VIADUCT CLOSURE, DAY 8: Friday morning traffic/transit updates

(SDOT MAP with camera/incident links; OFFICIAL #99CLOSURE INFOSITE; ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

5:10 AM: Good morning – we’re starting the second week of the Alaskan Way Viaduct’s closure. The early-morning progress report for under-Viaduct tunneling: 208 of 385 feet.

5:29 AM: Bridges and streets on the outbound routes are looking OK – no early incidents. The truck backup from yesterday should not be replicated today – the Port told us Terminal 46’s operator would be opening at 3 am, something it did not do yesterday.

5:47 AM: We’re about to head to the Water Taxi dock to check in on today’s runs – looks like a great day to sail. A commenter asked about the shuttles from Pier 2 – which hasn’t maxed out its parking spots yet – and whether their “continuous” operation had changed. No, said the WT’s Greg Lerner, but: “The one thing weā€™ve learned is that the shuttle needs to leave from Pier 2 about 11 minutes before departure to ensure riders have the time when they get to Seacrest Park to buy tickets (if needed) and walk down to the boat. Knowing this, we will not send a shuttle prior to this time (between sailings) if we donā€™t feel it can make it back to depart again by 11 minutes before the next sailing. Weā€™re hoping riders are attentive to our closure brochures that suggest riders arrive at Pier 2 about 20 minutes prior to their departure.”

6:07 AM: Beautiful sunrise. Meantime, the high bridge, is of course, starting to get busy. We’re approaching Seacrest – still lots of street parking on Harbor.

6:21 AM: Check out that view of the eastbound bridge – filling up. Meantime at Seacrest, just for posterity’s sake, we recorded the boarding for the first run of the day:

That’s county Marine Division director Paul Brodeur checking in with the crew toward the start. The count: 78.

6:37 AM: While the high bridge is busy, it’s not yet backed up to the 35th/Fauntleroy entrance, so that’s a good sign. Since it’s Friday, we should look ahead to weekend events likely to affect getting around:

*Sounders FC play San Jose at CenturyLink Field, 7 pm Saturday
*Opening Day of boating season on Saturday – if you’re U-District-bound, note that Montlake Bridge will be open for marine traffic much of the day
*Lung Force Walk on Saturday and The Color Run on Sunday, both downtown

SDOT’s roundup has details on those and more.

6:54 AM: 110 for the second Water Taxi run of the day, down from 137 yesterday. The dock has a soundtrack all its own … sea lions barking from the barge buoys, Canada geese honking as they fly by, jets overhead (saw a KAL 747 earlier this hour), and of course the maritime traffic – Doc Maynard’s Vashon counterpart Sally Fox was visible in the semi-distance earlier as it headed toward downtown.

7:19 AM: Crash reported on the eastbound bridge near the 1st Avenue exit.

7:23 AM: Thanks to the texter who tells us, from a bus, what’s happening at the crash scene: “2-car collision, east end of WS Bridge, where the lanes coming up from the low bridge merge. Fire truck blocking bus lane and part of the right all-vehicle lane… Drivers still in their cars talking with police [when texter’s bus passed], didn’t *appear* to be serious injury.” Meantime, 7:15 am Water Taxi tally was 198. (Added: Our video from that boarding:)

We’re leaving the dock now, headed to see what the Avalon/Manning situation by Luna Park is looking like after yesterday’s troubles.

7:34 AM: That helicopter over the bridge is TV checking out traffic because of the crash.

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Meantime, another bus passenger sent a photo (added above) saying it looks like the crash is clearing. (Added) And seconds after we typed that, SDOT verified via Twitter that ****the crash has cleared.****

7:41 AM: Checking out Avalon at Harbor/bridge onramp/Manning/etc. intersection, all is well – 21X and 116 just went by on the way to the bridge.

8:03 AM: Spent a few minutes observing at Avalon/Manning.

