Archive for January 2013

A vactor truck – used in underground utility work – will be at the Penny Drive entrance for most the day on Friday to help extend an electrical conduit to the new entrance sign. Traffic will not be impeded. The truck will be cordoned off and parked against the curb. Someone will be available at all times to assist pedestrians and bicyclists as needed. Thanks for your patience.

We’re excited to share the latest concept for a new bike and pedestrian connection to the Burke-Gilman Trail. Join us at an open house Saturday, Feb. 2, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Gould Hall at the University of Washington. Bring the kids. We’re giving away free bike helmets, holding a bicycle fun/safety workshop and providing bike safety inspections. 

The new link will provide access to the trail from our Hartmann property where Sand Point Pediatrics is located. We collected ideas and comments about the connection at an earlier open house in December. The connection is part of the commitment Seattle Children’s made to improve neighborhood transportation when we submitted our Major Institution Master Plan to the city of Seattle. We hope to complete the connection in late 2013.

The new traffic signal at Sand Point Way NE and 40th Avenue NE is operational.  Activating the signal capped weeks of work to improve the intersection. We also added crosswalks and a left turn lane onto 40th Avenue NE. In addition, King County Metro built bus shelters on both sides of Sand Point Way. Together, the improvements will help traffic flow smoother, make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists to cross Sand Point Way at this busy corner and make it more convenient to use transit. Construction caused numerous temporary traffic revisions. We appreciate the patience and caution everyone showed as we completed this important neighborhood improvement. Thank you for your continued support.

 While the Seattle Mariners are moving the Safeco Field fences closer in, we moved  the temporary fencing surrounding Building Hope farther out. We also replaced the plain green fence panels with colorful banners that incorporate imagery from the new campuswide wayfinding system we’re introducing Jan. 20. 

Our general contractor, Sellen Construction, generously provided the beautiful banners. When the temporary fencing is removed, we’ll reuse the banners during Building Hope grand opening events. Thanks, Sellen!

The temporary fencing was originally installed closer to Building Hope. We’re building a new permanent fence – which was torn down during site preparation – closer to the edge of the property. We moved the temporary fencing farther out so it will screen construction of the permanent fence.

We’re excited to report the debut our new wayfinding system. More than 400 volunteers participated in the rollout. With their help, the transition was a tremendous success. Thanks everyone!

 The new wayfinding system integrates the existing hospital with our Building Hope expansion by creating four new zones that blend our new spaces with our old spaces and logically divide the campus in a way that makes it easy to navigate.  The zones are Forest, River, Mountain and Ocean – each with dedicated color, icon and artistic themefeatured in new signage and other design elements.

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  The weekend we’ve been planning for is here! All of the zones, signs and room numbers at the main hospital campus are changing over to our new wayfinding system. New zones and artwork reflect Pacific Northwest natural environments: Forest (the new Building Hope expansion), River, Mountain and Ocean. The changeover is running right on schedule, and we plan to officially begin using the new zones and room numbers on Sunday, Jan. 20. Learn more about the changes…

The giraffe’s and their animal friends that have inhabited the roof at  Seattle Children’s will migrate from their perch Saturday.

They are the last of numerous decorative animal figures to leave their longtime locations in and around the hospital. We‘re finding new homes for each of them – at other Children’s sites or with other organizations – because we’re introducing a new campus wide wayfinding system Jan. 20.  The new system is based on a different set of themes – Forest, River, Mountain, Ocean – so many of the animals would be out of place in their former spots.

We invited everyone to pose for a commemorative photo last week with the departing animals that resided inside the hospital– two giraffe and a zebra. We photographed more than 500 people! Thanks to everyone who helped bid a fond farewell to these cherished figures.

Sellen Construction is removing the trailers it set up when it began work on Building Hope more than two years ago. Some are being demolished and recycled while five will be taken apart and hauled away in sections next week. 

Some of the trailer sections will be moved to 40th Avenue NE  during the day before being hauled away at night because they are oversize. We appreciate your patience as we take another step toward completing our expansion.

Ice is great for skating and keeping drinks cold, but driving? Not so much. When the sun goes down, so do temperatures, and any moisture that appears on the road during the day can become black ice at night. Take special care rounding corners and going downhill and give yourself plenty of room to brake.  We appreciate your extra caution around the Building Hope construction site.

Bear with us just a little longer. The traffic disruptions caused by work on a redesigned intersection at 40th Avenue NE and Sand Point Way NE will end in the next few weeks when we complete construction and activate the new traffic signal.

We recently installed the second of two signal arms and removed a number of street trees so we can add a left turn lane onto 40th Avenue NE. The signal, turn lane and crosswalks will help traffic flow smoother and make it safe for pedestrians and cyclists to cross Sand Point Way at this busy spot.  

Thanks once again for your continued patience as we complete this project and please remain alert for flaggers and signs indicating temporary traffic revisions.