadow of its former self, but what was left behind was still 200 feet long by 19 feet wide and weighed approximately 140,000 lbs. Large cranes hooked onto the bridge from either end and slowly moved it to the side of the concrete supports to lower it to a barge waiting on the river. With one crane steering the east end of the bridge, the barge pushed it into the parking lot of the riverside boat launch.

Once all the dismantling is done – including removal of the bridge supports – the riverbank will be restored and planted with native vegetation.

Klahanie pedestrian safety projects in progress

This week, the King County Road Services Division begins several projects to improve pedestrian safety along Klahanie Boulevard on the Sammamish Plateau.

The first project will be the restriping of Klahanie Boulevard to add a centerline stripe and to narrow the travel lanes from 17 feet to the standard width of 11 feet in each direction. This will allow the county to create a shoulder for bicycling and parking. The striping project should be completed within two weeks, and only minor traffic disruptions are expected.

The county also plans to make improvements at eight existing crosswalks. This includes the installation of solar flashers and new streetlights at seven crosswalks, and new streetlights at the four-way stop at Klahanie Boulevard and 256th Avenue Southeast. The scheduling of this work is dependent on delivery of equipment and coordination with local utility companies, but should be completed by the end of the year.

TRAFFIC WATCH: Issaquah-Hobart Road paving begins July 31

King County will be repaving the heavily traveled Issaquah-Hobart Road beginning Thursday, July 31, and traffic will be delayed during the two-week project.

The section to be repaved is from Southeast May Valley Road to State Route 18. The work will be done on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The work is weather dependent, and the King County Road Services Division hopes to have paving completed by Friday, Aug. 15. Placement of shoulder rock and roadway striping will occur after the paving is completed. Delays for the post-paving work will be minimal and localized.

One lane of traffic will remain open at all times, and vehicles will be led through the work zone by a pilot car. Delays are expected to be lengthy. Motorists may want to use alternate routes or travel before 8 a.m. and after 4:30 p.m.

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Updated: July 21, 2008

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