West Seattle traffic: Friday PM commute; Water Taxi breakdown

(Top L, north of 1st Av. S. Bridge; top R, 1st @ Holgate; below L, I-5 on south end of downtown; below R, 12th headed for bridge to Beacon Hill, where there’s alternate WS Bridge access)

Back on commute patrol, one last time. It’s been raining seriously for a few hours now and very sloppy out there – so that will compound matters. The high bridge is backed up EASTBOUND right now, so if you have to leave West Seattle, consider an alternate (we’re checking how the alternates are doing). Updates to come!

4:10 PM UPDATE: The problem on the eastbound high bridge is described as a car fire. (a few minutes later) The fire trucks have now cleared, still a police car in the outside lane. … As for the “low bridge,” ADD says the traffic headed that way is “inching along” slowly.

4:27 PM UPDATE: Our roving crew confirms the low bridge is busy but moving. They have now moved onto 4th Ave. So., which is moving reasonably well right now.

4:54 PM UPDATE: Rain lifting, breeze kicking up. The eastbound bridge is still backed up. If you commute out of West Seattle, either wait or try a southern route like 1st Avenue South Bridge. Busy coming off the low bridge too – here’s a camera from its west end:

5:13 PM UPDATE: One WSB’er on a bus is about 12 minutes behind so far. Remember that Metro does have extra buses it can plug in here and there if a route gets backed up too far. If traffic kept you from making it to the West Seattle High School-Seattle Prep football postseason game at Memorial Stadium, we’re tweeting it live – @wsblive. If you are going to have to go over the “low bridge,” note that it’s opened just after 6 pm every day this week – the commitment was for openings to be avoided 3-6 pm.

5:26 PM: Multiple reports the Water Taxi is stalled. It was en route to Seacrest. Also word from Tracy Taylor at KING 5 that there’s a stall on Northbound I-5 near the West Seattle Bridge exit – not sure how close but it can’t make the slow eastbound WS Bridge any better… (added) Rachel Marie is said to be moving now (WS Water Taxi) but slowly. Checking with King County on what’ll be done about it for commuters.

5:36 PM: We don’t have this officially from the county but at least two people have said Water Taxi service from downtown to West Seattle is canceled till 7:30 pm. Let us know if you are at the dock and hearing anything. … update: Passengers tell us they are hearing this directly from crew. Rachel Marie IS proceeding slowly to the West Seattle side. But if you were going to take WT from downtown, we’d advise a bus home instead – though one West Seattleite says he’s going to try the WT to Vashon, and then WSF from Vashon back across to Fauntleroy…

5:43 PM: King County DOT confirms that there’ll be no West Seattle Water Taxi service till at least 7:15. Melissa Ann, the Vashon boat, will be moved over after that. You’ll recall that Melissa Ann handled the Monday morning commute as “Viadoom” week started, because Rachel Marie broke down sometime Sunday (apparently not with passengers aboard, the news came around midevening). Then Melissa Ann will be on the WS runs for the last weekend of the season (Vashon’s WT doesn’t run on weekends, anyway).

5:55 PM: The RM did make it back to the dock, so its passengers are now on the last leg of their trip home. Conflicting reports now on when service will resume. As for everything else – southbound I-5 is reported to be sludgy; the commute overall is just not going too well, so if you haven’t left yet, have patience, or maybe better yet, have dinner and leave MUCH later. (Added – photo by Katie Meyer for WSB, Rachel Marie after arrival at Seacrest)

6:03 PM: New estimate, 7:45 pm departure from Pier 50 downtown for the next WT. Meantime, some commenters say they ran from Pier 50 to go catch 37 bus home, and it’s half an hour late.

6:19 PM: Everything else is slow out there. Aside from the Water Taxi, no particular problems. … (minutes later) Except for a power outage on Alki. Will start a separate stry on that.

6:45 PM: One place REALLY not to be – southbound I-5. WSDOT says it’s backed up from the West Seattle Bridge to Shoreline.

7:11 PM: That stretch is getting a little faster, WSDOT says, but they just reported via Twitter that there’s a lane-blocking crash on NB I-5 at the West Seattle Bridge ramp.

40 Replies to "West Seattle traffic: Friday PM commute; Water Taxi breakdown"

  • CEA October 28, 2011 (4:04 pm)

    Avoid I-5 if coming from north. From city, cut thru Beacon Hill and over Columbia. Westbound bridge is clear. Eastbound bridge – standstill from Walking on Logs all the way to I-5. Accident with fire trucks there. Nasty night!

    • WSB October 28, 2011 (4:11 pm)

      Thanks, CEA. It’s on the log as a car fire.

  • Walnut October 28, 2011 (4:08 pm)

    FWIW the Beacon Hill routes seemed overly congested during yesterday afternoon’s commute. Granted it beat the regular mess, but more people are catching on to the shortcuts!

  • Add October 28, 2011 (4:13 pm)

    Low bridge very slow westbound but inching along. No trains on Hanford at least not yet!

