West Seattle Blog…

Another traffic heads-up: Underground work ahead on Spokane @ Beach Dr.

Though King County says the timeline’s not set yet, it’s circulating an alert about work that will dig up a section of road south of Alki Point soon. The alert begins:

Beginning later this month, a contractor working for King County will be making repairs to the County’s Alki Regulator Gate. This below-ground structure is located in Southwest Spokane St., near the corner of Beach Dr. Southwest. (see attached map). This facility is part of the County’s regional wastewater system; it helps to regulate wastewater flows going to the County’s West Seattle tunnel and pump station. These repairs are important to help avoid wastewater overflows into Puget Sound during times of high wastewater flows in the system.

See the full alert here (PDF, including a map). It says the work will last up to two weeks, with traffic-flagging for the duration, and that other projects are ahead, including improvements to the pump station in the area and installation of a “flow meter” near Spokane/62nd.

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Friday updates; looking ahead

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Sunshine’s back, in time for a busy summer weekend. First – today’s commute. OK so far. (The I-90 westbound lane closures ended early today, by the way.) So here are the looking-ahead notes:

SATURDAY NIGHT VIADUCT CLOSURE: Tomorrow night, the northbound Alaskan Way Viaduct closes 5:30-7:45 pm for the Seafair Torchlight Run – this SDOT roundup has details on that and other citywide weekend traffic alerts.

MONDAY NIGHT NOTE: The West Seattle Water Taxi will run late Monday night (July 28) for the Sounders match.

BLUE ANGELS-RELATED I-90 CLOSURES NEXT WEEK: Looking way ahead to Thursday 7/31 through Sunday 8/3 – here’s the schedule for that.

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Thursday updates & reminders

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Summery weather is returning, the forecasters say; we’ll see how it goes on the roads, trails, and waterways as the morning unfolds. A few notes:

SATURDAY NIGHT VIADUCT CLOSURE: If you’ll be out Saturday night, remember that the northbound Alaskan Way Viaduct will be closed 5:30-7:45 pm for the Seafair Torchlight Run – check out this SDOT roundup for details on that and other weekend traffic alerts around the city.

SOUND TRANSIT SURVEY: Four more days to answer the newest survey in Sound Transit‘s Long-Range Plan Update, and let ST your thoughts on light rail for West Seattle. Here’s the survey link; here’s our coverage of last week’s ST presentation at the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce‘s monthly lunch.

5:45 PM: Crash reported on northbound 99 at Seneca, if you are heading toward downtown. That said, we are on northbound I-5 right now almost to downtown and it’s fairly sluggish.

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Rainy Wednesday updates; West Seattle Water Taxi trouble

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:12 AM: Be careful on rain-slick roads/paths/sidewalks this morning.

While we watch the morning traffic, only one advance alert to remind you of – Saturday (July 26) is Seafair Torchlight Night, and NB Highway 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct is scheduled to be closed 5:30 pm-7:45 pm for the Torchlight Run (which is followed on 4th Avenue downtown by the Torchlight Parade – here’s the lineup – and here are the night’s bus reroutes).

8:06 AM: No West Seattle Water Taxi until 9 am “due to mechanical issues,” per text just in from King County. Service will resume then from Pier 50 with Melissa Ann (which usually takes a post-commute hiatus from the Vashon run then); we’ll check later on how things are looking for the afternoon.

2:32 PM: All’s now well with the Spirit of Kingston this afternoon, says the county, so West Seattle-Downtown service will continue as scheduled from here on out.

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Tuesday updates; presidential visit this pm

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Northbound I-5 is reported to have some slowdowns downtown because of a crash near the Seneca ramp. That’s what’s up as we start the morning watch, and for later:

PRESIDENTIAL VISIT TODAY: Still no exact routes/times but as reported here on Monday, the advisory issued by Boeing Field, which Air Force One will use, suggest his quick visit for a Madrona fundraiser (possibly also Hunts Point) will be in the 3-7:30 pm vicinity. Especially in the I-5 corridor, prepare for possible motorcade stops/slowdowns.

The big transportation news, in case you missed it:

BUS-CUT PLAN CHANGE: The County Council and County Executive have agreed to go ahead with this September’s Metro cuts as previously announced, and the same amount of service cuts next February as planned – but not necessarily the same routes – and then before they get anywhere near September 2015, when the worst West Seattle cuts were supposed to happen, they’ll revisit the whole thing in the budgeting process.

