Q from Councilmember Rasmussen: Viaduct-closure effects?

arborheightist March 24, 2008 (2:58 pm)

We went to Easter dinner in Greenwood and spent an hour on the WS Bridge getting to I-5.

Others in our family used First Avenue/Ballard Bridge to get there, but had the same backup on the Bridge.

People who don’t know West Seattle view us as isolated from the rest of the city. When the Viaduct’s closed, that approaches reality.

Sue March 24, 2008 (3:07 pm)

I drove to Lynnwood on Saturday morning, but left early enough that the traffic was not a problem on I-5. Returning mid-afternoon, however, I checked the radar before I left and I-5 just looked horrendous. I had hoped to take I-5 home and make a few stops for errands in Fremont and U-District – normally I would just take 99 home from there to avoid I-5, but without that option I chose to not make those trips and take 405 south from Lynnwood to 90 to 5 instead. That route wasn’t too bad, but it was out of the way of getting home. I decided to stay in West Seattle on Sunday so I wouldn’t have to deal with the traffic.

Sue March 24, 2008 (3:13 pm)

BTW, then I left for Lynnwood at 8am, none of the signs were lit to let me know the Viaduct was closed. My husband (who was on bike around time) did see 2 of them lit. As for advance notice, the only place I recall seeing notice of the closure was here, so I was aware of it.

Clay March 24, 2008 (3:16 pm)

I spent 45 minutes on the West Seattle Bridge on my to Lower Queen Anne (took an hour and a half to get door-to-door West Seattle to Lower Queen Anne).

I exited 1st Ave, and went north-bound – where I found road construction near SafeCo Field.

If the viaduct is closed, don’t you think the much-hyped alternate routs are free and clear of construction projects during the day?

Jeffro March 24, 2008 (3:22 pm)

Getting onto I-5 southbound was not fun on Saturday at noon. I did not understand why there were so many people flying by on the bus lane and the 99 North exit lane, but they were a big part of the problem. Also, people taking the 1st Ave exit were lining up in the bus lane way before it becomes the exit for cars. It felt like a total free-for-all. In hindsight, I shoulda taken West Marginal. Never do I feel so trapped here as when the Viaduct is closed.

Bayou March 24, 2008 (3:31 pm)

In a rush, I completely forgot about the closure until I found myself stuck on Elliott Ave/1st Ave on the return trip. I had planned on jumping on 99 for a quick trip home but ended up stuck in the mess downtown for nearly an hour. I was finally able to take a left turn to get up to 5th and it was smooth sailing from there to Airport Way to 509.

What was I thinking leaving the house without looking at WSB first?! ;)

Al March 24, 2008 (3:39 pm)

I had previous plans in the Wallingford/Eastlake area and found out about the closure after plans were made (could not re-schedule) for Saturday, 3/22. No problems at all as I left West Seattle via I-5 north in the morning, approx. 8:45 am.

However, Wallingford was a MESS by the time I left from there at around 1:30 pm (Eastlake was fine). Wallingford to West Seattle’s connection is easiest using the Viaduct and I suspect everyone was backed up b/c of it here. There was a long wait just getting down Wallingford Ave, and another wait to get onto I-5 south. I-5 south wasn’t too bad through downtown, but it was much more congested than usual around the West Seattle exit heading west back home.

Debbie March 24, 2008 (3:41 pm)

We were planning on going to Magnolia and then to Queen Anne for a movie on Saturday late morning/early afternoon. Stop/Go (snail’s pace) on WS bridge for 30 minutes then same on Alaskan Way. We turned around near Safeco Field and went back home.

Huindekmi March 24, 2008 (3:45 pm)

Normally when the viaduct closes for inspection, I go out of my way not to leave W. Seattle. Obviously that’s not a practical option for a long term closure (such as when the darn thing gets torn down). And it wasn’t an option on Easter Sunday either.
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So yesterday afternoon, we headed to the inlaws place for Easter dinner. This meant crawling along the bridge and Spokane St. viaduct to reach I-5. That portion alone took a good 20-30 minutes.
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I-5 itself was mostly wide open. The backup was entirely due to the merge between the W. Seattle bridge onto the highway and I-5 traffic merging to head to I-90. Once on the freeway, traffic was flowing at a decent speed.
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If anyone is actually stupid enough to think that replacing the Alaskan Way viaduct with a surface street option is viable, they obviously haven’t been paying attention.

