West Seattle Blog…

Reminder: West Seattle 5K Sunday morning, Summer Streets all day – see the activity list!

(Till the morning preview is published, this reminder will stay atop the home page)

One more reminder – Harbor and Alki Avenues will be closed from Don Armeni to 63rd SW all Sunday morning because of the West Seattle 5K (co-sponsored by WSB), and then afterward, starting around 11 am, traffic will remain restricted to residents from Don Armeni to the start of the actual Seattle Summer Streets closure at 56th. That lasts until 5 pm. And the city now has an extensive list of what activities you’ll find tomorrow and where – see it here (PDF). There’s also an Alki bus detour map – see that here (PDF). And even if you’re not signed up for the West Seattle 5K, just show up at the Alki Bathhouse starting at 8 am for last-minute registration.

West Seattle traffic reminder: Viaduct closed all weekend

The West Seattle Bridge-to-Battery Street Tunnel section of Highway 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct is closed all weekend for continuing reinforcement work, pre-tunnel construction – and that can lead to scenes like this one, shared by Anne from Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor). You can check West Seattle-relevant traffic cams “live” on the WSB Traffic page if you have to head that way before the scheduled reopening early Monday.

2 traffic alerts: Presidential visit tomorrow; Beach Drive update

Just received two traffic alerts – one involving downtown effects of tomorrow’s Seattle visit by President Obama (who made big news today by saying he supports marriage equality), another an update on the Beach Drive road repairs reported here yesterday – read on for both (2:02 PM UPDATE – Metro has changed some of its info – so we’ve updated too): Click to read the rest of 2 traffic alerts: Presidential visit tomorrow; Beach Drive update…

Late-night traffic alert: West Seattle Bridge closure backup

Once again tonight, as announced last Thursday, SDOT has closed the westbound West Seattle Bridge for a short distance right at 99 – short, but it still means that if you’re heading westbound, you have to take the Harbor Island ramp and use the low bridge to get to WS. We’ve had two reports in the past few minutes that this has led to a backup all the way to I-5 (one texter has been stuck for more than half an hour) – if you look at the bridge cam, you’ll see the line of headlights stretching back that way. The work is scheduled to continue overnight and again Wednesday and Thursday night too.

West Seattle traffic alert update: I-5 onramp crash cleared

ORIGINAL 7:07 AM REPORT: It’s on the 911 log and WSDOT confirms it via Twitter – “part of the N/B I-5 on-ramp from the W. Seattle (Bridge) is partially blocked due to a collision.” We’ll monitor that (and any other traffic challenges ahead) with updates as we get them.

7:30 AM UPDATE: Added the “live” image from the WSDOT camera pointed that way. The truck’s still there but the fire/medic crews have cleared out.

7:39 AM UPDATE: WSDOT says the scene is now completely clear. However, residual backups take a while to clear, especially in peak traffic, so your commute might still take extra time at this point.

West Seattle traffic alerts: Next all-weekend Viaduct closure, and more

Thursday afternoon is when WSDOT and SDOT usually send out the next round of major closure alerts – and here are the biggies for our area for the next few weeks, highlighted by an all-weekend Alaskan Way Viaduct closure in two weeks:

- May 7-10, the westbound lanes of the Spokane Street Viaduct will be closed nightly at SR 99. All westbound traffic will exit at Harbor Island and be detoured via the lower Spokane St roadway/low bridge to West Seattle. The southbound SR 99 ramp to West Seattle will remain open. [This starts at 9 pm each night.]

- Beginning May 9 at 7 PM, expect changes on the Alaskan Way waterfront overnight. Traffic will be moved off of Alaskan Way and will be relocated underneath the Alaskan Way Viaduct between S King St and Madison St. On the night of May 9th, S Washington St, Yesler Way, Columbia St and Madison St will be closed. Officers will be on-hand Thursday morning to assist traffic with the new road network and traffic patterns.

- May 18-21, the Alaskan Way Viaduct (SR 99) will be closed between Denny Way and S Spokane St in both directions Friday night through Monday morning. All on- and off-ramps will also be closed.

The May 9 mention is the one that goes with the ferry-terminal-reroute video we’ve been featuring here – the big change will kick in the morning of May 10th. Other areas of the city have various smaller closures too, and you can see the complete grid for what’s in the works by going here.

May Day & other ongoing PM commute updates

(Police presence downtown – photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
As promised, we’ll be publishing updates on whether May Day marching/rallying is affecting the commute through downtown, and this way. (Right now, a bout of wild weather has hit – with a hail-infused deluge hitting West Seattle about 10 minutes ago and headed east – though it looks like the sun will return once it moves through). Stay tuned for toplines.

