Followup: Why Fauntleroy/35th stoplight wasn’t fixed sooner

(Taken on 35th looking toward Fauntleroy minutes before light was fixed this morning)
An unusual traffic problem made news here earlier today: The stoplight at 35th/Fauntleroy was in flashing-red mode, which slowed eastbound West Seattle Bridge access dramatically till the problem was fixed just before 8 am. By more than one account, the problem had started last night, which gave rise to the question, why wasn’t it fixed before it became a rush-hour chokepoint? We asked SDOT, whose communication director Rick Sheridan just shared the answer:

Though reported overnight, the signal required specialized diagnosis and repair expertise. Until that time, the intersection safely operated as an all-way stop. We had a signals crew with the needed skills troubleshooting the issue just after 7:00 a.m. After a lengthy investigation they found a bad splice in one of the many junction boxes in that area and corrected the problem. Deploying SPD officers to direct traffic when the signal is in “flash” mode is not typical for this type of malfunction.

jno February 8, 2012 (3:54 pm)

“Though reported overnight”… I call BS. It was flashing late Monday night (11:45 pm) as well, but not Tuesday morning.

WS Driver February 8, 2012 (3:55 pm)

I think that an exception to that policy should be made when it is such a huge traffic choke point at rush hour. Officers should have been deployed to direct traffic.

Ben February 8, 2012 (4:08 pm)

“Deploying SPD officers to direct traffic when the signal is in “flash” mode is not typical for this type of malfunction.”
.
really? that’s their excuse? i’d like to hear more about what this type of malfunction typically looks like and how the rush hour traffic flow at 35th and Fauntleroy resembles it.

fiz February 8, 2012 (5:20 pm)

It was NOT fixed by 8:00 AM I went through there at 9:30 this morning and they were working on it.

WSB February 8, 2012 (5:39 pm)

It was fixed at least temporarily by then – multiple reports starting at about 7:55, including my co-publisher at 8:30 am, confirmed that. But yes, then there was a later report that it was being worked on again. Don’t know how long that lasted. It was normal when I came back from downtown at 10:30. – TR

Aman February 8, 2012 (6:35 pm)

It is not POLITE to awaken “those in the know” from a sound sleep. How embarrassing…

steve February 8, 2012 (7:59 pm)

They did not want to pay OT to the specialize person.

PSPS February 8, 2012 (8:09 pm)

The 4-way stop seemed to be handling traffic better than the usual signal. There wasn’t any backup at all for me — just one car in front of me.

BThompson February 8, 2012 (8:29 pm)

I remember the power pole in the background when it was a scary angry pole. It has been replaced

KN February 8, 2012 (10:52 pm)

I don’t see how this is much worse for Northbound drivers racing thru the 10 second or less light then slamming on their brakes when the so called light is in normal mode and ‘working’.

Would be nice if they’d revise the unnecessarily short light duration in that direction and free up that block better. Sometimes take 3 cycles to get thru that light.