GC March 24, 2008 (3:47 pm)

Oh, it was bad. I ended up spending 45 minutes on the bridge, then dumped onto 1st (which ate another 30 minutes or so on my way to Cap Hill) because roadway capacity was exceeded.

Anyone suggesting a “surface solution” as a replacement for the viaduct should be used as aggregate for paving, or if one is more traditional, tarred, feathered, and ridden out of town on a rail.

flowerpetal March 24, 2008 (3:48 pm)

I knew that the viaduct was going to be closed as it was posted here at WSB, and also in the newspaper. Saturday morning when I wanted to go to a function on Capitol Hill I left earlier than I typically would have (thats a no-brainer). So it was a slow approaching I-5 from the WS bridge but I knew it would be. Why get excited about it?
Coming back, we exited on Michigan St. and made every green light from I-5 to the 1st Ave bridge. Being near Westwood, this made sense for us… and I’m thinking, I should be taking this route more often.

JT March 24, 2008 (3:54 pm)

Spent about an hour and a half attempting to get to Ballard on Saturday, but gave up. Between the bridge and the construction on Spokane, it took up all the time I had. Got off the bridge on first. Had to detour down first to get over to fourth and go back south, eventually using the 1st ave bridge to get back to West Seattle the round about way.

One of the frustrating parts was all the people who got out of line to race down the viaduct exit lane, and then hold everyone up as they merged back in. I wish that lane could have been blocked off.

Jack Loblaw March 24, 2008 (4:02 pm)

It took us 40 minutes to drive from Broad street to West Seattle via the waterfront. I can hardly wait for every day to be like this once Grid Lock Greg personally tears down the viaduct so that he can help his developer friends make yet more profits. Republican Mayor for Seattle 2009 Supporter ! ( and yes I know that the office is non-partisan before all the usual WSB snipers start doing what they are so good at )

JM March 24, 2008 (4:02 pm)

I returned from Greenwood to West Seattle on Saturday afternoon at 1:30pm, via Aurora, Broad St. and Alaskan Way. I think it took me about 45 minutes to traverse the waterfront on Alaskan Way from Broad St. to Yesler Way. The lights were timed horribly. I got stopped at every single traffic light on Alaskan Way for multiple cycles. This did not seem to be explained by an unusually large number of vehicles turning left toward 1st Ave or vehicles entering Alaskan Way from that direction. It seemed to be purely due to signal timing. In future viaduct closures, it would be helpful to have a special signal program for Alaskan Way that maximizes north-south flow.

chas redmond March 24, 2008 (4:03 pm)

It was bad, it always is. The city’s traffic mobility program has already analyzed surface street capacity and from my review it looks like there is insufficient surface street capacity to absorb even half of the daily Viaduct traffic – not to mention the fact there are NO straight routes through downtown using surface streets – one jogs or zigs at the south and north ends of the downtown grid to get back on a N-S route.
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The next meeting of the Viaduct Stakeholder committee is this coming Thursday, downtown at the Puget Sound Regional Council offices at 1011 Western Ave. (P-square area) at 7:30 pm. Although open to the public, there is no option for public input – one simply sits and watches and listens to the proceedings.

Aim March 24, 2008 (4:03 pm)

There was an accident on the bridge Sunday morning at 11:30-ish.
We left in plenty of time to get where we needed to go, even with traffic, and were still late because it took us 45 minutes to get from Delridge to the exit at 1st. The accident was just past 1st, and was blocking a lane and a half, with 2 fire engines, 2 police cars and a medic. It was simply bad timing, but when the viaduct is closed and everyone is funneled onto the bridge, it would be helpful to have a plan for clearing accidents as fast as humanly possible. As unpopular as it may make me, I’d suggest taking a cue from California and having the first responders deal with injuries, then immediately take pictures and clear the road, rather than leaving all the vehicles there until the investigation is done.

JM March 24, 2008 (4:04 pm)

By the way, while stopped in the sunshine (i.e. with my window open) at all those traffic lights on Alaskan Way I got to appreciate the silence of a closed viaduct and imagine how much nicer the waterfront is going to be when the viaduct is gone.

swimcat March 24, 2008 (4:13 pm)

I knew of the closing through WSB and signs on 99 prior to the closure. On Saturday it wasn’t that bad leaving WS in the afternoon, which surprised me.