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Monday updates; what you need to know for the rest of the week

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
While we keep an eye on what’s happening on the routes through and from West Seattle, a few other notes:

SHELTER SWAPOUT: If you’re catching or changing buses in The Junction, you might notice a shelter swapout:

Kate Kaemerle took the photo Friday. We checked with Metro, whose spokesperson Jeff Switzer tells WSB it’s a refurbishment project and that the locally themed art that graced the previous shelter will be reinstalled after the work is done. No time estimate, though.

I-90 WB LANE CLOSURES CONTINUE: Here’s a WSDOT progress report on the westbound I-90 lane closures between Bellevue and Mercer Island. They continue today.

PRESIDENTIAL VISIT TOMORROW: Various regional news sources have reported that President Obama is coming to Seattle on Tuesday for more Democratic Party fundraising. Though there has been no formal public announcement of times/places, Patti Payne reports in the Puget Sound Business Journal that it’s an afternoon event in Madrona. He’s not staying overnight, so there will be a motorcade back to the airport too.

SATURDAY NIGHT 99 CLOSURE: Looking way ahead to next weekend, a reminder that Saturday (July 26) is Seafair Torchlight Night, and NB Highway 99 (Alaskan Way Viaduct) is scheduled to be closed 5:30 pm-7:45 pm for the Torchlight Run.

West Seattle Bridge traffic-alert update: Offramp crash cleared

7:05 PM: Thanks to the texter who just called our attention to an emergency callout on the eastbound West Seattle Bridge at the exit to northbound Highway 99 – they say it’s a flipped car. Can’t tell from the cameras in the area at this point, but we’re checking.

7:13 PM UPDATE: Seattle Police just tweeted that it’s a single-car crash and no injuries are reported, but the ramp is blocked.

7:21 PM UPDATE: Police are calling for an SDOT crew to clean up the scene, saying over emergency radio that since it’s upside down, its fluids are running out.

8:46 PM UPDATE: In comments, Morgan Junction Mom says this isn’t clear yet but progress is being made.

8:52 PM UPDATE: And now SPD has tweeted that the ramp is open again.

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Friday watch; weekend warnings

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Happy Friday! As we keep watch on today’s traffic, there’s a LOT to remind you about:

THAT I-90 LANE CLOSURE: Starting at 9:30 tonight and continuing for up to six days, WSDOT is doing expansion-joint work on westbound I-90 between Bellevue and Mercer Island, which will be reduced to one westbound lane as a result – full details here. If you have to come back from the Eastside, besides Highway 520, another option is to take 405 to Renton, where it heads west and joins up with Highway 518, which you can take westbound to northbound Highway 509, which connects you with east West Seattle.

FLOAT DODGER 5K & PARADE CLOSURES TOMORROW: From fairly early Saturday morning into early Saturday afternoon, California SW closes between north of SW Lander, the West Seattle Grand Parade starting point, to SW Edmunds, end of the route. The Float Dodger 5K starts from California/Charlestown at about 9:30; its course is here. More parade details in our countdown reports, but for road closures, that’s what you need to know, and do heed the no-parking signs on California and side streets where parade participants are staged. (Later Saturday afternoon, about a mile of 16th SW in White Center is closed for the Jubilee Days Parade, between SW 112th and SW 100th, and 17th SW is closed from Roxbury to 100th all day for the WCJD Street Fair.) Bus reroutes for all of the above, too – check your route here).

PRESIDENTIAL VISIT NEXT TUESDAY: Specifics are still lacking, but President Obama visits Seattle briefly for a fundraiser next Tuesday; SDOT has noon-8 pm set aside as the time period. No word yet exactly where he’ll be, nor even which airport Air Force One will use, but just know that at some point during the day, there’ll be traffic stops for the motorcade somewhere.

Transportation news:

SEATTLE VOTE AHEAD FOR METRO MONEY: The sales tax/car tab combo is going to the November ballot.

SOUND TRANSIT @ WS CHAMBER: If you want West Seattle to be in Sound Transit‘s updated long-range plan, speak up now, the WS Chamber of Commerce was told.

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Thursday tracking

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! We’re keeping watch as Thursday gets going. And as always, we have previews as well as transportation news:

WEST SEATTLE FLOAT DODGER 5K/GRAND PARADE CLOSURES: Saturday morning, California will be closed south of Admiral, south to Edmunds, for the %K and parade. Side streets on both ends of the route will be used for staging. Bus reroutes, too – check your route here).

IF YOU USE I-90 … getting home will be a challenge for about a week. Westbound 90 will have some major closures, starting tomorrow – details here.

DOWNTOWN BUS REROUTES THIS WEEKEND … because of road work; check your route here. 11:58 am note: Metro has just announced the 3rd Avenue work is canceled for this weekend and will resume August 2nd-3rd.

