We all know how terrible it can be trying to get around the "Mercer mess" which is a total tangle of barriers and blockages. I avoid Mercer at all costs if I can. The dept. of transportation recently proposed widening Mercer between I-5 and Dexter Avenue North to include three travel lanes in both directions. Those lanes would be divided by a median of trees and with left turn lanes at many intersections. Both sides of the street would also feature a lane for parking, a path for bicycles and expanded sidewalks. SDOT believes it will provide a more direct route from I-5 to the Seattle Center, Queen Anne, Fremont, Ballard and Magnolia.
Most neighborhoods however, are not too keen on the idea. Will the proposed plan actually work? Representatives of Ballard, Magnolia and Queen Anne, say the project will bring nothing but major inconvenience and traffic congestion.
The Mercer proposal has been controversial since it was first brought up by Greg Nickels in 2002. In fact, a study solicited by the city found that the proposal would actually increase eastbound travel times and would decrease overall capacity.
Many believe the project is pure vanity and completely useless. So the question is, will the project really reduce traffic and better connect neighborhoods? Or will it be a huge chunk of tax dollars spent on simply "beautifying" the neighborhood?
Hello Erica,
I am a landscape architecture student at North Dakota State University. We are currently doing our urban design studio project in Seattle; more specifically Lower Queen Anne. I don't really have a response to your specific issue with Mercer Street, but we plan to work with the Lower Queen Anne area to design a safe, accessible bicycle network system. Also proposing to impliment a goverment funded public bicycle sharing system with the intent to create network connections within the Lower Queen Anne area and beyond, reduce the reliance on cars in the area to relieve congestion, and thus will cut down the amount of carbon emmission generated by vehicular use, and it would also provide a cheap form of transportation easily accessible by all despite age or social class. Our intent is to also generate a 15-20 year plan to spec out how something like this would change/effect the area. Do you think something like this would catch on in Lower Queen Anne? And possibly catch on throughout the whole Seattle metro area? Please let me know what you think, or maybe write a blog on it asking people what their thoughts are. We are really interested in getting input from the people who live and care about this area. Thank you.
Zach Pleiss