On Sunday afternoon, leaving WS looked like a nightmare. I was thankfully coming back to WS after brunch on the Eastside and there was a stalled vehicle/accident on the eastbound portion of Spokane Viaduct right past the 99 North exit. Eastbound traffic was snarled and backed up to the steel plant. I would have blown a gasket sitting there in that mess. A viaduct replacement needs to be built NOW so when the old viaduct falls apart we won’t be inconvenienced (both Spokane and Alaska viaducts). The mention of a surface street replacement makes me ill- no one would ever leave WS unless it was on a bicycle or on foot, which is not a viable option for all of us.

macsmom March 24, 2008 (4:20 pm)

Had to go to Lower Queen Anne for a CPR training class on Saturday AM. Took I-5 instead of 99 on the way there at 9AM – traffic was moving along nicely, took the waterfront on the way home 2PM to avoid the mess on I-5, it was busy but not too bad. Carpooled both ways – my passenger wasn’t sure she could find the building coming from I-5 as she had always taken 99 in the past.

I can only immagine what it will be like once construction begins. So many people are unfamiliar with the “alternative” routes, it is going to be chaos.

I work in Fremont two days each week, and West Seattle the other three. Once construction begins, I will have to give up that portion of my income as there is no way it will be cost effective for me to sit in traffic for that period of time. I will have to look for more work in West Seattle.

Oh, and I learned of the closure here, and saw lights on 35th heading toward the bridge!

Joleen March 24, 2008 (4:22 pm)

I saw the backup on the WS Bridge on Saturday at about noon. So, I took the route via the lower bridge along Spokane St. It worked great!

herongrrrl March 24, 2008 (4:29 pm)

Generally I try not to leave WS if there’s going to be a closure after one memorable Saturday morning a couple years ago when I spent a good hour and a half between the Fauntleroy/35th Ave intersection and I-5.

I had business on the eastside last Saturday, and it probably took 20-30 minutes longer than usual to get onto I-5, which was very backed up (because of the additional traffic that would normally have been on 99?).

CMP March 24, 2008 (4:32 pm)

It took me about 25 minutes to get from the Junction to SODO on the bridge on Saturday at 12:30. I really appreciated all of the morons driving in the lane to get on 99 North, then cutting everyone else off who was actually waiting in line. I then left SODO to head up to Magnolia and Pioneer Square was a mess. There was awful ferry traffic, cars all over the place trying to bypass I-5. Not looking forward to the day the viaduct is torn down.

Mrs L March 24, 2008 (4:37 pm)

On Saturday around 1 pm, headed to Costco on 4th Ave via the Bridge and there was a slight backup but then I just needed to get to the 1st Ave exit. On Sunday, headed to Wedgewood around 2 pm and no problems. No problems heading back to WS either day.

KT March 24, 2008 (4:44 pm)

This weekend just proved we don’t need something like the viaduct, surface roads will take care of all our needs – NOT!

changingtimes March 24, 2008 (4:51 pm)

not about the weekend, but everyday i take my daughter to school on queen ann hill and it takes me 15-20 min avg to get there in the morning 10 min to get back on the viaduct. i am dreading the time when the viaduct closes!!!! i can see the commute double or tripling in time :(
SAVE OUR VIADUCT!

R March 24, 2008 (4:52 pm)

Spent an hour on the bridge Sat afternoon – to get to I-5 SOUTH.

Didn’t take any longer on the way back than normal rush hour type traffic.

I just was hoping that I would not go into labor this weekend! :)

Joe March 24, 2008 (4:56 pm)

It works fine on a normal weekend as we can all adjust our schedules to stay at home.

Easter weekend was a bad decision though.

JanS March 24, 2008 (5:29 pm)

Joe…my thoughts exactly…who chose the Easter weekend to do this? Couldn’t they have postponed it until the following weekend? No holiday?

I stayed home…simple as that :)

JimmyG March 24, 2008 (5:36 pm)

A good weekend for us normally means we don’t have to leave W. Seattle.

Yet for Easter dinner we wanted fish and chips at the Owl & Thistle pub downtown (just off Western). At 3:10 PM we headed that way and saw the warning light flashing that the viaduct was closed (the light by Diva Espresso). So we dropped down to cross on the lower bridge.