  • CandrewB October 28, 2011 (4:22 pm)

    The Beacon Hill route has been discovered. Compared to Monday and Tuesday, yesterday and today were awful. Took me 35-40 minutes to get from Pike to the old Amazon Building. The timing of the lights at 12/Jackson and College(!)/15th are truly inexplicable.

  • Kyla October 28, 2011 (4:35 pm)

    Beacon Hill yesterday was slow for me too. Today from Capitol Hill/First Hill I went down Seneca, left on 5th, left on Airport Way, right on 6th Ave S, right on Lander, left on side road just after Starbucks Headquarters, then right on Hanford and over the bridge. It was slow but moving ok.

  • Wundrgrrrl October 28, 2011 (4:49 pm)

    Overhead sign coming down Admiral shows 46 minutes to 4th Ave exit… Courtesy of said car fire…

  • queenfrump October 28, 2011 (4:50 pm)

    Eastbound high bride is terrible. The sign said 34 min to I-5 and 53 stadiums. Moving slower at 4:45 pm than any morning commute i’ve had. No worries, I am a passenger not a driver, though texting seems to be a favorite pasttime of many drivers around me.

  • queenfrump October 28, 2011 (5:01 pm)

    Still on the bridge BUT very vibrant, full rainbow is visible. There is also a very faint one outside of it.

  • always confused October 28, 2011 (5:23 pm)

    First time catching the 515 boat this week…been waiting until 545. Pulled away from the dock, scary noise, engine smoke and smell and we are now limping across to Searest. Yikes! Doesn’t look good for the rest of the evening :(

  • Jsv October 28, 2011 (5:25 pm)

    If coming from eastside to WS do not take Beacon hill. Really bad traffic. Just sat through 7 lights at Spokane and Colimbia.

  • JayDee October 28, 2011 (5:26 pm)

    It took 55 minutes to reach the Junction from the Seneca on-ramp to the West Seattle Bridge. Plus the fun of seeing people drive in the next-to-the-right exit lane on I-5 at 20 with Alki stickers, or in one case a personalized Alki plate suddenly dart in like it just occurred to them to do so in the last 1/8th of a mile.

  • JL October 28, 2011 (5:30 pm)

    Tried to take WS Water Taxi, but just told at dock that boat is out of service. Next sailing 7:30 PM.

    • WSB October 28, 2011 (5:39 pm)

      Thanks, JL. We have added that info to the ongoing story. It broke down while en route to West Seattle from downtown.

  • nizzle October 28, 2011 (5:43 pm)

    wow! all week i’ve been taking the water taxi home. today is the first day I decided to take 55! what luck! been on the 55 for about 20 min and just got to the underpass not bad.

  • greg d October 28, 2011 (5:45 pm)

    I was on the 5:15 water taxi and it had mechanical problems. Now parked at seacrest park.

  • mg October 28, 2011 (5:48 pm)

    Just heard on NPR that there is a 14 mile backup on I5 southbound, taking over 90 minutes from Lynwood.. blamed mostly on the viaduct closure. And I was just reading in The Stranger about how little the closure has affected our commute.. Hope the rerouting planned for the full closure is well thought out! Remember to keep breathing everyone!

    • WSB October 28, 2011 (6:08 pm)

      MG – the problem with the Stranger piece is that they had three people take various forms of commuting on MONDAY. No real evaluation of this week could be complete till … the week is over. And we’ve seen it all, if someone read even just our coverage – the Wednesday afternoon trains back-and-forthing across the tracks at Hanford, the water taxi breakdown today, the truck stalled on the low bridge yesterday, and so on. Certainly some GOOD news too – aside from today’s problem the Water Taxi was popular and on schedule; the buses have had a lot of thumbs-up; people leaving early so the bridge was fairly clear in the 8 am hour, also some good news … and by many accounts, bicycling proved popular too – we were lucky to have good weather till this afternoon. – TR

  • Josh October 28, 2011 (5:51 pm)

    Found water taxi down. I’m now on a 37 at 2nd and Marion. Driver doesn’t know route. Fun times.

  • Michele October 28, 2011 (6:01 pm)

    A lot of people ran for the 37 so we can get back to where we parked when we water taxied over this morning. Sadly though the driver didn’t stop for at least one runner. Hopefully she will get on the next one. Passengers on this one report that it is a half hour behind. Really hope we make it to west Seattle in decent time.

  • Mike October 28, 2011 (6:08 pm)

    Two hours home to West Seattle from Shoreline on I-5 (and I left at 3:30). Definitely the worst of the week.

  • SA October 28, 2011 (6:13 pm)

    Well the real problem with the Stranger coverage is that they likely never left Capitol Hill.

  • cjl October 28, 2011 (6:15 pm)

    Any word on how the commute is over Beacon Hill?

  • Yardvark October 28, 2011 (6:20 pm)

    Having only one water taxi is ridiculous. Why can’t we permit private water taxis?