ONGOING COVERAGE: Our partners at the Seattle Times have been publishing quick, short updates here. … The Seattle Police SPD Blotter has published a roundup of vandalism damage and arrests (2 as of 3 pm) ad promises updates … (added 4:21 pm) KING 5 also has ongoing online coverage incorporating tweets, photos and other quick updates from their staff and other local media. … To check on Metro delays, you can watch their commute-updates website (we’re checking it too).

4:28 PM UPDATE: KING reports via Twitter that a group of marchers is at 1st and Bell. This would be separate from the prescheduled march that was to gather south of downtown half an hour from now. One other note: The Times mentioned school-bus delays; we checked with Seattle Public Schools and that’s ONLY the buses running in downtown/Capitol Hill – no effects here.

4:37 PM UPDATE: Only “minor” delays downtown for transit, Metro reports.

UNRELATED TRAFFIC UPDATE AT 4:57 PM: Just got a tip from Lisa that there is a car vs. semi crash at the west end of the “low bridge,” no injuries reported so far. We’re en route to check.

(Photo by WSB’s Patrick Sand – car is up against right side of the semi, right side of photo)
5:22 PM UPDATE: That incident is causing some trouble coming off the low bridge, but traffic’s being routed around it. Adding a photo in a moment. Meantime, we just got a text from someone saying southbound 99 is actually LIGHTER headed this way than usual. (Here’s a new SDOT camera we will be adding to the WSB Traffic page – looking north at the southbound Viaduct flow at King St.)

And from downtown, we are adding photos taken by WSB contributor Christopher Boffoli, who says the biggest effect he noticed while downtown was the increased police presence.

5:46 PM UPDATE: Police now report eight arrests so far since this morning. The city, meantime, says it’s activated its Emergency Operations Center to help with public-safety concerns. The prescheduled march is heading eastbound on Pike from 4th as of right now.

6:25 PM UPDATE: The rally downtown is under way. We’ve been monitoring the scanner and the ongoing coverage from citywide media. Metro says marchers are northbound on 4th and that some buses are stuck in a jam downtown.

Road work updates: Admiral begins; bridge rescheduled

Drove up Admiral Way hill north of the bridge a little while ago to confirm that the repaving work has begun – it has. (Here are the details from SDOT; it’s scheduled to continue through Friday.

Meanwhile, turns out SDOT didn’t inspect the Fauntleroy Expressway section of the bridge as expected yesterday – so the work is rescheduled for the next two days:

The Seattle Department of Transportation previously announced that they would be inspecting the Fauntleroy Expressway bridge deck (the raised roadway at the west end of the West Seattle Bridge) on April 30th. Due to unexpected mechanical issues, the work has now been rescheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, May 2nd & 3rd between 8 am and 3 pm.

The inspection team will establish short-term lane closures of the right-hand lane, beginning on the westbound side, using truck-mounted traffic warning devices. The inspection team will make short-term (15 minutes) stops at any given location along the bridge deck. After completing the westbound route the team will then inspect eastbound, toward Downtown Seattle, also along the right-hand lane. The entire inspection will be completed by 3 p.m. on the given day. (When working during the morning commute period, activities will take place in the lanes of travel that are in the opposite direction of peak traffic flows.)

These closures are required as part of the seismic retrofit of the Fauntleroy Expressway, to make it more likely to withstand the force of a major earthquake. The work is funded by the “Bridging the Gap” transportation levy approved by Seattle voters in November 2006.

Downtown traffic alert for tomorrow: May Day marches

Just got a note from James, who thought it might not be a bad idea for us to mention the May Day gatherings planned tomorrow, in case of traffic effects. At almost the same moment, an alert came in from Metro, and it’s the most matter-of-fact one we’ve seen, so here you go:

Transit service – and all traffic – in downtown Seattle will likely be delayed during the Tuesday afternoon commute and into the evening due to a May Day march and other activities. Bus riders should be prepared for transit service delays – and possible reroutes. This could affect bus service both on surface streets and possibly the transit tunnel.

One march is planned to leave the Central District at 5 p.m. and travel along South Jackson Street to Fourth Avenue to the Wells Fargo Building on Third Avenue between Madison and Marion streets. There could be additional May Day activities in other locations that could also delay or disrupt traffic and transit.

If possible, people may want to leave work early Tuesday. They should also give themselves extra time to travel through the downtown area. Metro may have to temporarily reroute buses if streets are closed or become blocked.

Metro will be using its Eye on the Metro Commute blog and Twitter account to do its best to keep customers informed about the transit disruptions on Tuesday afternoon and evening.