Transportation news notes:

SEATTLE TAX TO HOLD OFF METRO CUTS? The City Council, meeting as the Transportation Benefit District board, takes the sales tax/car-tab tax proposal up at 2 pm today – agenda here.

FOLLOWUP ON THE 4-MILE, 5-HOUR CLOSURE: Remember the five-hour Highway 99 closure after a crash in June? Here’s the second and final set of answers that Councilmember Tom Rasmussen wanted from city departments.

ADDED: Meant to mention this too – details are few, but The Seattle Times (WSB partner) says the president is coming back to Seattle for a fundraiser next Tuesday afternoon. Where/when/which airport NOT announced yet.

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Tuesday on the move

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Today’s traffic watch begins. And as always, we have reminders:

ONE WEEK OF I-90 LANE CLOSURES … westbound 90, starting this Friday – details here.

WEST SEATTLE GRAND PARADE CLOSURES: Saturday morning, California will be closed south of Admiral, all the way to Edmunds, for the parade. Staging zones will be on side streets along both ends of the route. We’ll be previewing the parade all week – here’s our “countdown” update from last night.

THAT HIGHWAY 99 CLOSURE IN AUGUST … if you missed the new details made public last Friday, here’s our report.

8:21 AM: No trouble reported because of it yet but fog is drifting through and we’re hearing the occasional foghorn in the distance. But the forecast says it WILL make way for sunshine again later, with a high in the 80s.

9:09 AM: Ferries on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run are delayed because of the fog – 15 to 30 minutes, says WSF.

11:08 AM: Eddie points out in comments that California is narrowed again today between Alaska and Edmunds because of street work related to the 4730 California project at midblock – one lane each way, no parking.

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Monday updates

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! No problems of note so far this morning on the main routes from West Seattle. On the preview front, no major road work announced for this week, and the next closure will be for Saturday’s West Seattle Grand Parade – more on that as the week goes by.

BRIDGE ANNIVERSARY EVENT TONIGHT: The Southwest Seattle Historical Society-led celebration of the high-level West Seattle Bridge’s 30th anniversary continues with a high-level event tonight – free and open to the public in the courtyard at Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), same place the West Seattle Outdoor Movies series starts this Saturday. 6:30 pm, people who were part of the events that paved the way for the bridge will be part of a panel discussion – with a group described by SWSHS’s Clay Eals as “a great group, not likely to be in one place for a public forum ever again.” More in today’s daily preview in the 9 am hour. P.S. Today is the 30th anniversary of the bridge’s dedication.

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Special weekend edition – road closures, bus reroutes

(EDITOR’S NOTE: This was originally published Saturday, but it all still applies Sunday)

Before we get to the big list of everything happening today – a separate list of road closure/bus reroutes, and it’s not just The Junction:

ROAD CLOSURES TODAY: West Seattle Summer Fest continues, so California SW remains closed between Edmunds and Genesee, with east-west traffic allowed through on SW Oregon; also closed, SW Alaska between 42nd and 44th. Regionally, the 520 bridge across Lake Washington is closed all weekend.

BUS REROUTES TODAY: In addition to the Summer Fest-related reroutes in West Seattle, two local buses are affected by changes this weekend downtown, so we’re including them in this list. (Thanks to @MJS1980 for pointing this out via Twitter; Metro’s full systemwide list, from which these links are taken, is here.)

Festival-related:
*RapidRide C Line
*Route 50
*Route 55
*Route 57
*Route 128
*Route 773 (Water Taxi shuttle)

Downtown-construction related:
*Route 21
*Route 120

West Seattle traffic alert: Crash at 35th/Juneau

(WSB photo by Patrick Sand, substituted for original cameraphone photo)
At least one person is reported hurt in a multiple-vehicle crash that is blocking one lane each way on 35th at Juneau. Police are just arriving at the scene to help with traffic control. Traffic is getting by in the outside lane each way but that might change; a civilian is waving traffic around while police assess the scene. First fire personnel to arrive reported one person was unconscious. The two vehicles involved are side-by-side facing south.

9:22 PM UPDATE: Went back to check; crash scene is clear.

West Seattle traffic alert: New details about Highway 99 closure next month

In June, we reported on WSDOT’s plan to close part of Highway 99 (including the Alaskan Way Viaduct) in late August for repair work. Today, new details are out – see them here – since WSDOT has locked in more details. Key points: 99 will be closed both ways from the West Seattle Bridge to Valley Street from late Friday night, August 22nd, until early Monday morning, August 25th; the section from the WS Bridge to the Battery Street Tunnel will reopen then, but the stretch north to Valley will remain closed until Wednesday, August 27th.

