West Seattle, Washington
27 Wednesday
If you are, or someone you know is, headed for the westbound Fauntleroy end of the West Seattle Bridge any time soon, be forewarned – there’s a slick of some kind, and it’s reported to have caused some drivers to lose control. No injuries reported so far, according to police/dispatch exchanges, but some have hit the barrier. SDOT has been dispatched for a cleanup.
(Osprey in The Arroyos, photographed by Mark MacDonald)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, here’s what’s happening in the hours ahead – nothing on the list affected by the power outage or weather so far, but we’ll update if that changes later:
TODDLER READING TIME: 10:30 am at Paper Boat Booksellers (6040 California SW).
FALL-PREVENTION WORKSHOP: 1 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon) – check in advance to be sure there’s room.
STEERING-WHEEL LOCKS: If you have a theft-risk Kia or Hyundai vehicle and want one, the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster) is giving more away 5 pm-7 pm tonight.
FIX-IT WORKSHOP: Don’t replace it – repair it! Weekly event, 5:30-7:30 pm at West Seattle Tool Library (4408 Delridge Way SW, northeast side of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center).
INJURY SCREENS FOR RUNNERS: 6 pm at West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor).
TRIVIA x 5: Five places to play tonight. At 6 pm, Locust Cider (2820 Alki SW) now offers trivia … there’s 7:30 and 8:30 pm Sporcle Pub Quiz at The Lodge (4209 SW Alaska); trivia starts at 8 pm at Beveridge Place Pub (6413 California SW); Larry’s Tavern (3405 California SW) hosts Wednesday-night trivia starting at 8 pm … at 8:30 pm, trivia with Phil T at Talarico’s (4718 California SW).
FREE GROUP RUN: Meet at West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor) for the weekly free group run at 6:15 pm – this week it’s a birthday run – if you have a September birthday, you’ll be celebrated!
RAINWISE WORKSHOP: Perfect time to talk about how you can find an alternate way of dealing with rainwater – a raingarden? cistern? An in-person RainWise workshop is set for Peace Lutheran Church (39th/Thistle) tonight at 7 – RSVP here.
LIVE MUSIC AT THE LOCOL: 6:30 pm. 21+. Rotating performer slate. (7902 35th SW)
HPAC’S FIRST MEETING OF FALL: The community coalition for Highland Park, Riverview, and South Delridge meets online tonight at 7 pm – all are welcome! Connection/agenda info is here; topics with guests include crime/safety and the recent Myers Way encampment outreach/clearing.
(added) HIGH-SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL: Both local teams (both of which have 5-1 records) have home matches tonight, both at 7 pm: Nathan Hale @ Chief Sealth IHS (2600 SW Thistle) and Bishop Blanchet @ West Seattle HS (3000 California SW).
LIVE PIANO MUSIC: 7 pm at Otter on the Rocks. (4210 SW Admiral Way).
MUSIC BINGO: Play weekly at The Good Society (California/Lander), 7 pm.
SKYLARK OPEN MIC: 7:30 pm signups @ West Seattle’s longest-running open mic – no cover to watch. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
If you’re planning a presentation, meeting, performance, reading, tour, fundraiser, sale, discussion, etc., and it’s open to the community, please send us info for West Seattle’s only comprehensive event calendar! westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
6:49 AM: Thanks for the tips. 4,500+ customers are out of power in West Seattle. More info to come …
6:55 AM: Here’s a screengrab of the Seattle City Light map showing who’s out. No word yet on the cause – let ud know if you see SCL crews near you. (Jay texted to say “wires were popping and flashing down in Delridge again,” so that may be a clue. Avalon Way residents report hearing what sounded like “transformers blowing,” too.)
7:06 AM: Multiple commenters in and near North Delridge also report “three booms” preceding the outage. The footprint is slightly different from previous outages traced to a similar cause.
7:16 AM: Zooming in on the map, it appears to be skipping the schools that are in/near the affected areas, but please let us know if you hear anything from school leadership.
