Tonight, the City Council released a letter to the community about the design of the proposed Sound Transit Bus/Rail Interchange. As the East Link light rail station on Mercer Island nears completion, Council believes there is still much work to do to ensure the community's interests are being met with the final design of the interchange that will deliver bus riders to the train.

Depending on how it is designed, the Bus/Rail Interchange has the potential to adversely impact traffic patterns and public safety on the Island. An online Sound Transit open house scheduled for early June is approaching, and it will be the opportunity for the public to weigh in. Details will released on the City's Let's Talk page as soon as they are available.

Sound Transit's 60% design plans identify the construction methods, materials to be used, necessary excavation, landscaping, and other details for the roundabout, as well as plans for the unbuilt 80th Avenue station entry plaza, and sidewalk and curb cut adjustments along North Mercer Way.  The City's engineering and building staff reviewed the 60% design and provided comments solely on the technical aspects of construction.

While there are many benefits that the completion of light rail provides to the community and region, the City has several significant unresolved concerns about the high volume of bicycles and pedestrians that are expected to mix with cars and buses adjacent to the busy Park & Ride location once East Link light rail is operational. Last October, Council reiterated its concerns to Sound Transit over pedestrian safety, bus layovers, and a proposal to use the north curb frontage of North Mercer Way to drop off bus riders bound for light rail. 

Read tonight's full letter to the community.

For several months, almost all City staff except essential workers and first responders have been working from home to minimize the spread of coronavirus. All City facilities are still closed to the public and are likely to remain so for several weeks to come, but some maintenance and field staff are now returning to in-person work per Governor Inslee's phased guidance.

 

The City has developed extensive plans for this recovery phase, including return-to-work policies and procedures to ensure the continued safety of staff and the community. Cloth face coverings will be required of all staff in any indoor public space or where 6 feet of separation cannot be maintained, and many will be wearing gloves and other protective gear for specific tasks. All workers will sign in and undergo a temperature scan upon arriving at their worksite, and will be required to sign out at day's end. Shifts will be staggered and team meetings remotely attended in order to minimize gathering; some shared equipment has even been moved to less confined locations.

 

Residents may notice that City employees will usually be riding only one per vehicle while on duty, and may stand at a distance when interacting with the public. Extensive and frequent disinfecting of City facilities is already underway and will continue as this limited number of staff return. The City believes that these best practices, informed by federal, state, and county health guidelines, will ensure a safe and orderly return for staff as they tackle a significant backlog of maintenance work.  

Over the Memorial Day weekend, Mercer Island Police Department (MIPD) officers performed traffic emphasis patrols focusing on East, West, and North Mercer Way to address complaints of speeding cars and motorcycles and other unsafe driving behaviors. Stop sign compliance was also conducted at key intersections, such as near the Luther Burbank Park main entrance. 

Officers performed approximately 50 traffic stops and issued 21 citations and several warnings. Officers also spoke to different groups of motorists and other roadway users advising them about the emphasis patrols and providing traffic safety information. The MIPD will continue to perform these patrols on the Mercer Ways throughout the summer.

Public Health - Seattle & King County launched a new dashboard today (May 27) to provide a snapshot of several key indicators that ultimately can help determine when King County may be able to transition to Phase 2 of the Governor's Safe Start Recovery Plan.

These indicators, along with other data, are key considerations for reviewing current restrictions on activity, recommendations, and precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

View the new dashboard here and see which targets are being met.

This year, the local celebration of Bike Everywhere Month was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Cascade Bike Club, lead organizer, will launch the event on June 1 instead.