Traffic was light, even with the rain. Took us just a few minutes to get onto Alaskan Way and then we could see the viaduct was open.

So they got done with the work early, but the warning lights stayed on even after the opening.

So overall no big deal to us, we knew about the closure beforehand. On a scale of 1-10 it ranked about a 2.

owen March 24, 2008 (5:41 pm)

Sounds like I was lucky this weekend. Drove downtown via west seattle bridge to I5 north at around 4:30p on saturday. We knew about the closure and left a little early because of it. Traffic was a little heavier than normal, but still flowing well. We took the bus (route 56) back to WS at around 7ish that night. Traffic was really light both on 1st and on the bridge.

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For those who only heard about the closure through WSB – another source for info about planned traffic events in SODO is the City’s SODOTRAFFIC email list. I’ve found it really helpful for updates on closures or construction affecting the bridges, viaduct, and Spokane street.

JE March 24, 2008 (5:45 pm)

I guess we got lucky! We went downtown Sunday afternoon about 2:00. The viaduct was still closed but we found the traffic no worse than usual to I-5. I didn’t try a surface option as our destination worked better with I-5.
We briefly (very briefly) thought about taking a bus, but they’re too rare, especially on Sundays. We didn’t want to wait around, and wanted to be able to return when we were done–not wait and wait for a bus.

carraig na splinkeen March 24, 2008 (5:46 pm)

I got stuck for hours going in and out during last year’s closure, so this year planned not to leave W. Seattle the entire weekend; hardly a viable, long-term solution (albeit a pleasant one).

Max March 24, 2008 (5:47 pm)

We drove to Everett Saturday morning and returned that afternoon. In both cases, the I-5 express lanes were against us, but things were much worse in the morning, partly because there was no indication of the express lane closure until the mass of jam-packed cars was just about there. So, here’s a suggestion. The next time the viaduct is closed on a weekend, open the express lanes northbound the whole time. If that is not possible, use the fancy-schmancy three-lane wide sign south of the I-90 exit (which was blank Saturday morning) to let drivers know well in advance that the express lanes are closed. That might help mitigate the snarl somewhat.

PSPS March 24, 2008 (6:06 pm)

Can you imagine it being like this not for a couple of days but for years? The only practical solution to repairing the viaduct is … well … repair it! Surface street “alternatives” and any tear down/replacement schemes are way too expensive and would cause daily gridlock for years that would make this last weekend seem like a drive down a deserted country lane.
–> Retrofit.

Keith March 24, 2008 (7:52 pm)

I knew about the closure from WSB and the local papers, but I was out of town Wed-Fri and it took a pal visiting from Boston to remind me of the closure!

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Heading back into town on Saturday around noon, traffic on the 5 got really bad and slow around Wallingford. Through downtown it was fine, aside from the HUGE line of cars waiting for the Seattle Center Mercer/Denny exit.

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Around 4 we took a cab to the Key Arena for a hockey game. Not the best day to take a cab, but we saw many beers in our future and the bus would take way too long. Having seen the horrible backups on the 5 for Seattle Center exits, we exited at 1st Avenue and crawled through Pioneer Square. Once we got north of Pike Place Market, things started moving fairly well.

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This is still my preferred Viaduct replacement alternative (and not to be confused with the other, original tunnel option):

http://www.seattletube.org/

It can be built without shutting down any routes in the process, retain a fast thoroughfare through downtown *and* remove the hideously ugly Viaduct, which is destined to come down whether we like it or not. I lived in L.A. during the construction of the underground Metro line and it wasn’t a big deal – this would likely be as painless.

angelescrest March 24, 2008 (8:06 pm)

It was no problem at 7:30 a.m. Sat. The cool lights were not flashing, however. Such a disappointment. :)

Indaknow March 24, 2008 (8:30 pm)

Thankfully, it was my weekend off of work. I am grateful I did not have to leave West Seattle. I cancelled any plans involving heading downtown, east or north, instead choosing to shop in Tukwila and Burien for items that were not found locally and could not wait (sorry for the tax-loss city of Seattle). Having lived through the building of the high-level West Seattle bridge, I am REALLY dreading the viaduct closure. With the much higher present-day West Seattle population those bad memories could easily be eclipsed by this project.