  • mg October 28, 2011 (6:36 pm)

    I agree, TR. Everyone braced for the worst on Monday and it showed. I think WS should feel proud for handling the chaos with such creativity and grace. Let’s hope we can keep it up, especially since tonight may be more of a realistic vision of what’s to come..

  • ad October 28, 2011 (6:46 pm)

    Took Link light rail train to Tukwila station, then Bus route 124 to WS. So far, so good.

  • raincity October 28, 2011 (6:50 pm)

    The stranger article did a reverse commute – they went from Cap Hill to WS at morning rush hour had a coffee and went back mid morning as if to say “what’s the problem?”

  • JoanE October 28, 2011 (6:50 pm)

    Boy did we ever pick the right week to go to Hawaii. Thank you luck lottery goddess. And please pass the Mai tais. ; )

  • MD October 28, 2011 (7:17 pm)

    wow, awful commute! walked from Broadway & Jefferson to catch 5:45 water taxi, but found rachel marie is down. ran back to 3rd to catch 54, just walked through the door at 6:5pm.
    wouldn’t have been so bad except my ipod died enroute and i left my cell at home… At least it wasn’t snowing!

  • Admiral Janeway October 28, 2011 (7:20 pm)

    A nasty Friday night commute – almost an hour. Was going to take the water taxi until I read it was out of service. Decided to stay at work and catch the express bus at 6:00. I hit the trifecta! Delayed by a train at Lander. Another train at Hanford, and a huge back up at the lower bridge (bridge opening?).
    Our bus driver made a bad decision by not re-routing to the First Avenue Bridge. He saw line of cars and crossing lights but decided to wait it out at Hanford. It took at least twenty minutes to go from 1st Avenue to the Chelan Cafe.

  • april October 28, 2011 (7:46 pm)

    On the water taxi now (Melissa Ann) and as scheduled she is leaving now (745). Thank you to the awesome crew! Sad to say goodbye to the summer crew, gone now till next April.

  • Eaglelover October 28, 2011 (7:54 pm)

    Lynnwood to WSea a lovely 2.5 hours….I-5….

  • westseattledood October 28, 2011 (8:05 pm)

    Yo Yardvark!
    Wouldn’t that be great to see a bunch of eco-friendly private taxis and ferries swooshing across our waterways! Bring back the Mosquito Fleets!!! So cool and so smart!

    I am impatient to be like all the other cities – Vancouver, B.C., NYC, Chicago….on and on and on the list goes.

    Honestly, would it hurt the future of the Ferry District and the plans for those new boats? I would love to hear in depth why or why not.

  • Lorelee October 28, 2011 (10:08 pm)

    Why in the world would we need more water taxis!? They are never full- except this week- and the overflow wasn’t THAT bad. Ive been a regular since April and the current schedule fits demand – anything more would be wasteful of tax dollars. However, I will admit service from an additional location may make some sense (like fauntleroy) if traffic continues to be terrible.

  • jedifarfy October 28, 2011 (10:17 pm)

    Ok, mini rant-ish: I get why they added more buses, but did they do it JUST for the 54 and 120? I missed my bus by 30 seconds(took a 113 today to go to my mom’s). I watched at least seven of each the 54 and 120 stop and go. They were about 5 minutes apart. At one point, when I finally was almost done with it, was when there were TWO articulated 54s and one not-articulate… AT THE SAME TIME. Then the first left, and the 54 express showed up. STILL THREE 54s sitting there. Where’s the help for the rest of the people?

    Anywho, my regular route’s going to get messed with next year so my opinion on much doesn’t matter. I’ll hopefully craft a lovely letter to Metro as soon as I have time between work and school…

  • westseattledood October 28, 2011 (11:14 pm)

    That is what I am referring to Lorelee – and what I was assuming Yardvark meant: Other locations here and well beyond West Seattle. Guess i wasn’t clear enough. I am talking about using water taxis all over Lake Washington, Lake Union, the Duwamish and the Sound – north-south runs, in particular.

    I tend to think big. :)

  • Neighborly October 29, 2011 (12:09 am)

    Does anyone still read The Stranger?

  • Yardvark October 29, 2011 (9:24 am)

    Why do we need to use tax dollars for more water taxis? Any marina in Seattle in absolutely filled with numerous boats just sitting around, never leaving the docks, costing their owners thousands. All of those boats have the potential to generate a little income for their owners while vastly improving transportation along our marine highways. Is there some sort of regulation or catch that makes this impossible?

  • Dizzle October 30, 2011 (12:42 am)

    Yardvark- Though it may seemed like a viable option for all the boat owners to charge some $$ to shuttle people up/down the lake or across the bay, it just isn’t that simple. The owner would need to be licensed, carry the apporiate safety gear and depending on the number of passengers they carry, be inspected by the Coast Guard (just like the water taxis).

  • Yardvark October 30, 2011 (9:44 am)

    Those all seem pretty reasonable, Dizzie, and not that much different from what a boat owner has to do anyhow. Is there anything else?
    It may be an investment for a boat owner, but it could pay off and also be a pretty enjoyable job.
    How can the city and county encourage this type of business growth?

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