West Seattle traffic-alert update: Bonair pole problem

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(Photo courtesy Scott Taylor – thanks!)
5:51 PM: A power-pole problem – reported a few hours ago as “wires down” – has led police to block off Bonair just south of Alki Avenue (map), so you can’t turn onto Bonair from Alki, and you can’t get to Alki from Bonair. No ETA for a fix; we’ll check back at the scene later.

10:48 PM UPDATE: As of about half an hour ago, Luke Trier reports – sharing the photo below – the crew’s still “working tirelessly”:

11:14 PM UPDATE: An update from Luke – the crews are gone and it appears the pole’s fixed and the road’s open.

WestSide45 July 14, 2013 (8:16 pm)

How did they get the guy in the safety vest to balance the STOP sign on his head?

NW July 14, 2013 (8:56 pm)

I see electrical poles that seem to be leaning and ready to fall like this one occasionally. I imagine one could call city light to report one if it seemed on the verge of do so.

Hockeywitch July 14, 2013 (9:11 pm)

I drove passed there around 4-ish, saw the police car… thought they had just pulled someone over, until I got right in front of the street and saw the lines down…Then thought, “Well, that’s not good” Any idea if someone hit the pole, or if it just gave out??

WSB July 14, 2013 (9:22 pm)

One of the people who messaged about it said it seemed to be “just gave out.”

PDH July 14, 2013 (11:14 pm)

I know there can be lots of criticism of our city/county/state workers…but they are all our neighbors who work HARD and care for us. We have met some great city workers over the past few months and I want to remind us of the work they all do for us.

Thanks Seattle City Light!!!! Et al….

miws July 15, 2013 (7:28 am)

Well put, PDH.

In regards to the City Light workers specifically, they are the ones out there literally risking their lives to restore power, during windstorms, and other potentially hazardous situations. (Think back to December 2006).

Although I’m sure there is a certain point that it would simply be too dangerous for them to work, and repairs would have to be postponed, they are basically out there while the wind is still blowing, and the rain is still pouring.

There are so many aspects that of the job that are extremely dangerous on their own; potential to fall, electrocution from a line that may not have been properly de-energized, etc, when added to the weather continuing to be stormy, it adds up to a highly risky job that I certainly would have the guts to do, and I highly doubt that very many, if any, of the people that would say; “Well, that’s what they get paid to do”, or, “Well, yeah, it’s risky, but they’re making a lot of money in overtime”, would have the guts to do the job either.

Mike

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