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A 220-foot stretch of Logan Avenue South is being closed for four months. The closure requires 21 traffic signs, 7 barricades and 25 traffic cones.
This 220 foot closure of Logan Ave between the Piazza Park and Legacy Square has necessitated the detours.
A two-hundred twenty foot closure of Logan Avenue South begins tomorrow. The closure requires the placement of 21 traffic signs, 7 barricades, and 25 traffic cones that will remain in place for the next four months.
The closure will allow “festival” use of Logan Avenue between the Piazza and Legacy Square.
While this “festival street” concept was proposed in the Downtown Civic Core Action plan, the implementation being used today is different than what was described in the plan. The downtown core plan called for South Second and Third Streets to be converted to two-way traffic, which would have made the Logan Ave detours much simpler to implement. In addition, the downtown core plan called for the street to only be closed for “events” like the farmers market, and then reopened when the event was finished. The plan envisioned hours-long events, not four-month events.
Since South Second Street is still a one-way street, and has a four-block-long center divider, the detour route is complex and has an abrupt 60-foot-long , three-lane crossover for motorists driving from the Landing or Boeing into downtown Renton. Logan Avenue is the main corridor connecting these commercial zones. With this closure, southbound motorists who want to go to Legacy square or patronize businesses on South Third Street like Boon Boona or Common Ground Coffee will need to turn right on Second Street and then quickly get left of the divider in order to follow the detour route, or else they must drive all the way to Rainier Avenue. The lane shifts necessary on Second Street don’t facilitate the multiple checks and typical advanced signalling that we all learned in driver’s training– so drivers will have to be on high-alert to make this maneuver.
These detours will add to traffic congestion in Renton at a time when Renton School District is asking Renton to permanently close the nearby South Tobin Street. Since traffic is often bad in this area even without these closures, I anticipate traffic jams to form in these detour routes during the summer.
Logan Ave South was designed to serve as the main connection between the Landing and Downtown Renton
Normally, southbound drivers on Logan can either proceed straight to reach businesses on the east end of downtown, or turn right on (one-way) Second Street here to reach businesses on the west end of downtown. The straight path is being closed for four months, so all motorists will be forced to turn right.
After motorist turn right on South Second Street, they’ll have about 50-60 feet to shift two lanes left to avoid being on the wrong side of the center-island/divider. They’ll have to even move left one additional lane to turn left for the detour route.
This overhead view shows how quickly Logan Ave South southbound drivers (coming from top in this view) will have to switch lanes to the left to be on the left-turning lane of South Second Street and not get blocked by the center divider
One block after their forced right turn motorists need to be in the far left lane of South Second Street here, driving west, in order to follow the detour route to the east end of downtown where Legacy Square events and many popular local businesses are located. Cautious drivers and out-of-town drivers will set a slow pace for these three lane changes and the detour route. Fast drivers that cut off the slower drivers may cause accidents.
Festival description from Downtown Civic Core Action Plan. “When not used for events, Logan Avenue S. would be open to vehicles.”
Also from Downtown Civic Core Action Plan: South Second Street and South Third Street would both be converted to two-way streets, making it easier to close Logan Ave South between them without consequences.
The Downtown Civic Core Action Plan calls for special pavement and no curbs in the Logan Festival Street. This has not been done.
This is a screenshot from a City of Renton social media announcement about the pending closure.
Something done half-assed and at the last minute?
I’m shocked!
How many times and blocks out of the way will the bus have to go so they are pointed in the right direction for departure from the transit center? I’m going to avoid downtown completely otherwise I have to go down a few more blocks and back track just to get home. All this so they can cram in 25 more market vendors into this space ONLY ON TUESDAYS.
Just what we need downtown….circling buses!
I’m confused. Is this closure only on Tuesday or everyday?
The closure will be 24/7 May 26th – October 2nd. It will seem painfully long. Here is the Council Resolution that authorizes it.
Let’s screw up or downtown retailers for a soccer event nobody really cares for. And if they did care for it, they’d go to Seattle.
Brilliant!
agreed. such a waste of money.
Randy, did you ever do a story about the quarter mile long garbage train that’s parked next to Gene Coulon Park?
The rats are wonderful!
Thanks Anonymous for reminding me to write a post about the trash train. I took your suggestion, and just published one.
Today I was downtown at the corner of Logan and S 3rd. Right now Logan is only sort of blocked. You can go to the driveway past the daycare and you have to turn right to go between Legacy Sq and the condos. Several cars (more than 4) saw the barrier on half the street and couldn’t make up their minds if they wanted to turn where only buses are allowed (signs posted) or continue on and hope there is a way out. When there is no access how do parents pick up their kids? Buses that used to turn onto Logan and then right into the bus area will have to find a way to park going the proper direction.