(this update covered 1 pm to 7 pm; please go here for the evening updates – thanks!)
(The Olympics, with Blake Island in the foreground, photographed by Jana in Upper Fauntleroy)
After publishing a few other items, it’s time to start the Monday afternoon coverage, looking ahead to the commute back home from work and school. First, an update from Rick Sheridan at SDOT:
Out of 13 SDOT plow/sanding trucks working primary and secondary arterials citywide, we currently have eight trucks focusing on the streets of West Seattle. This emphasis on West Seattle has been ongoing since Sunday. The problem is that we will melt the ice with sand and liquid de-icer, but below freezing temperatures cause a rapid refreeze.
However, SDOT will keep working those arterials streets and will have plow/sanding vehicles standing by at the West Seattle Bridge and Alaskan Way Viaduct for the evening commute.
We mentioned earlier that one of the many treacherously icy non-arterials was SW Myrtle east of (and uphill from) Delridge, by Sanislo Elementary; here’s an update from Sanislo mom Lisa K, who said the street was closed by the time she reached the vicinity:
The principal was out with a few staff members trying to assist in buses turning around on the hill on 21st–not an easy thing to do. Bus drivers are sure earning their $$ today. Classes were about half full when school started, and the front office announced to teachers that two buses were still incoming. I just spoke to the school secretary, and she said that they were told the roads near the school would be sanded, but she hadn’t heard yet if that had actually happened. Even with the sand, it is a steep grade and next to the school there’s little passing room for errors–I don’t know that I’d try it unless things really melt off by afternoon. Those with more winter driving experience may feel more confident than I, however. If you’re fairly sure-footed and don’t have to carry little ones, I’d recommend parking on Delridge and taking the Myrtle stairway. We decided to take that route to school this morning, and although the stairway was a bit icy, it wasn’t terrible if you took your time and had on appropriate footwear (slippy shoes would be a bad idea on your way back down). Certainly easier than trying to negotiate Myrtle or 21st.
School, you’ll recall, started two hours late; we don’t expect to hear till much later tonight what the plan is for tomorrow, and we’ll let you know as soon as it’s announced. (And again, if you are affiliated with a private school, we appreciate getting that info too; we posted this list of all known school changes starting late last night and updating through the morning.)
Samantha from West Seattle Family YMCA (WSB sponsor) just sent this update on their changes:
West Seattle YMCA health & wellness facility will close at 8 pm.
Family Programs will close at 6 pm.
Fauntleroy YMCA health & wellness facility will close at 8 pm.
No evening Kids Corner at Fauntleroy.
Classes at both facilities may or may not run, based on instructor’s ability to get in safely.
Call 206-937-1000 for Fauntleroy specifics, 206-935-6000 for West Seattle specifics.YMCA Childcare/School-based Programs:
Community Learning Centers will be closed.
Child care at Concord Elementary and Cooper Elementary will close at 3 pm.
Preschool at the West Seattle YMCA will close at 5 pm.
Child care at West Seattle Elementary and Arbor Heights Elementary will close at 6 pm (normal time).
1:31 PM UPDATE: It’s official – this was the coldest December 15 ever; Times says 19 degrees was the low at Sea-Tac, breaking the record of 20 set in 1964. A “special weather statement” is in effect, warning about the continued cold (tonight’s low could be even lower, and snow is still a possibility for Wednesday).
2:20 PM UPDATE: Some potentially helpful links looking ahead to the afternoon/evening commute:
Latest list of bus routes on “adverse weather” reroutes
School changes (though any for tomorrow are not likely to be announced till much later)
King County road alerts
Latest forecast
WSDOT trouble spots via Twitter
Washington State Ferries “service bulletins”
Live 911 log for Seattle fire/medic calls
Here’s the latest pic (refresh for updates) from the city camera pointed east on The Bridge:
Other cameras of West Seattle relevance are on our Traffic page.
3:42 PM UPDATE: From Dewey Potter at Seattle Parks:
Because of the icy street conditions on all access points at High Point Community Center, basketball practices are cancelled there for tonight.
Four teams were scheduled to practice tonight. Center staff will call coaches and participants to notify them of the cancellation. High Point staff will work with the coaches to schedule a make-up practice day for each team. For more information, the public can call High Point Community Center Coordinator Brian Judd at 206-684-7422.
And if anybody needs a reminder – Hillary sent this photo from 42nd SW – didn’t say where, but really, there are dozens of places like this:
The city had reported earlier that trash service was postponed today for all of West Seattle; maybe that message didn’t get to all the trucks, because Nathan sent us this photo:
He wrote:
things were not going well for at least one garbage truck trying to negotiate Holly St. near 44th Ave. SW. I took these pictures at 12 PM, looks like the garbage truck must have slid down the slight hill near the intersection of Holly and 44th SW and hit the parked Dodge Neon.
If you missed it this morning, here’s the city announcement again about trash service.
4:29 PM UPDATE: Just got word from Fran Z that Alki Bingo is canceled tonight — no session next week since it’ll be almost Christmas, so that means the next scheduled session is January 5th. (It’s on the WSB West Seattle Events calendar every week.) Fran also reminds those who do a lot of walking, like she does, that the sidewalks are very slick in so many spots, just like those side roads. Meantime, your editor here is about to head downtown for the Viaduct forum – with access along the way, of course, so we can provide commute updates from whatever we see in the other direction; co-publisher Patrick is holding down the fort at HQ for any updates in the meantime. Before the switchover — here’s a photo just in from Bob Bollen at Alki:
Side note: For the citywide traffic-camera network – click here. For the state highway traffic cams, click here.
5:27 PM UPDATE: Road report from your editor: No problem getting downtown (where the Town Hall Viaduct forum is about to start with a recap of everything that’s gotten the decisionmaking agencies to this point). Route: California from Thistle to Fauntleroy, Fauntleroy to the Bridge. All just great – of course, except for the stub of side street we had to travel first, and we saw many such streets shining with ice as we drove along Fauntleroy and caught glimpses in our peripheral vision. If you have to return to such a street – be very, very, very, very careful. And in fact, a road-closure report is just in from Melissa in Westwood:
SW Barton Place (in between Barton St. and Roxbury St.) is a sheet of ice and was closed this afternoon around 4:00 due to the bad conditions. I have no idea when it’s reopening, but since there are other ways of getting around, I don’t think it will cause too much of a hassle. Be careful!
6:12 PM UPDATE: Starting an evening post shortly (after 6:30 pm, when hopefully most folks are home safely and we switch to looking ahead to tomorrow). First a note – Winter Storm Watch now in effect for late Tuesday night through late Wednesday night; here’s the latest forecast. And one more daytime beauty shot – Vanessa photographed a windsurfer at Alki:
6:36 PM UPDATE: 911 log shows a “motor vehicle accident” at California/Dawson south of The Junction. No other details, but sounds like an extra reason to avoid the area for a while.
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