Redmond Traffic Cameras and Traffic Maps

You can now view all 16 Redmond traffic cameras from the City of Redmond's Traffic Cameras Web page. The traffic camera images are updated every 60 seconds. Here’s the current view from the traffic camera at the intersection of Redmond Way and Avondale Way:

The Redmond traffic cameras are mounted at key entrances to the city, as well as in the core downtown area:

Redmond Traffic Maps
You can also view traffic flow for major arterial roads in Redmond by using Google Maps, which uses a red-yellow-green color scheme to show traffic flow. The traffic flow map below shows the intersection of 520 and Redmond Way:

You can also show a prediction of traffic flow for a particular day of the week and hour of the day. Click the change link in the upper right panel of the Google traffic map:

The panel allows you to display the predicted traffic flow based on day of the week and hour of the day:

Here’s the predicted traffic flow for Mondays at 6:00pm. As you might expect, it’s slow going at the end of 520:

Other Traffic Cameras
You find other traffic cameras in Washington State at:

	Bellevue
	King County
	Seattle Area
	Snoqualmie Pass
	Washington State Ferries

The Interurban Trail: A Ride Along the Rails

The Interurban Trail is a paved 14-mile recreational trail linking Tukwila, Kent, Auburn, Algona, and Pacific. When completed, the trail will extend south through Pacific, across the county line into Sumner and Puyallup where it will connect with the Pierce County Foothills Trail and the planned Edgewood/Milton Interurban Trail.

The following map section shows the portion of the Interurban Trail between Kent and Auburn. You can find trail maps on King County's new interactive Bike Map, or the new Mobile Bike Map (updated May 2012). For info on King County trails, see Regional Trails in King County.

The Interurban Trail passes through a variety of industrial landscapes, such as this old cement plant in Tukwila:

The Interurban Trail is popular with bicycling teams, who use this very straight trail for training rides.

The trail occupies an abandoned Puget Sound Electric Railway corridor. However, the BNSF rail line next to it is very much in use, and you’ll pass hundreds of freight cars.

In fact, along certain sections of the Interurban Trail you’ll have to be careful, as railroad tracks cut across the trail. Fortunately, these sections are well marked with warning signs about remote controlled locomotives!

Green River Trail Intersection
When you cross the Green River bridge at South 260th Street in Kent, you’ll find that the Interurban Trail intersects with the Green River Trail — another great trail to ride.

Other Blog Postings on Trails
Here’s a list of other Redmond Library blog postings on regional trails:

Marymoor Connector Trail Partly Open

The Tolt Pipeline Trail

Snohomish County Bike Trails: Centennial Trail

King County Bike Trails: Sammamish River Trail

King County Bike Trail Maps

Books for Cooks

The King County Library Foundation has recently (well, March) published Literary Feast: The Famous Authors Cookbook.  Along with almost 100 recipes ranging from drinks to desserts, the cookbook offers author profiles and stories to accompany their recipes.

Authors as diverse as Nancy Pearl, Stephanie Kallos, Phil Hellmuth, Rick Steves, and Dale Chihuly offer their favorite food ideas! Many of the featured authors also have Pacific Northwest connections.

The top three recipes I can't wait to try (in no order):

• Sweet Potato Cheesecake (Eileen Goudge)
• Cowboy Cookies (Rick Steves)
• Boccone Dulce (William Dietrich)

Proceeds from the cookbook benefit lifelong learning and literacy programs offered by the Foundation in libraries and communities. For more information, please visit the King County Library Foundation's website.

I found my copy buried in the books at the Kirkland Costco (and I also purchased another as a perfect "Thank You" gift for a fellow avid reader and kitchen adventurer).  The book is also available online at ThriftBooks.com.

Construction of the New Lake Hills Library is Underway

Construction of the new 10,000 square foot Lake Hills Library is underway in Bellevue. The $4 million library will be located in the southeast corner of the redeveloped Lake Hills Shopping Center, and is expected to be completed by the summer of 2010.