7:26 AM: Readers note that the 35th/Fauntleroy and 35th/Avalon signals are out. Remember – if a signal’s out, that intersection becomes an all-way stop. … Texter reports Avalon/Genesee and Genesee/Delridge signals also are out.
8:10 AM: Some are back on – the map shows the outage down to 2,580+ customers. … A commenter mentions that Tilden School on the north edge of The Junction (WSB sponsor) is affected and planning a late start as a result.
8:25 AM: Here’s the updated outage map with the remaining 2,580+ customers who are still out:
8:42 AM: Allison noted low water pressure in the Admiral area. She reports SPU (always report water trouble to 206-386-1800) told her a pump station is affected by the outage, and that’s caused the pressure problem.
9:18 AM: City Light says on Twitter/X, “Crews are still working to determine the cause of the outage to make necessary repairs.”
10:39 AM: A few hundred more customers are back on, as commenters note. Map says it’s now 2,329 customers (each home/business/etc. equals a customer, regardless of how many people are served there).
10:59 AM: Thanks again for the updates. SCL map now shows everybody else back on. (If you’re not – be sure they know – 206-684-3000.)
7:40 AM: Just a note that multiple signals – including 35th/Fauntleroy, 35th/Avalon, Avalon/Genesee, and Delridge/Genesee – are reported to be out as part of a sizable power outage we’re covering here.
7:50 AM: Outside the outage zone – SFD and SPD are responding to a report of a 45-year-old woman hit by a driver while on foot at 35th/Barton. Minor injuries reported.
8:50 AM: The dark signals are helping contribute to a backup getting to the eastbound bridge. Meantime, Mel reports that Seattle Public Utilities has unclogged “the storm drain that was causing big puddle near Public Storage by Home Depot.”
Earlier:
6:03 AM: Good morning! It’s Wednesday, September 27th.
WEATHER AND SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Rainy, breezy, possible thunderstorms, high near 60. Sunrise today is at 7:03 am; sunset, 6:57 pm.
(Monday rainbow over Admiral Way – photo sent by Jackie)
ADVANCE ALERT
We’ll be reminding you daily that the low bridge will be closed to surface traffic October 7-14, SDOT announced Monday.
TRANSIT TODAY
Metro – Regular schedule; check advisories here.
Water Taxi – Regular schedule.
Washington State Ferries – 2-boat service on the Triangle Route. Check alerts for changes, and use Vessel Watch to see where your ferry is.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Henderson), cameras are also at Delridge/Genesee, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Orchard, and Delridge/Oregon.
High Bridge – the main camera:
High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (when SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way):
Low-bridge cam:
1st Ave. S. Bridge – alternate route across the river:
Highway 99: – northbound side at Lander.
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: See all working traffic cams citywide here, most with video options; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.
BRIDGE INFO: The @SDOTBridges feed on Twitter/X shows whether the city’s movable bridges are opening for vessel traffic.
If you see trouble on the bridges/streets/paths/bay, please text or call us (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities). Thank you!
This year, the West Seattle Junction Association plans to expand its celebration of light during the holidays – and you’re invited to help design the biggest event of all.
Starting in mid-October, WSJA will accept community submissions of AI-powered art that would be projected, in light, onto the big blank side of Alaska House that faces Junction Plaza Park. This will be the centerpiece of the Glorious Lights Of West Seattle (GLOWS) celebration on Saturday, December 9th – the night that also will bring the Christmas tree lighting, the Night Market, another light-costume contest, even an arch of lights down a Junction alley. WSJA executive director Chris Mackay has been dreaming of this for a long time, and this year GLOWS will really get going. Watch for more details in October about exactly how to contribute … and even if you don’t want to submit a design, set your calendar for December 9th and plan to spend that night in The Junction!
8:37 PM: In the midst of another wave of rain, there’s been another crash on the West Seattle Bridge. Two lanes are blocked on the eastbound bridge at 99 for what’s been described as a one-vehicle collision – the driver “hit the wall” (the jersey barriers, as best we can tell). So if you have to head toward I-5 any time soon, give yourself extra time or consider an alternative.
