Thanks to a program called “Grow Seattle” there’s nothing remarkable anymore about the once pothole-choked Fidalgo Street between 1st and 4th Avenues in Georgetown. As shown in the picture to the right, motorists simply drive up and down Fidalgo today, just as they do on nearly any other road. That wasn’t the case when the “road” was filled with potholes large enough to hide pirate bands.
The roadway was recently paved through a partnership between the Seattle Department of Transportation and businesses along the road. The problems on Fidalgo were brought to the attention of city officials by the Manufacturing Industrial Council through an outreach program called “Grow Seattle” that is operated by the City of Seattle Office of Economic Development. Grow Seattle attempts to find solutions to problems facing Seattle industrial firms. If you have a problem that might be appropriate, contact Tory Gering at the MIC, at 206-762-2470 or by email at gro.yrtsudnielttaesnull@yrot.
The bad stretch of Fidalgo was among 11 miles of unpaved roadways that exist throughout the Duwamish. For that reason, Fidalgo didn’t qualify for the city’s pothole repair program. But SDOT officials were able to find another source of cash for about $150K that was matched by about $50K from local businesses to pay for the paving job and repairs to nearby Mead Street. The new, smoother roadway won’t last forever, but it should hold up for the foreseeable future and it’s a vast improvement over the previous conditions which were making Fidalgo nearly impassable.
Because of the city’s poor budget circumstances, no city money is presently available for similar paving projects, but if your street needs this kind of repair work, notify the MIC and it will be put in the hopper for projects that will become feasible when financial conditions improve.