Freeway Fright ’07: 5 mornings of normalcy left

We’ve been warned: Friday night is the start of the three-week project that will close much of northbound I-5, off and on, round the clock, right where West Seattle drivers roll onto 5, between Spokane Street and I-90. A few more planning tidbits today:

-Remember the suggestion from West Seattle’s Most Famous Politician, to work from home or hang out someplace with wi-fi? Coffeehouses aren’t the only places you can get online; for example, Matthew @ Skylark Cafe wants everyone in WSB-land to know Skylark (north end of Delridge, just south of The Bridge) has wi-fi and welcomes telecommuters – open at 11:30 am Tuesdays-Fridays, 9 am Saturdays & Sundays. He adds, “We have air conditioning and happy hour all day til 7pm … we are also family-friendly until 9 pm when we become 21+.”

-Another e-mail suggested we remind everyone that some bus routes will change during the construction too.

Lina Rose August 5, 2007 (8:01 pm)

Who needs I5? Stay in West Seattle and give to your community!

EarthCorps (earthcorps.org) runs fun environmental restoration volunteer events in puget sound parks year round. We work in many West Seattle parks and have two events coming up- West Duwamish Greenbelt (a very cool greenspace very worth checking out) on August 11th in collaboration with the Nature Consortium and August 25th in Longfellow Creek at Thistle St-also an amazing hidden treasure of a park. Check out our website for more info on West Seattle environmental restoration events! No need ot drive out of WS for fun things to do!

Lina Rose
EarthCorps Project Manager and proud WS resident

The House August 5, 2007 (8:32 pm)

Ahhh, I have to travel I-5. The last time I checked it’s pretty much the only way to get to Lynnwood and Bellingham efficiently (99 is also an option for Lynnwood). Believe me, I’m going to try not to drive up that way and stay in WS but it might now be an option.

I’ll probably hang at my fav coffee shop if I can!

Jan August 5, 2007 (11:17 pm)

House…a couple of weeks ago I used 99 to go from WS to Everett…an interesting drive, that didn’t take all that long ( had to make a stop in Edmonds , so seemed the easiest way). The scenery is interesting – tons of fast food places – I think they like to eat even more than us WSers. Just watch the north end natives. When it says 45 MPH they go 30, when it says 30 they go…well….slow. If you have to go north, take 99 to 50th and cut over to I-5…you’ll miss all of downtown. Come home that way, too…

Oscar August 6, 2007 (9:24 am)

Maybe people could post about their experiences once the nightmare starts. I have to go downtown on the 17th and will be curious how long it will take using the various routes (I-5, viaduct, 1st street exit, etc). I’m worried that I am going to have to leave 3 hours before my appointment and even then that may not be enough time.

Sue August 6, 2007 (10:29 am)

Lina Rose, some of us don’t have the luxury or staying in WS for 19 days to do volunteer work; many of us have to go to work via car or bus outside of WS.
I plan on taking the 54X at my normal time on Monday and seeing what happens, giving my boss a warning about not knowing when I’ll be in. If it’s truly horrific, I’ll work on Plan B. :) They claim they’ll give buses a priority on getting through, however, if traffic is so backed up that buses can’t get to the place where they’d get any priority (as I suspect they will), we’ll see what happens. Believe me, if I had any vacation accrued, I’d be using it.

ms_f August 6, 2007 (11:19 am)

We have a noon appointment at UWMC on Monday (can’t take the bus because I have a sick husband in tow). I guess I’ll try to take 99, and cut over to NE 45th. I’m thinking we’ll leave two hours early (instead of our normal 15-20 min. commute). Anyone have an opinion on this plan?!?

STB August 6, 2007 (1:03 pm)

Ms F–I think your plan to use 99 is probably good but I would cut over at 50th instead of 45th. 45th can get extremely backed-up. Another option is to go up Beacon Hill to 23rd and follow 23rd all the way, crossing MLK Way, through the Central District until it turns into Montlake.

ms_f August 6, 2007 (3:40 pm)

Thanks, STB! I need all the help I can get. Not only are there I-5 issues, but they’re going to start paving on 41st Ave SW & Admiral Way Thursday night (my neighborhood), with closures on Admiral and the the Admiral Way Exit/Entrance to the WS bridge. Do you THINK they could coordinate these construction projects? I am dreading the next few weeks.

Flowerpetal August 6, 2007 (4:08 pm)

Ms F, I would not suggest the Beacon Hill route recommended by STB. Typically it might be a good solution, but the West Seattle bridge and that elevated piece between the viaduct and I-5 is going to be nightmarish itself. You might easily eat an hour of time trying to get from the West Seattle bridge to Beacon Hill. Good luck Ms F, take a good book and pack a sandwich or two for the both of you!

ms_f August 6, 2007 (5:25 pm)

Hmmm. Well, what do you think about avoiding the WS Bridge altogether, and taking Spokane to 1st, to Yesler, and then surface streets through First Hill & Capitol Hill?

I would love to read while driving, but probably not advisable! I will definitely be bringing lunch, though (at least for my husband).

Aaaack!

STB August 7, 2007 (10:09 am)

Ms F–I just talked to my co-worker who lives on Beacon. Here’s another alternate route: Take Spokane to 1st, take 1st to Holgate, turn right onto Holgate and Holgate will take you under the freeway up to Beacon Hill (it will turn into Beacon Ave S). There will be a stop sign at 14th Ave S. Turn left onto 14th, then turn right onto S. College, then you can take College to 23rd. Turn left onto 23rd and then follow it all the way until it turns into Montlake. Best of luck to you. I feel for you in this mess where staying home and telecommuting is simply not an option.

ms_f August 7, 2007 (3:08 pm)

Thanks again for the help. I’ve google mapped all the routes, and will check web cams before we depart! We’ll probably have to repeat the trip about a week later for my husband’s chemo appt. Isn’t it lovely.

Sorry, comment time is over.