TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Rainy Friday; weekend 99 work; Junction detour this morning

(Latest bridge and Viaduct views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:56 AM: The rain’s back, in time for the Friday morning commute. No problems reported so far.

7:39 AM: Via scanner – a vehicle stalled/broken down, blocking a lane on the northbound Alaskan Way Viaduct at Seneca. Police en route to check. (Update – nothing found)

7:57 AM: Comment and text report stalled pickup truck in bus lane on eastbound bridge, near crest.

8:07 AM: SDOT has moved a camera to show the truck – a photo is in their tweet:

There's a stalled vehicle in the center right lane on EB West Seattle Bridge. pic.twitter.com/NddopabMq5

— seattledot (@seattledot) March 14, 2014

8:17 AM UPDATE: SDOT now reports the truck has been cleared.

Advisories:

HIGHWAY 99 NOTES FOR THIS WEEKEND: Lane and ramp work in the stadium zone – here’s the rundown on the WSDOT website. If you’re going to the Sounders game on Saturday, take note of a break in the work planned to lessen the potential traffic effects.

SPOKANE OVERCROSSING: WSDOT’s project page for the former “Timber Bridge” south of the West Seattle Bridge says closures might be needed again next week to finish striping; we’re checking on that this morning.

JUNCTION CONSTRUCTION: Also checking on this – but if weather was deemed suitable, a major concrete pour was scheduled for today affecting traffic on California SW between Alaska and Edmunds, as noted here.

**Update – It’s indeed on; northbound California is detoured at Edmunds, southbound is still going through. This should continue until early afternoon.**

stb March 14, 2014 (7:49 am)

There is an old pickup truck parked in the bus lane on the bridge near the crest. No driver in sight.

WSB March 14, 2014 (7:52 am)

Yikes.

IXOBPP March 14, 2014 (8:00 am)

Just passed the old pickup (I’m in a bus). The driver is standing on the shoulder of the bridge so use caution if you’re in the NB99 lane. Pickup is in the bus lane.

WSB March 14, 2014 (8:07 am)

Looks like somebody is on the scene to help. SDOT has moved the camera; I’m adding their tweet with photo.

enough March 14, 2014 (9:27 am)

I’ve noticed the bus lane is basically an optional lane for cars these days. What gives and where are the police I have been asking to enforce the bus lane in the morning?

sam-c March 14, 2014 (9:37 am)

enough: just a point- it’s a ‘bus lane’ when the lane stripes are solid, not dashed. in that photo it’s not a ‘bus lane’. you can see that SDOT refers to it as the ‘center right lane.’
in the locations it’s dashed, you can use that lane to change lanes before it turns into a bus lane.

ie, if you get on at Delridge, and it takes awhile before a) someone lets you over or b) you can get enough speed in order to merge with the people who are going 60 across the bridge (not in rush hour of course) you are travelling in that lane. both A) and b) can be exceedingly frustrating if you are stuck behind a Nucor truck, by the way.

obviously I don’t know what this pick up truck driver was doing, but calling out the driver for using the bus lane when it’s not a bus lane is annoying.

enough March 14, 2014 (11:05 am)

Totally agree sam-c. I wasn’t referring to the story (picture) today per se, but to the bus lane that is on the east slope (downhill). That is definitly buses only but people use it to change from the 99 N lane or to start exiting to 1st way early.
.
I don’t like to be a snitch or narc but the police wont show up to enforce an area unless the public lets them know about it. There have been some bad accidents in this area cause by cars being in the bus lane. When accidents happen, it cripples the commute for all as I’m sure you are well aware.

let them swim March 14, 2014 (11:10 am)

@enough, Returning to W.S. Thurs. morn 8:30 a.m.
saw police car on east bottom end of bridge. Police cannot be present 24/7 but, sometimes they are there. I’ve actually seen them quite numerous times waving drivers over to ticket.

enough March 14, 2014 (1:18 pm)

Thanks for the info, let them swim. I used to see that officer people nicknamed “mustache”, waving people over at the bottom of the eastbound hill. It’s nice to hear they are still enforcing this area.

let them swim March 14, 2014 (2:08 pm)

@enough, I’ve had enough of those people that cut in at the last moment. I’m just glad I’m self-employed and I can adjust my hours to lite traffic time. My wife use to leave at 7:30a.m. —-now it’s 6:45 am just to miss the traffic. Sad thing is -it’s only gonna get worst.

enough March 14, 2014 (3:48 pm)

I agree LTS. What gets me most though, are the people who cut across the “illegal to cross double white line” area at I 5 north from the bridge/Spokane Street viaduct.