Update:

The new Lake Hills Library is due to open September 11, 2010. See The Lake Hills Library: Version 2.0 for more info.

The cost of the shell of the new library will be covered by the developer and the cost of the interior will be handled by KCLS.

The new library will include books, materials, computers, space for children and teens and a community meeting room. The current library at 15228 Lake Hills Blvd will remain open until construction of the new library is complete.

You can watch the construction of the Lake Hills Library by visiting the KCLS Photos of Construction Web page.

Lake Hills Shopping Center
The redevelopment of the Lake Hills Shopping Center will encompass 69,200 square feet of retail space, approximately 44,800 square feet of office space and 90 residential units on the 6.7-acre site. The demolishing of the existing five buildings that make up the current shopping center will make way for 14 new ones. Roughly 600 parking spaces will be made available.

Phase one is slated to be complete in spring of 2010. If tenant relocation goes smoothly, phase two of the project is estimated to be finished in late summer of 2011.

2009 Summer Reading Program is a Hit!

The King County Library System's 2009 Summer Reading Program has ended, and what a success it has been!

Throughout the KCLS member libraries, 43,549 pre-school through elementary-aged children signed up. Of those, 2891 were from Redmond. Children who completed 1000 minutes of reading time will receive a certificate of achievement, a coupon for a mini-pizza, and an art supplies kit. In addition, they were eligible for a drawing to win a laptop computer!

During the summer, each library offered a variety of children's programs. In the video below, master magician Jeff Evans amazes the kids at the Redmond Library with his magic show "The Creative Conjuror":

Teen Reading Programs
Teens have been participating in their own Summer Reading Program events, Read 3 Get One Free and Read.Flip.Win, a video book review contest. The grand prize winner’s video is based on The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde:

A Library with no Books?

My husband and I are planning a road trip towards the end of this month that will wind from Chicago to Cleveland, on to Philadelphia, and through all the states in New England.  As we've been chatting with people more familiar with those areas on what we should see and do, the Haskell Free Library and Opera House was mentioned.

Built between 1904-05, this unique institution straddles the U.S. and Canadian border between Derby Line, VT and Stanstead, QC.  A thick black line runs through the opera house and reading room of the library to denote which country you are visiting.  The book collection and opera stage are in Canada, the front door and much of the opera seating is in the U.S. Therefore, the U.S. library technically contains no books!

Both Americans and Canadians sit on the Board of Trustees. As expected, the book collection features both English and French. And imagine having to go through customs to see a show: the opera house website parking instruction reads "Visitors from Canada must park on the Canadian side or report to U.S. Customs." 

 

Right now, the library is about 4 hours round-trip out of our current route. . .but we might decide to take a jaunt farther north.  If not, I'll be thinking of it as we motor and hike our way through Vermont!

The Columbia Branch Library: Small is Beautiful

The Columbia Branch is one of the smallest libraries in the Seattle Public Library. Located in Columbia City, the 6,825 square foot library was built in 1915 in the Georgian Revival style of architecture. The library was constructed with funds donated by the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.

In 2004, the Columbia Branch was expanded to twice its original size. The new portion of the building extends from the back of the original structure, maintaining the building’s original street presence.

The renovated Columbia Branch serves the neighborhood’s multicultural community with materials in Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Somali, Oromo, Amharic, Tigrinya, and Tagalog, as well as many materials designed to help people learning English as a second language.

Large fan windows flood the high-ceilinged rooms with plenty of light.

Getting to Columbia City
Columbia City is easy to get via Sound Transit Light Rail. Interestingly, in 1937 the original streetcar line in Columbia City was taken out of service. The community celebrated the removal of the rails with a three-day festival.

The Historic Walking Tour Map is a great resource for exploring the 37 different historic sites and buildings that make up Columbia City.

Other Blog Postings on Libraries
Here’s a list of other Redmond Library blog postings on libraries:

The Black Diamond: A Library Connecting with the Past

The Suzzallo Library: A Case Study of Collegiate Gothic Architecture