(Live view from the west-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
Since many schools are taking a four-day Memorial Day weekend this year – Friday through Monday – today will be the second-to-last “regular” commute of the week. So we should also start making note of Monday schedule changes:

*Metro will be on a SUNDAY schedule for Memorial Day
*West Seattle Water Taxi also will be on a SUNDAY schedule for Memorial Day

(Live view from the west-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
7:19 AM: After a rainy night, the most recent alert for this morning is no surprise – KING 5 traffic reporter Tracy Taylor tweets that there’s “one lane blocked each direction on Highway 99 near Battery Street Tunnel due to standing water.”

8:16 AM: Thanks to the person who texted that all lanes are back open by the tunnel.

8:41 AM: Thanks to Mary for e-mailing to report a tree blocking 18th SW just south of Holden, causing some abrupt braking on Holden. She says a tree service has arrived but looks like cleanup might take a while.

9:18 AM: At Morgan Junction, the bus sightings usually involve Metro. But this morning, there’s a head-turner, photographed by Ben:

So far, the only information we’ve tracked down is that Thai Me Up is here all the way from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and seems to be on tour for American Craft Beer Week.

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
We start the week with two reminders:

*The regional crackdown on seat-belt and cell-phone lawbreaking starts today, as previewed here recently.

*If you drive Highway 99 north of downtown, you’ll notice a change starting today, following the weekend closure because of the Mercer Corridor Project – it’s now 2 lanes each way between Valley and Harrison, shifted to the west, according to SDOT. The changes in that area are detailed on this webpage.

(Photo added – taken about 8:50 am on Alki Avenue)
-Parking restrictions along Alki/Harbor start at 8 am, to get ready for the West Seattle 5K, with the route closing approximately 9-11 am. Here’s a detailed map covering this (and the next part of the alert).

-11 am-5 pm, Alki Avenue is closed to motor vehicles between 56th and 63rd for Summer Streets, the “car-free day” festival. Here’s the reroute info for the Route 775 water-taxi shuttle.

-North of downtown, the Highway 99 closure between the Battery Street Tunnel and Valley Street continues until early Monday.

(“Live” image from WSDOT camera looking southward over 99 – approach to NB Western ramp is at left)
If you are heading northbound from here, you will have to leave 99 at Western Avenue.

10:34 AM UPDATE: Highway 99 might fully reopen as soon as 1 pm, SDOT says. We’ll update here whenever official word arrives.

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
7:15 AM: The roads are damp, so be careful out there. It’s Friday, and it’s Bike To Work Day, which we’ll cover in a separate update. A few notes:

*Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth ferries are all running late right now, says WSF, because of an earlier staffing problem.

*Reminder that this Sunday, May 19th, starts with the West Seattle 5K and continues with Summer Streets on Alki, aka “car-free day.” Alki SW is closed along the race route until 11 am, and then from 56th to 63rd continuing until 5 pm. Other citywide traffic alerts for the weekend are here.

*If you drive 99 north of the Battery Street Tunnel, there’s a closure starting overnight tonight (added: continuing all weekend) between the tunnel and Valley Street because of the ongoing Mercer project.

7:21 AM: A crash just south of the West Seattle Bridge on I-5 is blocking multiple lanes.

7:42 AM: WSDOT says tow trucks are working to clear that scene, and 2 lanes are now open southbound. This camera has the wide view:

That’s one of the cameras you can find anytime on the WSB Traffic Cams page.

8:22 AM: Though all lanes are open again at the scene of that crash, there’s still a long backup on southbound I-5. P.S. Thanks to Neil McNeight for the photo – shows you what emergency workers are up against as they handle a crash on the freeway!

12:19 PM: A truck problem is partly blocking the ramp to NORTHBOUND I-5 right now.

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
As we begin the morning, one more reminder: The new southbound Delridge Way detour between Holden and Thistle is now in effect. Looking ahead to the weekend, the only major planned closure happens on Sunday, for the West Seattle 5K and then Seattle Summer Streets on Alki:

Along the usual car-free-day footprint, Alki and Harbor Avenues will be closed for WS5K approximately 9 am-11 am, and then everything reopens except Alki between 56th and 63rd, where festivities will continue till 5 pm (see you there!).

BUT FIRST … tomorrow (Friday) is Bike to Work Day, with a commute station under the West Seattle Bridge 6-9 am as usual, and other special events/stops as shown on this map assembled by the Cascade Bicycle Club:

ADDED 9:55 AM: Thanks to commenters for word of the truck flip on the hill to and from the Myers Way ramp to/from Highway 509:

It was a Charlie’s Produce truck, witnesses say. No injuries reported; traffic was getting around, albeit slowly, and the tow truck had arrived by the time our crew got there.

ADDED 10:39 AM: SDOT just tweeted that a crash reported earlier on southbound 1st Avenue South at Horton has closed the 1st Ave. ramp to/from the westbound West Seattle Bridge.

ADDED 12:54 PM: Still closed at last report. Thanks to Tony Bradley for the photo:

We’ll update when the blockage is cleared and the bridge ramp reopens.

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
Nothing to report as the heart of the commute moves on, except: Today’s the scheduled start of the new southbound Delridge Way detour between Holden and Thistle, as the repaving project starts Phase 3. And SDOT also plans to be fixing a section of Delridge at 23rd, scheduled as a one-day project.

5:49 PM UPDATE: According to SPD Blotter, the 69-year-old woman hit by a pickup truck in this crash has died.

6:22 PM UPDATE: SPD estimates 1st will reopen around 7:15 pm.

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
Nothing reported to be out of the ordinary right now on the main routes in and around West Seattle. The weather’s chillier than recent mornings but has calmed from yesterday. One note from Metro – its customer-service phone line is having trouble.