Amy March 24, 2008 (8:45 pm)

It took us an hour to get to Queen Anne on Saturday afternoon. We decided to take the lower bridge, which was a mistake, as it opened for boat traffic and we had to sit and wait.

Admiral Janeway March 24, 2008 (8:55 pm)

What I found frustrating about the bridge traffic was the lack of coverage on the radio traffic reports. Neither KIRO or KOMO mentioned the traffic on the West Seattle Bridge even though they still reported that the viaduct was closed.

Tom Rasmussen March 24, 2008 (10:01 pm)

Thanks for your comments. I will forward them to the Seattle Department of Transportation for their review and response. When I receive them I will forward to the WSB. Thanks again.

Tom

ChrisW March 25, 2008 (10:56 am)

On Saturday, heading to U District, what was normally a 10 minute trip, took 1 hour. I took the under-bridge to the waterfront.

Lots of folks driving in the ferry lane on the waterfront, then cutting in to the thru lane at the terminal. Very frustrating.

Too many people not familiar with the area in a hurry. Terrible mix.

We need the viaduct.

westseattleite March 25, 2008 (11:04 am)

I saw information regarding the closure on this website and on the PI’s website. I don’t recall hearing anything about it on the news or radio. My husband and I tried to get to Greenwood to pick up some tile we had ordered on Saturday around 10am, but as soon as we saw the bridge we turned around and never left town the whole weekend. We have no family here and were invited for an easter dinner in Lake Forest Park, but thought it it would be too crazy with the traffic to try and get there, which was a shame. It might have been a good idea for them to either do the inspection one weekend earlier or later since there was a holiday. I know they have to take down the current viaduct, but frankly if they don’t re-build it I think we’re all going to be sitting on the bridge for a good hour to two hours during commute times…and for all the people that think surface streets and increased buses are going to alleviate the problem you’re mistaken. People are not going to give up their cars, in fact most of the time you can’t. If you’re just going downtown sure it’s easy, but what if you’d like to go anywhere else in the city. Am I supposed to haul tile, etc… for my home improvement projects home on the bus? Are people that actually need their cars to visit clients during the day supposed to hop buses all over the greater Seattle area? I really do hope that the council is taking all these back ups into account.

dairmuid March 25, 2008 (11:18 am)

I got stuck for a while, begrudgingly trying to get on I-5 north (I think the only time I actually drive on the freeway is when the viaduct is closed).

suzanne March 25, 2008 (11:54 am)

Whenever the viaduct closes, we don’t go into or through Seattle. That works fine if it isn’t a work day. So if the viaduct is closed, and we find we need to stimulate the economy by spending wild sums of money we spend it at home in West Seattle, or if need be, we head south.

RS March 25, 2008 (12:31 pm)

ChrisW- West Seattle to the U District in 10 minutes?? in what, a rocket?? I hope you live right next to the bridge or something :)

Amy March 25, 2008 (1:53 pm)

We had plans in Bainbridge Island so we had to travel. Took the low bridge to get to the ferry terminal and what a mess, took 45 minutes.

Mary March 25, 2008 (3:56 pm)

I had to go to work in Phinney Ridge on Sunday around noon. It took 55 minutes (as opposed to the usual 20 minutes). There was an accident on the bridge and then I-5 was glacial. I dread the day the viaduct closes. I may move out of West Seattle, even though I don’t want to.

LA in the Junction March 27, 2008 (9:24 am)

2 hours to work in Ballard from my home in West Seattle. Ridiculous. I’m going to lose my mind or my job when the Viaduct comes down, or both. We need a better solution than the “non-solution” of “surface streets”. Thanks Tom for making sure the City Council and Dept. of Transportation hears our concerns.

Allie G April 1, 2008 (4:11 pm)

Hi there! I’m the web manager at SDOT. Here’s the official scoop from SDOT regarding your experiences during the last Viaduct closure.

SDOT has read all the comments from this post and finds the feedback generally informative and helpful. We will be sure to forward some of the comments to WSDOT as well since you guys also have ideas about how to improve the State’s service in general. WSDOT closes the Viaduct every six months to perform inspections and SDOT’s job during those times is to try to provide for the smooth flow of traffic; we will make changes as appropriate as we plan for the next closure.

You are always welcome to contact us at 206-684-ROAD or use our online form:
http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/citizen_response.htm

Thanks!