8:54 PM: No serious injuries reported, and the scene has just cleared.
(WSB photo – Ladder 13 on a call last January)
Last year, when the City Council finished its budget work, we noted that it included Councilmember Lisa Herbold‘s push to keep expanded Seattle Fire resources that were added during the bridge closure, Ladder 13 (added to Station 37 in Sunrise Heights) and Medic 26 (added to Station 26 in South Park). Mayor Bruce Harrell‘s original proposal then did not include them. But today, when the mayor unveiled his proposed budget adjustments for the coming year, it affirmed funding for the extra staffing – 24 full-time equivalents – required to keep those resources permanently. Here’s the mayor’s budget speech, given at “affordable high-rise” Blake House on First Hill (he starts speaking six minutes in):
You can read a summary of the budget toplines here. Several city departments have sent out their own lists of highlights. Regarding public safety, the mayor’s proposal notes:
With record-low numbers of police officers in 2023, the City must use technological support to boost the effectiveness of public safety strategies. Mayor Harrell is reinvesting $1.8 million of salary savings in the SPD into a new crime prevention pilot to implement automatic license plate readers, CCTV cameras, and acoustic gunshot locator systems to deter criminal behavior and hold offenders accountable. These technologies will be most successful when strategically integrated with SPD’s Real Time Crime Center to triage and coordinate patrol/emergency responses to crime events. These technologies will require an assessment to comply with the City’s surveillance ordinance and approval by the City Council.
There’s some hope for increasing those “record-low numbers” – the mayor said in his speech that applications for open police-officer jobs are at a two-year high, averaging 150 to 200 a month. Meantime, for housing and homelessness, the overview says you have a role to play:
2023 is the final year of the 2017 Housing Levy. The 2023-2024 Proposed Mid-Biennial Budget Adjustments assume passage of the proposed 2023 Housing Levy by Seattle voters in November 2023. Passage of the new levy would generate an estimated $88 million for affordable housing in 2024. When added to other funding sources, including $137 million from the Payroll Expense Tax, the proposed budget adjustments include $334 million for affordable housing in 2024, a 32% increase from the 2023 Adopted Budget.
And on transportation SDOT, meantime, would get $1.5 million more to fill potholes. But, according to this excerpt from the overview, some bridge maintenance would be deferred:
Facing reductions in bridge maintenance funding in the Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) Fund, SDOT is prioritizing staffing investments now that can build SDOT’s capacity to implement complex bridge maintenance activities on improved timelines and realigning planned spending accordingly. REET budget and planning assumptions for the Bridge Painting and Structures Major Maintenance capital projects are reduced by $2 million in 2024 and $1.8 million in 2026, deferring some maintenance work in these projects. Even with these reductions, SDOT will meet maintenance work planning expectations without impacting service levels or commitments relating to any grant awards.
There’s a lot more in the mayor’s proposal, and City Councilmembers start digging into it when they meet as the Select Budget Committee tomorrow morning, 9:30 am – the agenda is here, including the slide decks that will be used for the overviews to be presented during this first of many budget meetings over the next month and a half.
Eight days after 86-year-old Jim Price was last seen, his family and friends continue searching, and today they got some help, Sharon Price tells WSB via email:
Today a detective from SPD and one from WA State Patrol met at our house, searched, then an “air scent” dog came with a handler and found nothing. After the impending storm, probably Thursday morning, they’ll take a helicopter to search Seattle and Vashon. They say spreading the word with fliers and holding organized and informal searches along with using various communications are the right thing to do.
Jim Price left his Pigeon Point home the evening of Monday, September 18th, on foot, possibly headed for The Junction, and hasn’t been seen since.
Two more traffic problems happening right now:
8TH/ROXBURY: A multiple-car crash – reportedly one driver hit some parked vehicles – has snarled traffic here, and police have called for four tow trucks. … 4:23 pm update: Cleared.