P.S. If you have questions about ongoing Highway 99 work, including (or not) the tunnel, WSDOT has a booth here at West Seattle Summer Fest, all weekend long.

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Summer Fest Friday edition

Happy Friday! It’s Day 1 of West Seattle Summer Fest in The Junction: The tents are up, the streets are closed – specifically, California between Edmunds and Genesee (though east-west traffic on Oregon is allowed through) and Alaska between 44th and 42nd. Bus reroute specifics (each link is a PDF from Metro explaining stop and route changes):

*RapidRide C Line
*Route 50
*Route 55
*Route 57
*Route 128
*Route 773 (Water Taxi shuttle)

Once the festival begins at 10 am, we’ll be covering it live. First, the rest of the commute:

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
We’re monitoring as always; if you see/hear something, let us know – but not until you can safely/legally do so (if you are a passenger, or once you have reached your destination) – text or voice any time, 206-293-6302.

P.S. One major weekend closure in the region – the 520 bridge closes again late tonight through early Monday.

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Summer Fest Eve edition, with street closures, bus changes starting tonight

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Happy Thursday! It’s the eve of West Seattle Summer Fest, with Junction street closures and bus changes starting tonight. From 6 pm until late Sunday night, California SW will be closed between Edmunds and Genesee and SW Alaska between 44th and 42nd. Here again are the announced Metro reroutes – each link goes to the Metro PDF explaining the temporary changes;

*RapidRide C Line
*Route 50
*Route 55
*Route 57
*Route 128
*Route 773 (Water Taxi shuttle)

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Wednesday updates; road work, closure reminders

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! While we watch the roads, first reminder of the day – California SW paving between Holly and Fauntleroy is scheduled to continue today, and Morgan Junction businesses remind you they ARE open, even if the California-fronting access is blocked.

SUMMER FEST REMINDER: Tomorrow (Thursday) night at 6 until late Sunday night, California SW will be closed between Edmunds and Genesee and SW Alaska between 44th and 42nd for West Seattle Summer Fest (presented by the WS Junction Association, co-sponsored by WSB). Here again are the announced Metro reroutes – each link goes to the Metro PDF explaining the temporary changes;

*RapidRide C Line
*Route 50
*Route 55
*Route 57
*Route 128
*Route 773 (Water Taxi shuttle)

Transportation news in case you missed it:

BIKE CORRAL ON THE WAY: As first reported here Tuesday afternoon, the stalemate over installing on-street bicycle parking (a “bike corral”) in The Junction is over, and SDOT says it will be in place on the west side of the SE corner of California/Alaska by month’s end.

SEATTLE TAXES TO AVOID METRO CUTS? As previewed here last night, Councilmember Nick Licata will be at the 34th District Democrats‘ meeting tonight (7 pm, The Hall at Fauntleroy) to pitch his and Councilmember Kshama Sawant‘s alternative proposal, which also goes before a council committee this afternoon.

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Tuesday notes, including California SW repaving south of Fauntleroy Way

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
First thing on the list this morning: SDOT is scheduled to start two days of work today, repaving a block of California SW in Morgan Junction, just south of Fauntleroy Way, where the intersection was repaved weekend before last. The work schedule is 7 am-7 pm. The city says it will maintain one lane of through traffic “in each direction,” though the weekly “lookahead” says California will be closed – we’ll check after 7 am and update here.

SUMMER FEST REMINDER: We’ll remind you every day – Thursday night at 6 until late Sunday night, California SW closes between Edmunds and Genesee and SW Alaska closes between 44th and 42nd for West Seattle Summer Fest (presented by the WS Junction Association, co-sponsored by WSB). That means bus reroutes, too, now published on Metro’s site – again, these are for Thursday night (July 10th) through Sunday night (July 13th) – each link goes to the Metro PDF explaining what will change and where:

*RapidRide C Line
*Route 50
*Route 55
*Route 57
*Route 128
*Route 773 (Water Taxi shuttle)

8:37 AM: Thanks to Jennhx for confirming that the repaving zone on California *does* have one lane open each way.

10:31 AM: Via Twitter, Wonder reports a crash has Northbound 99 down to one lane just before the stadium zone.

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Quiet pre-holiday Thursday

(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Four- or five-day weekend for many, with the 4th of July tomorrow, so the morning commute is reported to be quiet.

Reminder – holiday transit changes for Friday are listed on the WSB 4th of July page.