(SDOT also has an alert, mentioning that 2nd might have to be closed.) We of course will keep you updated here (and via the WSB Facebook page) too. Nothing major is planned in West Seattle tomorrow so far as we have heard.

Update: 1 hurt in hit-run crash at 8th/Roxbury

1:37 PM: More Monday road woes – just got a text about a crash at 8th and Roxbury, and the 911 log shows a 2-unit dispatch. (added) It’s on the westbound side, and Seattle Police have called for extra reinforcement to manage traffic, so avoid the area if you can. We’re en route for a look.

1:52 PM UPDATE: Per the scanner, the crash is actually a hit-and-run, and they’re looking for a driver described as female, in her 30s, 5-foot-5, blue shirt, blue pants. Our crew just arrived and is trying to find out more about that, but also reports that westbound traffic is being diverted onto 7th SW. At least one person is hurt; an ambulance is on scene.

2:13 PM UPDATE: Added a photo. Police tell us that the car in the foreground, with the least damage, is the one whose driver left the scene; the one behind it, with more damage, is the one whose driver was taken to the hospital.

2 traffic notes: Bridge inspection today; I-5 crash update

(Latest “live” picture looking at eastbound WS Bridge – refresh page for newest image)
TRAFFIC NOTE #1: As announced last week, today’s the day SDOT plans to inspect the west end of the West Seattle Bridge – the Fauntleroy Expressway section, which has been getting an earthquake-safety retrofit since last year – which means “rolling slowdowns” between 8 am and 3 pm. Here again is how they explain it:

The inspection team will establish short-term lane closures of the right-hand lane using truck-mounted traffic warning devices. The inspection will begin near West Seattle and move westbound. The inspection team will make short-term (15 minutes) stops at any given location along the bridge deck. After completing the westbound route the team will then inspect eastbound, toward Downtown Seattle, also along the right hand lane. The entire inspection will be completed by 3:00 p.m.

TRAFFIC NOTE #2, ADDED AT 7:26 AM: Not sure how long this will last, but we just caught word of a truck crash on northbound I-5 at the Ship Canal Bridge that is causing problems through downtown – so if you usually take I-5, be forewarned, it’s slower going right now, and traffic reporters are advising 99 as an alternative, so that may be busier than usual.

8:06 AM UPDATE: WSDOT says the I-5 crash scene is clear now, but the backup will take a while longer to clear since it’s heavy-traffic commute time.

Another traffic alert: West Seattle Bridge ‘rolling slowdowns’

Also from SDOT – heads-up for “rolling slowdowns” on the West Seattle Bridge next Monday:

The Seattle Department of Transportation will be inspecting the Fauntleroy Expressway bridge deck on April 30th between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. The inspection team will establish short-term lane closures of the right hand lane using truck-mounted traffic warning devices. The inspection will begin near West Seattle and move westbound. The inspection team will make short-term (15 minutes) stops at any given location along the bridge deck. After completing the westbound route the team will then inspect eastbound, toward Downtown Seattle, also along the right hand lane. The entire inspection will be completed by 3:00 p.m.

This is part of the Fauntleroy Expressway Seismic Retrofit Project; we took an up-close look at some of the earlier work for this story back in January.

West Seattle traffic alert: Paving ahead for Admiral Way hill

Just in from SDOT:

Next week, weather permitting, from Tuesday, May 1, through Friday, May 4, a Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) paving crew will be working on SW Admiral Way between SW City View Street and SW Hanford Street. The crew will be grinding down the street surface, making repairs to the base and then paving SW Admiral Way in the northwest direction – uphill – from the eastside curb to the center line. During the work, which will take place between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. each day, traffic will be in will be reduced to one lane in each direction until 2:30 p.m., then opened up to two lanes northwest bound (uphill) and one lane southeast bound (downhill).

A lane will be provided for bicyclists. Parking will not be allowed in the work zone. Crosswalks and sidewalks will remain open. The project is part of SDOT’s 2012 Arterial Major Maintenance program.

Here’s a map.

West Seattle traffic alert: 35th/Morgan crash

(Photo by Wendy Hughes-Jelen)
Thanks to Bill and Wendy for word of a crash at 35th/Morgan. Bill says no injuries are reported; Wendy says one car is involved that went “straight into the corner, took out the street tree, and hit two U-Haul vehicles. … Antifreeze or something is hissing from the engine compartment because of the tree damage. Front bumper is on sidewalk behind vehicle now.” Both have shared photos.

(Photo by Bill Bacon)
3:19 PM: Two photos added. No SFD medic unit sent to the scene, which would be confirmation that if there were any injuries, they weren’t major.