21ST/CROFT: Thanks for the tip. Tree limbs have fallen near this intersection uphill from/behind Louisa Boren STEM K-8. Emergency responders have been dispatched to this too. … 4:09 pm update: SPD tells dispatch they’ve “partly cleared” the street but are calling for SDOT crews with saws to get the rest.
3:05 PM Police are closing 42nd SW between Genesee and Oregon because of a gas leak at the 42nd/Genesee apartment-construction site. A 4-inch line was “barely nicked,” firefighters have told dispatch. Avoid the area for a while.
3:09 PM: Thanks to John for the photo. So far firefighters have not reported detecting any major levels of leaked gas.
3:45 PM: Firefighters have just told dispatch that Puget Sound Energy “has secured the leak,” so the emergency response is winding down.
We’ve received several questions about this in recent hours – people wondering if the Westwood Village Target is one of the two Seattle stores the company is closing, especially considering the recent expansion of locked shelving for many items in the store. Answer: NO – this store is NOT on the closure list. Here is the official Target announcement about closures – the Seattle stores it’s shutting down are in Ballard and the U-District.
1:53 PM: SPD and SFD are on their way to a reported “rollover” crash on the west end of the West Seattle Bridge, near the Walking on Logs pullout. The driver is reported to be safely out of her vehicle.
1:58 PM: Police tell dispatch “no lanes are blocked” by this crash.
Thanks to Murphy McCullough for the photo from Upper Alki! Amazing clouds this past hour or so as another storm wave sweeps through. The forecast calls for continuing unsettled weather – possibly some thunderstorms in the hours too.
ADDED TUESDAY EVENING: We also got a different angle from Dan Ciske:
650 homes/businesses in the mapped area of Morgan Junction, Gatewood, and Fauntleroy will be without water 9 pm Thursday, October 5th, to 4 am Friday, October 6th. Seattle Public Utilities just sent us the notice that will be circulated to affected homes/businesses:
WATER OUTAGE TO OCCUR AT 9 PM ON OCTOBER 5 AND LAST UNTIL 4 AM ON OCTOBER 6
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) will be working on an upgrade of the drinking water system. SPU crews will install three new valves on a water main along California Ave SW.
This work will require a temporary water shutdown for about 650 customers in the area.
The shutdown will start at 9 pm on Thursday, October 5 and last until 4 am on Friday, October 6.
If you think you’ll need to use water during this overnight water shutdown, here are some ways you can prepare for the water outage:
Before the water outage:
• Fill pots on the stove with water for cooking.
• Fill a couple of buckets with water for washing.
• Fill potable water containers for drinking.
• Fill bathtubs with water and use buckets to flush toilets. A toilet will flush when approximately a gallon of water is dumped into the bowl.During the water outage:
Try not to operate the water faucets. This will prevent air from entering your plumbing.Discolored Water After an Outage
Water outages can sometimes disturb the direction or flow of water in the City’s drinking water system. When this happens, customers in or near the outage area may experience temporary discolored water.
Discolored water comes from internal pipe rust and sediment getting stirred up when the water is turned on after an outage. The water should clear on its own. If the water remains discolored, please contact SPU’s Operations Response Center at (206) 386-1800.
We’re asking some followup questions, such as where the work will be happening that night. Meantime, you can get a closer look at the map of the affected area by going to the SPU Water Outage map page, clicking on “planned,” and clicking on the 7111 California listing.
From the inbox:
STOLEN HYUNDAI KONA: Elizabeth reports:
My car was stolen this morning around 3:00 on 45th Ave/SW Wildwood Place, I didn’t see who did it but was awakened by a car horn going off, I looked out the window and saw it at the stop sign being driven off. There was a white SUV vehicle following very close behind it, blocking other vehicles from proceeding by, around the corner near the Fauntleroy YMCA/Church there seemed to be some kinda backup with a loud pop, lights, then this sorta gold color I believe a Kia vehicle made a U-turn around the vehicles and sped off. It was bizarre. I did report this to the police about my car, if anyone at that time 3:00 am seen or heard anything please report it to the police. My license # is CBM1164, 2019 WHITE HYUNDAI KONA, the passenger side has a missing handle on it, tinted windows, and the gas cover is black. Police incident # 23-278858.
