CM Rumbaugh update on Marine View Drive barricades

Dear District 2,

An area of high interest for NE Tacoma has been the City’s right-of-way management along Marine View Drive. In the coming weeks you’ll see a change in signage and I want to make sure you all know what to expect.

Our Public Works team has begun work on removing the barrels and jersey barriers that line the stretch of Marine View Drive from North 11th Street Bridge to the Cliff House Restaurant. While the barriers have been an effective response to the influence of the homeless encampments that this stretch has experienced, the treatments have been criticized as being unsightly.

In an effort to clean up the visual clutter, the existing barriers will be replaced with permanent, in-ground NO PARKING signage that will be regularly enforced by the City's Road Use Compliance and Tacoma Police Department teams. This no parking model has been successful in over 80 sites throughout the City so far and we would expect the same outcome along Marine View Drive. Regular enforcement patrols in the area to monitor activity are essential to the success of this effort. In the event that the conversion to no parking along the stretch proves unsuccessful in keeping the homeless encampments from forming, our Public Works team will re-establish the barriers or a similar treatment to prevent access. 

As a first step in this process, our Traffic Engineering team is currently assessing the stretch and determining sign placement locations. Once locations are confirmed, then the signs will be installed. Only AFTER the signs are installed, will any of the barriers/barrels be removed. Once removed, enforcement personnel will begin their monitoring of the area.

This is a long stretch of roadway, with an estimation of 75-100 no parking signs needed to regulate the stretch. The work will take some time to complete and will likely require a phased approach due to limited staffing resources. While we do not have a definitive date for completion of the work at this time, we are working towards completing this conversion as quickly as we can.

I am looking forward to this next iteration of right-of-way management along Marine View Drive and the potential for it to enhance the quality of life for NE Tacoma residents. I also want to acknowledge all the residents and volunteers over the years who have shared their own time and energy to keep Marine View Drive and our waterways safe. During the time when we installed a-frame no parking signs, we had volunteers in our neighborhood who worked to keep them upright and in place. These individuals also picked up litter and debris along the road. I want to thank our neighborhood for caring so much about keeping our roadside and beaches clean.

Sincerely,

Sarah Rumbaugh
Tacoma City Council Member, District 2