3:31 PM UPDATE: Just drove through 35th/Morgan – no traffic impediments on 35th; the westbound lane on Morgan by U-Haul (northwest side of the intersection) should clear soon, since the tow trucks is already there to take away the car that hit the U-Haul vehicles.

About that West Seattle Bridge backup this morning…

(Photo courtesy Mary from Service Dog Academy)
Sorry we missed the chance to bring you real-time updates during what by multiple accounts was a bad hour or so on the eastbound West Seattle Bridge this morning. We are trying to reach SDOT to see what they can tell us, but a couple of WSB’ers have mentioned road work – possibly painting crews – which were not mentioned in any advance traffic advisories, so far as we can tell; there were no scheduled closures for the weekend, nothing till another round of overnight-only southbound 99/Viaduct closures during the weeknights next week. Though everything seems to be OK now – at least according to the cameras on the WSB Traffic page – let us know if you encounter otherwise. (And if/when you can, please text or voice-call about something like this – even if we’re offline for a bit, which we were because of a panel discussion before the Gathering of Neighbors today, the text/voice calls break through IMMEDIATELY, whatever we’re doing, 24/7 – 206-293-6302 – consider putting it in your phone “contacts” list; traffic is “breaking news” too! Thanks!)

12:26 PM UPDATE: Rick Sheridan from SDOT says it wasn’t their fault:

We’re sorry to hear drivers were delayed. While we are restriping the high-rise bridge today, the earlier collision was the cause of the traffic problem. According to staff on site at the time, traffic was backed up prior to beginning our work and delayed us as well.

Once emergency response dealt with the incident, traffic problems dissipated. The SDOT live cameras show traffic is flowing smoothly now.

The only crash on the 911 log was at 6:53 am (though it doesn’t show non-injury crashes or stalls).

West Seattle traffic alert: Closures for next week (April 23-27)

From the citywide “lookahead” updated by SDOT each week (but also containing info on state projects): Just one round of major closures next week – nightly from Monday (April 23rd) through Thursday (April 26th and into early April 27th morning), the southbound Alaskan Way Viaduct/Highway 99 stretch will be closed overnight for four nights, between Denny Way and the West Seattle Bridge, 9 pm-5 am nightly.

West Seattle Bridge traffic alert: Truck testing on Delridge ramps

Just in from SDOT:

Engineers will conduct routine load tests today on the Delridge Way SW on- and off-ramps to the West Seattle high-level bridge to measure the effects of heavy trucks. Drivers may experience delays of 10 minutes at a time on three occasions between noon and 4 p.m. Also, drivers may be briefly delayed by traffic flaggers under the bridge on Delridge Way SW at times today until 6 p.m. Please plan ahead and allow extra time to reach your destination.

More overnight closures next week for southbound 99/Viaduct

Later tonight, we’ll have a followup on the city’s Spokane Street Viaduct work, two days after the big “traffic shift.” In the meantime, the state just sent word of ITS plans for Highway 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct next week: Southbound between the Battery Street Tunnel and the West Seattle Bridge, overnight closures Monday night through Thursday night, 10 pm-5 am each night, “to reinforce both decks between South Washington and Columbia streets in Pioneer Square … in preparation for tunnel boring beneath this two-block section of the structure in late 2013.”

Friday traffic alerts: Trader Joe’s; Bridge Switch Day 2; Mariners

Might be a bit of a rubbernecker slowdown on Fauntleroy Way en route to the bridge around 8 am tomorrow, since that’s when the West Seattle Trader Joe’s finally opens, two years after the location first appeared on the city website, which was two months before the lease was signed and the official announcement made. One of the city-operated cameras on the WSB Traffic page, by the way, has long been pointed right at that building:

We also wanted to remind you it’ll be Spokane Street Viaduct Traffic Switch Day 2 – check the comments on this morning’s story for a review of day 1 – AND SDOT also wants to make sure you know the evening commute through Pioneer Square/SODO may be affected by the home opener for the Mariners, 7:10 pm vs. the Oakland A’s.

West Seattle traffic reminder: Southbound Viaduct/99 closures

If you don’t drive in the late-night/early-morning hours, you won’t notice, but the state just issued another reminder of these partial Viaduct/99 closures the next two nights (mentioned in THIS WEEK’S CLOSURES atop the TOP STORIES list on the WSB sidebar):

Crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will close the southbound State Route 99 Alaskan Way Viaduct for the next two nights to continue work to reinforce both decks of a two-block section of the viaduct between South Washington and Columbia streets in Pioneer Square.

Protecting this section of the viaduct is important because crews will drive the tunnel boring machine beneath it in late 2013.