STOLEN SCOOTER: Jeb reports:
Stolen 9/23-9/24 in the night. Stolen from the Westside Flats apartments. Black double motor fat-tire scooter. blue glowing ring when it’s on. Has front and back suspension. No Moter sounds. Bike cuffs are silver and black. Head/taillights w/ turn signals are built in.There are some modifications made since this photo was taken. A plastic Predator skull (from the Predator movies) is on the front light. Also a pair of industrial motorcycle bike cuffs are under the front wheel. A more aggressive handlebar set with review mirrors.
No police report # yet.
Family and friends will gather Friday to celebrate the life of Velia Lockett. Here’s the remembrance being shared with her community:
Velia Renee Lockett, age 68, passed away on Saturday, September 9, 2023.
She was born on May 13, 1955 in Seattle. She was a kind and compassionate person who always put others first. She possessed a fierce and magnetic presence with an energy and warmth that immediately brightened any room she entered. She was not one easily forgotten, even by strangers who were blessed enough to meet her only briefly.
Velia graduated from Roosevelt High School in Seattle, WA after which she embarked on a long and exciting career as a singer, dancer and entertainer that took her across the globe. Her musical theater performances ranged from starring roles in “West Side Story”, “Guys and Dolls”, and “Purlie.” She appeared in Ben Vereens’s “Get your Boogie Down” which inspired her to produce, direct and choreograph her own new wave shows in local clubs. She featured in Las Vegas revues, won awards for choreography and dance in the International Hair Shows in England and Switzerland. Then known exclusively as “Star,” Velia appeared on TV shows like Star Search, as well as in videos, commercials and the movies “Tap” (1989) and “Salsa” (1988). She also co-produced an award-winning TV show, “D’Maurice and Armageddon” before eventually finding her way back home to Seattle.
In Seattle, she continued to showcase her talents as a dancer, writer and performer. She choreographed the annual Miss Chinatown Beauty Pageant, and also maintained a long career in retail. She worked at Caché and then for the last 19 years at Chico’s in Bellevue Square. Every single day, she touched the lives of her colleagues and customers.
She is survived by her beloved family: her partner Darryl; her nieces Angelia and Elizabeth; and her siblings, Madison, Dorothy, Frederick, and Edric.
She was also deeply spiritual, as a devoted member of Mount Zion Baptist Church for over 30 years, and is also survived by her beloved church community.
We cherish the time we had with Velia and she is forever in our hearts. A memorial service will be held on Friday, September 29th at 11 am at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Seattle. All are welcome.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries and memorial announcements by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to westseattleblog@gmail.com)
6:02 AM: Good morning! It’s Tuesday, September 26th.
WEATHER AND SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Showery, windy, high in the low 60s. Sunrise today is at 7:01 am; sunset, 6:59 pm.
ADVANCE ALERT
The low bridge will be closed to surface traffic October 7-14, SDOT announced Monday.
TRANSIT TODAY
Metro – Regular schedule; check advisories here.
Water Taxi – Regular schedule.
Washington State Ferries – 2-boat service on the Triangle Route. Check alerts for changes, and use Vessel Watch to see where your ferry is.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Henderson), cameras are also at Delridge/Genesee, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Orchard, and Delridge/Oregon.
High Bridge – the main camera:
High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (when SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way):
Low-bridge cam:
1st Ave. S. Bridge – alternate route across the river:
Highway 99: – northbound side at Lander.
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: See all working traffic cams citywide here, most with video options; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.
BRIDGE INFO: The @SDOTBridges Twitter/X feed shows whether the city’s movable bridges are opening for vessel traffic.
If you see trouble on the bridges/streets/paths/bay, please text or call us (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities). Thank you!
