June 30, 2008

Madison Avenue Booms

Finally, summer has arrived in Puget Sound; and with it, frenetic construction. New mid-rise, mixed-use buildings dot the border-lands between Capitol Hill, First Hill and the Central District.

Madison is an especially busy street, with always-moving orange construction cones marching east to west and back. Starting just over the highway, you can see the steel bones of a soon-to-be high-rise. A bit further up Madison at 12th, the Trace is move-in ready. Two blocks more, and another new building nears completion, replacing the old piano bar at Madison and 15th. Continue over the crest of the hill to 23rd Ave, and there’s a pile of rubble where Deano’s recently existed.

Not to mention the half-dozen other brand new buildings within a couple blocks of Madison. Hard-hats are everywhere. Sorta hard to believe the construction industry is faltering, eh?

Even our valiant Seattle City Light folks are working extra hard. I snapped this pic of linemen connecting a new building to the city’s grid. And on a Sunday no less!

In just a few months, Madison promises to emerge as one of the newest, densest, most urbane parts of the city.  Until then though, it’s gonna be noisy and congested.

While I can’t predict when the economy will recover or gas prices will retreat, I can offer one tidbit of advice:  avoid driving on Madison until late October. (Instead, try Pike, Pine or Union. They’re much more traffic-friendly this summer.)