TRANSPORTATION NEWS: A few headlines from Wednesday, if you didn’t catch them first time around:
-Mayor announces SDOT director choice
-More repaving in Morgan Junction
-SDOT’s new plan for Admiral Way hill
-What went wrong with the low bridge Tuesday night

West Seattle road work: More Morgan Junction-area repaving next week

Last weekend, SDOT repaved the intersection of California/Fauntleroy. Next week, they’ll extend the new pavement a block south, according to this announcement just in:

Once Fourth of July festivities are over, Seattle Department of Transportation paving crews will move in to California Avenue Southwest to pave the block south of the Morgan Junction.

Providing the good weather holds, the crews will grind and pave California from Fauntleroy Way Southwest to Southwest Holly Street, starting at 7 a.m. on July 8 and July 9, and ending at 7 p.m. each day.

One lane of traffic will remain open in each direction with Police Officers and traffic flaggers assisting drivers through the work area. Crosswalks and sidewalks will remain open. On-street parking will be restricted.

As noted in our update on last weekend’s work, SDOT already has repaved stretches of California to the north and south.

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Wednesday notes

(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
We’re off to a late start this morning but it’s been quiet – perhaps the pre-holiday slowdown already. No road work this weekend, WSDOT reminds us; holiday transit changes for Friday are listed on the WSB 4th of July page.

West Seattle traffic alert: ‘Low bridge’ out of commission right now

7:07 PM: Thanks to the texter who just sent word that the “low bridge” has been closed to traffic for about 40 minutes. Checking SDOT via Twitter, they report it’s “closed due to some gate issues” and that it should be fixed soon. Updates as we get them.

10:25 PM: No official SDOT updates since then; we’ve been watching this traffic camera and haven’t seen a vehicle cross.

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Toasty Tuesday, July 1st

(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Welcome to July 2014! Forecast temperatures near 90 are the big news today. Traffic-wise, so far, the nearest trouble is south of our area; nothing on the major routes through/from West Seattle and vicinity.

4TH OF JULY: Planning ahead for Friday? Transit changes for the holiday are all listed already on our special West Seattle 4th of July page (as well as West Seattle events/activities for the day). If you have something to add, please let us know, as we’ll be updating all the way up until the holiday – editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Pre-holiday Monday edition

(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Welcome to the last day of the month and the first day of a pre-holiday week, with the 4th of July coming up on Friday. No traffic trouble so far; we’ll update if anything happens.

TRANSPORTATION NEWS: As of 6 am, as promised, the new South Park Bridge is in service, though it’s one (vehicle) lane each way for the first week or so while finishing touches continue … From the “in case you missed it” file, you’re invited to suggest names for the new King County Water Taxi boats … and this open letter calls for the city to get moving on a bicycle-parking “corral” for The Junction.

8:05 AM: Some northbound I-5 trouble downtown:

West Seattle traffic alert: Stoplight trouble at 35th/Avalon

We’ve had two reports in the past few minutes of stoplight trouble at 35th and Avalon – on our way to check it out, but if you’re about to head out, you might consider avoiding it for now.

Traffic-alert update: Downed tree cleared from eastbound Roxbury

12:46 PM: Thanks to Krista for first word that a tree is down across eastbound Roxbury at 10th SW. As you can see in the photo she shared, King County Sheriff’s Office is on the scene. Avoid the area.

1:40 PM UPDATE: Metro has just texted that Routes 60 and 128 are rerouted off eastbound Roxbury in the area, between 8th and 14th SW.

3:15 PM UPDATE: Still not cleared; KCSO still diverting traffic.

6:10 PM UPDATE: We went back to check again; it’s been cleared off the road, pushed up onto the sidewalk, and traffic is back to normal.

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Rainy Friday commute; weekend notes

(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
No major problems to report outbound right now (a Battery St. Tunnel closure following a one-car crash cleared relatively quickly near the top of the hour) – but if you are headed toward West Seattle, southbound I-5 has had some backups, most recently with a crash by the downtown Convention Center.

Quick weekend reminders – California/Fauntleroy intersection is set for repaving 7 am-7 pm Saturday (with extensive no-parking zones on surrounding blocks); 2 lanes of NB I-5 at the West Seattle Bridge will close all weekend (as will the 520 bridge); Alki will be busy tomorrow with the Seafair Pirates Landing (no road closures, but big crowd). And on Sunday, two notable events outside (but not far from) WS – the Pride Parade downtown at 11 am (here’s the route) and the South Park Bridge celebration at noon (the bridge itself opens for vehicle/pedestrian use 6 am Monday).