TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER: Wednesday watch, with early trouble

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

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

5:38 AM: We’re launching early this morning because it’s already a troubled morning commute:

-Texter says a car spun out on the eastbound West Seattle Bridge and is blocking the left lane. No injuries reported (no Seattle Fire dispatch).

-If you take northbound I-5 from points south of the West Seattle Bridge, it’s closed because of a deadly crash overnight at Michigan.

-The Vashon Water Taxi is canceled again this morning (as it was last night) because of strong wind.

Watch out for road ice – temperatures are below freezing this morning.

6:12 AM: Another reader says the crash on the bridge is still blocking the two left lanes. It’s out of camera range, and SDOT hasn’t tweeted about it, so if you’re on a bus or otherwise in a passenger seat and you have an update (tow truck on scene or …) please comment.

Also, SFD is responding to a crash on NB 99 at Henderson – that would be south of the bridge. And Metro says the NB I-5 crash at Michigan is continuing to affect transit routes, even ones miles from the scene.

6:23 AM: The crash is near the crest of the EB West Seattle Bridge. Meantime, most lanes have reopened at the scene of the deadly NB I-5 crash at Michigan

6:41 AM: Thanks for the update in comments – bridge crash is reported to have cleared. And all lanes on NB I-5 at Michigan have reopened after that crash investigation (original incident was at 2 am). The SFD call for the NB 99/Henderson crash has closed.

7:21 AM: New problem! SDOT says a stall in the NB Battery Street Tunnel is backing up The Viaduct.

Meantime, there’s a medic response on the SFD 911 log as 38th/Alaska.

7:27 AM: SDOT says the Battery Street Tunnel stall has cleared, but as always …”residual delays” will remain for a while.

8:08 AM: It’s been such a busy morning, we forgot to mention that – as far as we know – another day of streetlight work on the west end of the bridge is scheduled today between 9 am and 4 pm. Details here.

16 Replies to "TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER: Wednesday watch, with early trouble"

  • Bridge January 11, 2017 (6:33 am)

    Bridge accident is clear. Cars are moving, but it may take a bit to clear the back up. 

    • WSB January 11, 2017 (6:42 am)

      Thank you!

  • Chris Witwer January 11, 2017 (6:45 am)

    Thank you! 

  • newnative January 11, 2017 (7:11 am)

    Sign on 99 says battery street tunnel is closed. Traffic is moving, slowly. 

  • stb January 11, 2017 (7:13 am)

    Now the sign on Fauntleroy says the Battery Street tunnel is closed!

  • Olivist January 11, 2017 (7:15 am)

    Looks like NB 99 tunnel blocked or closed for stall/crash. Might make later commutes to downtown and north messy if not cleared. 

    • WSB January 11, 2017 (7:20 am)

      I was just updating. SDOT says there’s a stall in the tunnel and that’s backing up NB 99.

  • ehyi January 11, 2017 (8:05 am)

    21 to downtown is 20minutes late and counting… 804 and still waiting for the 742am bus.

  • waikikigirl January 11, 2017 (8:24 am)

    Geez we’re lucky here in Seattle, did you see what Portland got last night by surprise?!

    • WSB January 11, 2017 (8:28 am)

      We had to make a day run to Portland last Friday – cold but no snow – some ice on I-5 that day, though, and a terrible deadly wreck that closed NB I-5 Friday night. Hard to imagine what it must be like there today. And points north, in southwest Washington, too.

  • waikikigirl January 11, 2017 (8:33 am)

    I tried to post a live pic from their news station KGW but it said my comment was too big. oops sorry about that. lots of lost power down there and they got like 15 inches of snow. :>(

  • waikikigirl January 11, 2017 (8:40 am)

     Here’s a pic from a few minutes ago, my cousins condo in Portland. She said she was glad they did a food run yesterday before all of this happened!

    • WSB January 11, 2017 (8:44 am)

      Looks like the approach to the 405 bridge, maybe? The pretty arched one?

  • waikikigirl January 11, 2017 (9:59 am)

    Not the pretty arched one but it is 405 and in my cousins exact words  “It
    is 405, but the Marquam Bridge portion” 

  • Kris January 11, 2017 (10:21 am)

    Anyone know how the roads are in White Center and Burien this morning?  I need to drive to SEATAC airport  today.

    • WSB January 11, 2017 (10:31 am)

      There was no report of trouble that far north. In fact, some flights meant for Portland were diverted to Sea-Tac because things were OK there.

Sorry, comment time is over.