No left turning, no backups. (Did everybody divert today, or lots of people with three-day weekends, maybe?) Next, we’re heading to check out the bicycle commute under the bridge.

8:38 AM: From our stop on the path/trail by West Marginal Place:

Steady stream of riders going by. Low bridge has not opened for maritime traffic so far this morning, by the way.

9:02 AM: Just dispatched, Seattle Fire crash response to 9th/Barton.

9:25 AM: Haven’t heard any further details on that – the SFD response has closed, so here’s hoping that’s a good sign. By all accounts, today’s morning commute hasn’t been too bad. If you have any new questions about traffic or tunneling, please comment (or e-mail us at editor@westseattleblog.com) since as usual we will be on the media conference call, happening around 11:30 am. And we’ll have afternoon/evening coverage again, starting around 4 pm. (Inbetween, if there are any significant incidents affecting major corridors such as one of the bridges, we would publish a standalone report, as always.)

26 Replies to "VIADUCT CLOSURE, DAY 8: Friday morning traffic/transit updates"

  • Laura May 6, 2016 (7:07 am)

    On the first 57 of the morning. At 7:04 past s fender bender at the top of the ramp that leads up from Spokane, right where the lane to 99 breaks away. Partially blocking the bus lane but we could slip by. Also the ramp to 4th wasn’t as backed up as yesterday and Wednesday a this same time. Maybe only 2/3 up the ramp. 

    • Laura May 6, 2016 (7:14 am)

      Also, much smoother sailing down 4th. 

      • WSB May 6, 2016 (7:23 am)

        Thanks for being the first commute reporter du jour!

        • Laura May 6, 2016 (8:48 am)

          Thanks for your excellent coverage of all this. I’m happy to pitch in to the effort.

  • JayDee May 6, 2016 (7:47 am)

    Today’s 56 (6:31) was still full but the trip up 4th was positively quick.  Only 5 mins later than our normal to to Union.

  • Brian May 6, 2016 (7:52 am)

    I left at 6:53 from Morgan Junction and got to North Boeing Field by 7:24 (~30m travel time). Normally it’s 20 minutes.

     Today was surprisingly smooth considering it’s Friday and I left later than I anticipated.

  • OP May 6, 2016 (8:00 am)

    How in the h*ll is it possible to have a crash when traffic is barely moving. 

    • Joe Bags May 6, 2016 (8:36 am)

      Cars may have cut in the bus lane while a bus was headed to the 1st Ave exit? As people probably know the photo shows a bad area. Semis and vehicles coming up from Spokane trying to merge left, people trying to merge right from the bridge to 1st Ave, sometimes people will try to merge over to 99 through this gap. Choke point.

  • Jeff May 6, 2016 (8:01 am)

    Definitely the lightest traffic of the week, which is typical for a Friday.

  • LarryB May 6, 2016 (8:48 am)

    I left my house in Sunrise Heights at 6:15. It took 23 minutes to get to the 4th Ave ramp via the high bridge / Fauntleroy ramp.

    At 4th there was a cop leaning on his car, not directing traffic while the ramp was backed up almost to the highway. Very helpful.

    I guess leaving either way earlier or way later is a better strategy.

  • WSGirl May 6, 2016 (8:50 am)

    I was shocked at how easy today’s commute was, considering the news channels were saying “Stay home if possible today” due to all the accidents elsewhere. I got on my bus (the C in the Morgan Junction) ten minutes later than usual, at about 7:15 and was downtown at 3rd and Pike by 7:45… Fantastic! Just like the good ol’ days ;) 

  • PangolinPie May 6, 2016 (9:08 am)

    My 125 was only 20 minutes late! That’s…an improvement.

  • Deb May 6, 2016 (9:14 am)

    On the C with a smooth commute over WS Bridge and 4th Ave. Now on the bus way. So far so good. 

    Also wanted to share my husbands report of a C line that took Edgar Martenez way on the way back to west Seattle at 11:30 pm Wednesday night  that was a bonus for the riders who did not have to sit at the train tracks  .