Speaking of Metro, today at Union Station, 4 pm, is the County Council committee hearing at which it’s hoping for a show of support from system users concerned about cuts if there’s no funding solution during the Legislature’s special session. (Details in this WSB story from Monday.)

Road-work reminder #1: SDOT confirmed on Monday that tomorrow (Wednesday) is when Phase 3 of the Delridge Way repaving project starts, which means a new southbound detour between Holden and Thistle.

Road-work reminder #2: A separate, one-day paving project also is scheduled tomorrow on Delridge, at 23rd, as announced last week.

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
7:13 AM: No major West Seattle-vicinity traffic trouble reported currently as we head for the heart of the Monday commute. In the road-work department, this week is expected to see the Delridge Way repaving project move into its third phase, between Thistle and Kenyon; we should get confirmation of that from SDOT, along with detour details, within a day or so.

5:04 PM: Those detour details are out now – see the map here.

Also – a traffic alert if you head south to Burien: There’s a tree down in the southbound lanes of SW Ambaum, just south of SW 116. We have been covering it on our partner site White Center Now.

6:20 PM: And now a crash reported on southbound Delridge, between Andover and Genesee.

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
6:47 AM: Happy Friday – and, might we say, happy West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day Eve! So far so good.

8:30 AM: I-5 might not be your best choice if you are heading out now, reports KING 5′s Tracy Taylor, tweeting about a backup from the Convention Center to Boeing Field.

9:12 AM: For low bridge and bicycle path commuters – there is a crash at East Marginal/S. Spokane, just east of the low bridge, involving a semi-truck on its side, per an image our friends at KING 5 has shown. Avoid the area.

11:36 AM: No injuries in that crash, by the way. Looking ahead: Road work on Delridge just announced for next Wednesday.

12:05 PM: Someone asked about the East Marginal Way status in comments; SDOT tweeted that the scene was clear as of an hour ago.

(Photo by ELLEN M. BANNER/THE SEATTLE TIMES; republished with permission)
12:56 PM: Adding a photo from that scene, courtesy of our partners at The Seattle Times.

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
7:01 AM: Sunshine’s due back later, but for starters, it’s murky out there.

7:56 AM: A few other notes – First, as announced Wednesday afternoon, the north tollbooth and lane at the Fauntleroy ferry dock reopen today, after a closure related to the Barton Pump Station Upgrade Project next door. Also: It’ll be a weekend with NO major closures/projects affecting traffic, according to the online “lookahead” – good news for shoppers getting here for West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day on Saturday AND for any to-and-from travel on Mother’s Day this Sunday.

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
6:03 AM: As the day begins, we have a question for you, transit-related: Later this morning, we’re scheduled to sit down for an interview with Metro Transit general manager Kevin Desmond, as the county steps up its campaign contending that Metro is in the fight of its life, facing more cuts if the Legislature doesn’t take some steps to help alleviate its funding crisis. Is there a question you would ask him if you had the chance? If so, post it in the comment section – we’re going to do our best to get to as many reader questions as we can. P.S. Whether you have a question or not, you’re invited to speak to a County Council committee next Tuesday – details here along with a way to comment online if you can’t be there in person.

7:48 AM: As noted in comments, there’s a crash on the eastbound bridge. If you haven’t left yet – alternative routes, or waiting, would be a good idea.

7:56 AM: Because of the crash, SDOT has switched the views on the bridge cameras – the one atop this story usually looks eastward – here’s the one that usually looks west:

8:20 AM: Eugene says in comments that the scene is clear; hard to tell from the cameras, and there’s been no official announcement. Also in comments, Trickycoolj warns that Holden is backed up in Highland Park – a popular alternate access to get to northbound 99.

8:59 AM: Shortly after that last update, SDOT did tweet that the crash scene had been cleared. The backup always takes longer to clear but we’re hopeful it’s getting back to the “normal” slowness now.

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
7:21 AM: No sun-glare challenges this morning, though the forecast says it’ll be back – no other major impediments reported so far, either.

7:58 AM: Aiko reports a school bus stalled or otherwise mobility-challenged on 35th SW in the High Point area.

8:45 AM: Traffic alert for Delridge in the 5900 block – what’s on the 911 log as a car fire is, according to Tom via Twitter, a car-vs.-truck crash just outside K-5 STEM at Boren. We are en route to see what’s happening.

9 AM: The crash involved a taxi that went into the back of a truck, on the southbound side of Delridge:

As bad as it looks, we are told at the scene that no one was hurt.

(February photo of Delridge Way work, from SDOT via Flickr)
The second phase of the Delridge Way SW repaving project is almost over, with the third phase expected to start next week. So says SDOT in this advisory just out of the WSB inbox:

The Seattle Department of Transportation expects paving work on Delridge Way Southwest to progress to the next phase on Wednesday, May 15. The contractor will detour southbound traffic on Delridge from Southwest Holden to Southwest Thistle streets, and reopen the stretch from Southwest Thistle to Southwest Trenton streets. The new detour, from Holden to Thistle, is expected to remain in place through mid July. This work is Phase 3 of the project that is rebuilding much of Delridge Way Southwest.

Delridge will remain open to northbound traffic except for intersection work. Local access to businesses and residents will be maintained. SDOT will release a map and details of the new detour as the date approaches.

After the contractor completes work between Thistle and Trenton, Delridge will be striped between Thistle and Henderson streets. Also, crews expect to return by late May to the stretch between Trenton and Henderson for weather-dependent crack seal work.

This is a five-phase project. At the end of Phase 3, construction activity will move north to Phase 4, between SW Orchard and SW Holden streets.