02-02-2016, 08:01 AM
(02-02-2016, 12:01 AM)plam Wrote:(02-01-2016, 08:07 PM)ijmorlan Wrote: Meanwhile, the second track is making its way south through UW campus. Last I saw they were laying ties on the ground at the mall next to campus, although I didn’t get a chance to get over there today.
Speaking of which, I noticed that the Laurel Creek trail is still closed south of University, but now it's more clear why it's been closed so long---it basically doesn't exist anymore, and is underneath the railbed.
I don’t believe that is correct. I, um, observed close up, that it is still there running parallel to the track south from University. Right near Seagram the very last little bit was torn up during construction so there is no pavement surface there, but there is nothing about the terrain that prevents walking right through.
Remember the path was far from the tracks before, and the two new tracks surround the location of the original track, so even the southbound track is still some distance from the path. Near Seagram the tracks diverge a little to give space for the platform south of Seagram so the track is closer to the path but there is still plenty of space for the path.
I consider this to be a big fail, and further evidence of non-motorized traffic being treated as a second-class citizen. They wouldn’t close a road needlessly for months. To be clear, I have no problem with the path being closed for a few weeks while they work immediately next to it, but this has gone on way past any sort of reasonable closure given the nature and extent of the work being done in the area.
Even if you are correct that the original path route is underneath the tracks, the replacement path should have been paved and the route re-instated in the Fall.