  • Deb May 6, 2016 (9:18 am)

    The bus way between Lander and Royal Broughm was a good way to avoid the 4th Ave choke point.  

  • watertowerjoey May 6, 2016 (9:37 am)

    About 7:30(?) and ambulance worked its way down the WSB from 35th to the Steel Mill.  What a nightmare, but I was impressed by how people made space where there is very little to give!

    That said, why on earth would an ambulance driver choose that route?  Using Avalon and all the bus lanes options would make way more sense(they could even go “against” traffic if they had to)and get them to their destination way sooner then the one they chose.

  • Trickycoolj May 6, 2016 (9:50 am)

    Large SPD and Utility presence at East Marginal and Michigan on taco time and bank corners. Backing traffic down Michigan towards I-5 and across First Ave bridge, still looks like 7am traffic at almost 10am. 

    20th between Holden and Webster (hairpin turn) is down to one lane for utility work with flaggers.

  • clulessinws May 6, 2016 (10:04 am)

    Anyone see how the accident occurred this morning at bottom of eastbound hill?

  • JIm May 6, 2016 (10:05 am)

    Can someone clarify the situation at Manning and Avalon?  The sign says, “Right lane must turn right.”  That implies there are two lanes.  It doesn’t say, “No left turn.”  What gives? 

  • JIm May 6, 2016 (10:21 am)

    I know someone is going to say the left lane is bicycles only.  Then why doesn’t the sign just say, “No left turn,except bicycles”?   Direct communication.

    • West Sea Neighbor May 6, 2016 (10:41 am)

      There are indeed 2 lanes, but if you look at them, the left turn lane is very narrow, only about 3 feet across, and has a bicycle painted on it. Being so narrow, it would make sense that it is for bicycles only, but I agree that if this is indeed the case, it could be made much clearer. There are several right turn only lanes around the city that follow your suggested wording, stating “Right Turn Only Except Buses and Bicycles” where buses and bicycles are allowed to go straight through an intersection.

    • Joe Bags May 6, 2016 (11:57 am)

      I asked the city to make it more clear and enforce if necessary. Someone observed a cop the other day watched traffic turning left for awhile then take off. Hopefully we will have something more definitive soon.

      • Mickymse May 6, 2016 (2:42 pm)

        Left turns were NOT allowed onto Avalon there before… The sign used to say Right Turn only. The little left turn arrow was only added a little while back when they planned for bicycle improvements in West Seattle because that is the safer path for bicyclists to get to the bike trail out of West Seattle (although many bike commuters stay (legally) in the traffic lanes on Admiral passing over. What seems to be confusing is when SDOT came along and added newer signage that just seems to have caused confusion. Or perhaps they decided more recently to start allowing left turns by cars??? The confusion seems to be recent and simply requires clear signage and lane markings be added.

        • WSB May 6, 2016 (3:01 pm)

          Jon Layzer said, when we asked during yesterday’s conference call, that someone was over “evaluating” the markings. I photographed them this morning and the ones on the road really are torn up. I will follow up next week on what they intend to do about it …

  • Franci May 6, 2016 (10:52 am)

    Looking at pics of the accident, makes one wonder, did they collide in the bus lane?   My understanding is that the bus lane  is not open to passenger cars  while the white line is solid, passenger cars can merge into it after the line becomes broken.

    • chemist May 6, 2016 (11:41 am)

      Kind of… the white lane markings typically are a suggestion of “obstruction” and are engineered as a suggestion of where to cross (at broken sections) but the RCW doesn’t give white markings much legal authority (unlike double solid yellow you might see further E).

  • keden May 6, 2016 (12:59 pm)

    The bus lane is open to cars coming up from the low bridge.  It’s nearly impossible to see cars while you’re coming up the ramp, and I really wish people wouldn’t cross the white line there.  You can see buses because they’re big, obviously, but a passenger car is just waiting for a crash.

     

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