As promised, we’ve uploaded video from our Seattle City Council District 1 candidates’ forum as fast as we could. Thanks to the ~40 people who braved the intense rain tonight to come see Maren Costa and Rob Saka respond to questions for an hour at the Senior Center of West Seattle. Most of the questions we asked were sent to us by WSB readers; thanks again to everyone who suggested questions. We’ll add written summaries of the Q&A sometime soon. Upcoming forums in West Seattle include:
OCTOBER 3: Seattle CityClub and GSBA will present a District 1 debate in the Brockey Center at South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor), 7 pm, in-person and livestreamed. More info here, as well as a registration link which the sponsors say offers a chance to suggest a question.
OCTOBER 5: The Harbor-Alki Neighbors’ Group has announced an in-person “town hall Q&A” with the candidates at 7 pm Thursday, October 5th. The venue will be Admiral Church (4320 SW Hill).
OCTOBER 10: Westside Interfaith Network and the League of Women Voters co-sponsor an in-person form at Our Lady of Guadalupe (35th/Myrtle), 7 pm.
OCTOBER 23: Age-Friendly Seattle forum at the Senior Center (4217 SW Oregon), 3 pm. Go here to register and suggest a question.
A week and a half ago, we reported that Seattle Parks had changed its mind about adding pickleball stripes to three of the six tennis courts at Solstice Park. Instead, Parks said, it would create a pickleball-only area at nearby Lincoln Park.
So far that’s not going over well with either pickleball players or wildlife advocates.
First, we asked Parks for more information on the plan and the timing. Spokesperson Rachel Schulkin said the site would be the decommissioned ex-tennis courts in the upper park. “The Lincoln plan creates 6 dedicated courts at this location made from an asphalt overlay, with installation set to conclude at the end of Fall 2023. Next, we will evaluate the feasibility of lights at this location.”
West Seattle wildlife biologist/advocate Kersti Muul says she’s helping organize opposition, and explains:
I am requesting the city provide further information regarding the proposed pickleball courts in Lincoln Park. Including that which reflects poorly on the city; not informing the public or providing opportunity for public comment, and bending to a niche voice. This has resulted in another poor idea from the city as it further marginalizes park wildlife inhabitants and will severely impact how people and wildlife use and enjoy the park. I was consulted on, and have begun the process of opposition based on environmental, public, and mental health concerns.
Lincoln Park needs to remain as natural as possible. It already shares its greenspace with many picnic areas, playgrounds, sports fields, two pools, heavily traversed outer paths and quieter inner [unmaintained] paths and, unfortunately, lots of off-leash dogs. Pickleball courts are loud with sustained and repetitive noise. Saturday I measured decibels at the Highpoint courts and at times it was over 80. They are also bright. Light pollution is detrimental to wildlife as well as public health. I am providing (much like the dog park opposition, and lots of crossover) extensive ecological and biological knowledge as well as an intimate understanding of the complexities of species interactions within the park habitat, with humans, and with each other, and how this type of disruption will impact them. Basically, I am outlining why this is a bad idea. I am encouraging folks to reach out to the city via email, and guiding them on comments. There is a lot of opposition.
You can contact her at kersti.e.muul@gmail.com. Meantime, pickleball advocates/players aren’t thrilled either. They want the city to keep its original commitment of adding stripes to half the courts at Solstice Park. The Seattle Metro Pickleball Association has started an online petition, with this explanation, saying, among other things, it’s an efficient use of the courts:
… West Seattle pickleball players need lighted courts for the short winter days. We play outdoor year round. We squeegee rain, snow, and even hail to clear the courts to play. Tennis is not played at all when the courts are wet. The 6 to-be-resurfaced Solstice tennis courts with new LED lights will be mostly empty for months.
We can only guess what happened. The most likely scenario is that some tennis players were not happy to share three of their six courts with pickleball players and successfully convinced Seattle Parks to reverse course. … The Solstice courts are scheduled to be resurfaced and the work can start any day.
Transparency: Seattle Parks need to explain the decision process that led them to reverse their decision to paint pickleball court lines on three of the six Solstice Parks tennis courts, and to explain why pickleball players were not involved in this process.
Reversal: Seattle Parks need to follow through and deliver the 6 pickleball courts at Solstice Park.
