Exit133

December 13, 2013 · Exit133

A New Look for 17th & Broadway

We could soon be seing a different look for the way South 17th Street navigates the hill up from Pacific Avenue.

A resolution on next week's City Council agenda would authorize an agreement between the University of Washington Tacoma and the City to straighten out the intersection at the north end of the campus.

According to the agreement, UWT would contribute $1.25 million to the project, which would connect the existing short segment of 17th that runs between UWT and Tollefson Plaza to the rest of 17th, creating a straight shot up the hill from Pacific.

As it is now, 17th is interrupted by that little sloping lawn next to Twokoi (see map at left). The map included with the interagency agreement shows 17th running right through that slope, with a squared-off green space on the UWT corner of the new 17th and Broadway intersection.

Filed under: Downtown Tacoma, Transportation, Neighborhoods, UWT, Colleges & Universities, Roads

7 comments

  • Jesse December 13, 2013

    I hope they someday make Broadway a 2 way street again and take out the mid-street fountain and grass island in front of Pantages. I think it would be good for business on tmhT road if it went straight through both directions.

  • nwcolorist December 14, 2013

    If there are safety issues involved, this could be a good thing. But spending over a million dollars just to tweak a crooked intersection? Certainly there are better uses for the taxpayer money.

    • JDHasty December 14, 2013

      I have been looking at the Draft TIP that is up for adoption on 13 Dec (isn't that convenient timing). In it there is another million dollar per bloch streetscape project, this one located on N 21st Street betw Proctor and Orchard. That represents enough money to rehab about a hundred lane miles of pavement with full depth structural overlay. I heard our City Manager make statements regarding his credibility that bracketed a claim that the City was listening and heard loud and clear that residents who were polled ranked infrastructure maintenance and preservation highest on their list of priorities and PROMISED that irrespective of how the Prop 1 vote went the City was committed to that end. He even had a catchy slogan for this: Back To Basics. He said "my credibility is on the line" before he made his Back To Basics claim and he said "my credibility is on the line" after making that assertion. He said this right in front of EVERY SINGLE COUNCIL MEMBER and The Mayor during the course of the series of Prop 1 informational meetings and he repeated it over and over again at each meeting.

      • JDHasty December 14, 2013

        OK, this particular project on S 17th is supposedly 100% funded by UWT. But should the City care to rebut my statement regarding pavement maint & preservation ...they will come back with a statement about State funding of streetscape/complete streets and pavement has no grant funding available and yada, yada, yada. Well the "City money" alone would fund north of ten lane miles AND the State does not CURRENTLY fund pavement m&p because Cities like Tacoma have lobbied against such funding up until now. Tacoma has a full time paid lobbyist in Oly and I say get him busy changing that or shut up about that dynamic. The amount of totally discretionary spending in the TIP makes "needs" shrink to insignificance in comparison to "wants."

  • Jake December 14, 2013

    What is going to happen to the piece of 17th/Jefferson next to the grassy area?

  • CMC December 14, 2013

    The most significant change is the addation of the segment to straighten 17th st. 17th will now become a viable East-West corridor. While addressing several pedestrian issues is will also improve traffic circulation & access to convention center parking. This is the next logical step for the vision of demolishing the 15th street off ramp to restore sensible accress to the Foss Waterway and TAM parking lot. (First step was turning 13th street into two-way street begining at 'A')

    • nwcolorist December 15, 2013

      OK. So if I'm understanding you, they will remove the triangle green space next to the Carlton Hotel and run South 17th Street straight through to Pacific Ave. Thanks, the long term plan puts it into perspective..