Closure details:

· Tuesday, April 10 – the morning of Thursday, April 12 – Southbound SR 99 between the West Seattle Bridge and the Battery Street Tunnel will close nightly from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. The Elliott Avenue and Columbia Street on-ramps to southbound SR 99 will also close.

Both nights, there’s ALSO a city-project closure, as also forewarned earlier – the eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct, same hours. If you are expecting to drive at that time, do read the entire city alert, because some surface/ramp changes might affect you even if the major bridge shutdown doesn’t.

West Seattle traffic alerts: Bridge & 99 closures after this weekend

In addition to this weekend’s Alaskan Way Viaduct/Highway 99 closure – planned for 11 pm tonight till 5 am Monday, between the Battery Street Tunnel and West Seattle Bridge – more closures have been announced for next week, on 99 *and* the Spokane Street Viaduct:

*Next Monday night (April 9-10): Eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct closed 10 pm-5 am. (That’s the WS Bridge between 99 and I-5.) Some surface changes too – explained here.

*Next Tuesday AND Wednesday nights: Eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct closed 10 pm-5 am, ALSO southbound SR 99 between the Battery St. Tunnel and the West Seattle Bridge will close the same hours.

*The big move of ALL Spokane Street Viaduct traffic onto the new (north side) structure might happen as soon as next Thursday. All four lanes of traffic – two each way – will be on what will eventually be the westbound-only side, while the old structure on the south side gets fixed up for the final rejoining when everything’s done “in late summer” (new estimate).

During this time, the 1st Avenue South eastbound offramp will remain open, but the 4th Avenue South offramp will be closed. Details here, including some added changes on the surface streets.

Traffic updates: SB I-5 reopens after crash; tonight, WB Spokane Street Viaduct closing tonight after all

3:26 PM: Two traffic alerts – one RIGHT NOW, one for overnight tonight. First, southbound I-5 is blocked at I-90 because of a truck crash. Here’s the current webcam view of the scene:

WSDOT says backups stretch all the way to Northgate. So if you are headed this way from anywhere NORTH of I-90, do NOT use southbound I-5 – use 99 or surface streets.

3:51 PM UPDATE: Tow trucks are at the scene on I-5. However, note that southbound 99 is reported to be slow going – here’s a webcam:

AND also slow, according to one commenter, 1st Avenue South. So the best advice might be, for now, just stay put till this has a chance to get straightened out.

4:24 PM UPDATE: Southbound I-5 has been cleared and reopened. Our standard caveat, though – remember that backups don’t clear instantly, so things may still be slow through the commute.

(back to original report) Second, SDOT just announced the westbound Spokane Street Viaduct will be closed overnight tonight after all, 10 pm-5 am, for the fourth consecutive night – and again, that means you will not be able to get onto the West Seattle Bridge from I-5 or Beacon Hill during those hours (access from 99 will NOT be affected). They are still working on plans for this weekend and next week. (But remember, the Alaskan Way Viaduct is already scheduled to close from Friday night till Monday morning.)

Update: Motorcyclist reported to have died after Viaduct crash

10:26 PM: Another crash potentially affecting West Seattle-bound drivers: It’s on southbound Highway 99, reported as parallel with Lander but not showing on that camera – rescue crews are getting on 99 by heading the “wrong way” up a ramp near the stadiums. The scanner says there’s “ongoing CPR” at the scene, so this might not clear for a while.

10:37 PM UPDATE: Per scanner – southbound 99 is completely closed by this, and they’ve blocked off onramps as well (including Denny/Aurora and Columbia downtown). They’re also trying to figure out what to do with cars that were already on 99 since as one voice on the radio said, “We’re going to be closed here for a while” – they may be trying to turn them around and get them off 99 via what would have been an onramp. We got a Twitter update from one stuck driver:

The seriously injured person is described as a motorcyclist in her 40s who is being rushed to Harborview Medical Center right now.

11 PM UPDATE: The “wrong way off the onramp” operation to clear vehicles off The Viaduct has indeed happened. And in comments, Karl clarifies the location, saying it’s parallel with Weller, on the lower deck of what’s left of the double-deck structure.

2:39 PM UPDATE: Watching the webcam for southbound 99 at Lander, we’re seeing occasional headlights, so it looks like the highway reopened.

8:10 AM UPDATE: Seattle Police have published a summary on SPD Blotter. Investigators believe the 48-year-old rider “failed to negotiate a curve” at the Viaduct’s south end and hit a concrete barrier.

2:56 PM: LA, in comments, says the motorcyclist was a friend of hers and did not survive. We had not yet confirmed that before her comment, but everything we were hearing indicated that too.