The pickleball group says they had no notice that the city was even thinking about reversing a decision they say was made seven months ago. Their petition is here. The city’s announcement a week ago said that the idea of Lincoln Park had been floated in previous discussions of the city’s Outdoor Pickleball Study, though that ultimately called for a pickleball-only facility at Hiawatha (we don’t yet know how or whether the Lincoln Park plan will affect that).
(SDOT photo, January)
SDOT announced today that it’s set the date for a surface-traffic closure starting October 7th and lasting “approximately one week” to reinstall the cylinder removed last January. From the announcement:
… The next step in the maintenance process is to reinstall the turn cylinder that was removed from the low bridge’s east pier housing last winter for refurbishment. When the east pier’s cylinder was removed last December, preparations to overhaul all four of the bridge’s hydraulic turning cylinders were actually already underway as part of our comprehensive repair and maintenance effort. When the unexpected damage to the cylinder occurred, the planning work we had already completed enabled us to quickly jump into developing a response plan and likely allowed us to complete repairs sooner than if we had been starting from scratch.
The turn cylinder overhaul work will replace or repair these parts so that they can continue to function as originally designed, and can be readily replaced if needed, as part of our ongoing preventative maintenance work on this bridge.
From Saturday, October 7 through Saturday, October 14, 2023, crews will reinstall the repaired turn cylinder inside the east pier housing that was removed in early 2023. The remaining three turn cylinders will also be rehabilitated in the future. This operation will require us to close the low bridge for people driving, biking, and walking for approximately one week. Our work will be vital to keep the bridge reliably in operation for today and the future.
The announcement also says that free Transit GO credits will be provided so you can take a daily bus or Water Taxi round trip at no charge. (Metro had previously announced that the Water Taxi will be out of service October 14-15 for winter preparation, so we’re checking to see if the low-bridge closure is expected to end by October 14, or whether some overlap is possible.)
Family and friends continue looking for 86-year-old Jim Price, one week after he was last seen on Pigeon Point. Here’s a new poster they’re circulating:
You can access a high-resolution copy via this link Heidi shared in an earlier comment thread. That also includes a link to a map of areas that have been searched so far. Rather than one big coordinated search, they’ve asking everyone to look wherever they can. Jim was last seen leaving his home on foot last Monday night, possibly headed for The Junction.
2:26 PM: SPD and SFD are responding to a reported “rollover” blocking one southbound lane of the Admiral Way hill (north of the West Seattle Bridge). The driver is reported to have gotten out of the car so it’s just a one-engine response.
2:48 PM: Photo added. We just drove by the scene, which is not in a safe spot to pull over and ask questions. Only the outside downhill lane is blocked.
3:10 PM: They’re still waiting for the tow truck. Once it arrives, clearing the scene may temporarily block more than just the outside lane.
4:07 PM: SFD tells us that the “approximately 24-year-old male driver was evaluated and treated at the scene and did not want to go to the hospital for further care.”
(South Seattle College photo)
1:48 PM: The last big back-to-school day of fall is tomorrow (Tuesday, September 26th), when hundreds of students start classes at South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor). If you’ve been considering continuing your education, it’s not too late to register – you can start the process here. We asked SSC communications director Ty Swenson what’s planned to welcome students back; he told us, “For the first two days of fall (tomorrow and Wednesday), we will have ‘Ask Me’ volunteers posted up around campus to help students find classes and resources. Weather permitting, we will also have a table with snacks in the clock tower plaza. A Welcome Back BBQ that was scheduled for Thursday is being rescheduled to a better-weather day next week.” SSC is part of the three-school Seattle Colleges district, which also includes Seattle Central College on Capitol Hill and North Seattle College near Northgate.
4:30 PM: Commenter Mellow Kitty pointed out that SSC is going “smoke-free” with the new quarter’s start. Swenson confirms it, explaining, “We are becoming a smoke-free campus (including smoking, chewing and vaping) starting this fall quarter. It will be a gradual roll-out of introducing folks to the new policy throughout the quarter as we place signage, remove smoking huts and share cessation resources with the campus community.”
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