West Seattle traffic alerts: This weekend’s closures, summarized

After the Saturday debacle a few weeks ago, SDOT promised to improve its communication about closures (and other things affecting traffic). Toward that end, they have just sent an advisory summarizing everything happening this weekend in “the West Seattle Bridge corridor,” including the all-day-Sunday closure of the Fauntleroy Expressway. We’ve mentioned them all already, but one more read-through probably can’t hurt:

The Fauntleroy Expressway (at the west end of the West Seattle Bridge) will be closed from Saturday night, February 18, until midnight on Sunday, February 19. To get to the West Seattle Bridge, traffic will be directed to the Delridge on-ramp because the intersection of SW Avalon Way and SW Spokane Street will be restricted. The West Seattle Bridge and the Spokane Street Viaduct will remain open. First Avenue S will be closed at S Spokane Street.

Fauntleroy Expressway (from 35th Avenue SW to Delridge Way SW): The Fauntleroy Expressway will be open from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, February 18, and will be closed from 9 p.m. on Saturday until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, February 19. Detours will be the same as during the week—eastbound traffic on Fauntleroy Way SW will be detoured at 35th Avenue SW and will be directed to the West Seattle Bridge via SW Genesee Street and Delridge Way SW. Westbound traffic on the West Seattle Bridge will be directed off the bridge at the Delridge Way SW off-ramp.

SW Avalon Way: SW Avalon Way will be closed at SW Spokane Street from 6 p.m. Saturday, February 18, until 11:59 p.m. Sunday, February 19. During this period traffic will operate on Avalon the same as it has been during the daytime this week. Trucks and buses will be flagged through the intersection. Northbound general traffic will be detoured to eastbound SW Spokane Street, directed to perform a U-turn at 26th Avenue SW onto westbound SW Spokane Street, and then north on Harbor Avenue SW.

Spokane Street Viaduct (connecting West Seattle Bridge to I-5): One eastbound lane on the Spokane Street Viaduct will be closed at First Avenue S from 9 p.m. on Friday to 5 a.m. on Saturday. All lanes will remain open during the rest of the weekend.

First Avenue South (surface street): On Friday and Saturday nights, First Avenue South will be closed at South Spokane Street from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. the following mornings. Eastbound lower S Spokane Street traffic will be allowed to continue east through the intersection. Northbound traffic will be detoured east at S Spokane Street to Fourth Avenue S. Southbound traffic on First Avenue S will be detoured at S Hanford Street.

These closures are for the Fauntleroy Expressway Seismic Retrofit Project and the South Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project, both funded by the Bridging the Gap transportation initiative.

PG February 16, 2012 (3:06 pm)

I’m a little confused about this: “The Fauntleroy Expressway (at the east end of the West Seattle Bridge)”

Isn’t it the WEST end?

WSB February 16, 2012 (3:50 pm)

Fixed! Thank you!

Noelle February 16, 2012 (4:19 pm)

Thank you for all the traffic info! Do you think there be ‘OBAMA Traffic’ on Friday as well? I heard he was going to be on the south end of Seattle before going to Bellevue.

WSB February 16, 2012 (4:26 pm)

Air Force One always uses Boeing Field. I do need to look for better info on his timetable. – TR
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EDIT – I see he’s apparently flying into PAINE Field in Snohomish County, so there doesn’t appear to be effects down here …

Lorelee February 16, 2012 (4:20 pm)

Admiral entrance to the WS bridge remains open- right?

Noelle February 16, 2012 (4:35 pm)

Thank you WSB!!!

work downtown February 16, 2012 (4:39 pm)

I think Obama is landing at Paine Field this time.

WSB February 16, 2012 (4:41 pm)

Yeah, I just edited after discovering that in the citywide media. Good news traffic-wise for this part of the area, anyway.

JW February 16, 2012 (5:28 pm)

Not to thread-jack, but did anyone else read about the proposed sports arena and think, “GREAT! Now we can have enormous sporting events with traffic impacts YEAR-ROUND smack between WS and Downtown! ‘Cuz two and a half seasons of that a year already isn’t enough!”

I wouldn’t so much mind if there were a cent in the plan for transit improvements between there and here. I have no faith that we could even keep a bus transit lane open through there.

soosan February 16, 2012 (5:53 pm)

@Lorelee, I’m confused, too. It reads like everyone will be sent via Delridge, but what about getting on via Admiral or Harbor Ave?

LivesinWS February 16, 2012 (7:02 pm)

JW, agree.

And to think I moved to W Seattle years ago because it was so easy to get anywhere from here…..hahahaha.

Euripides February 16, 2012 (7:37 pm)

I think the proposed arena is great! It’s one of the things I love best about living in West Seattle – once the 1st Ave on-ramp is open, it will take ten minutes to get between the arena and my house. Take that, Ballard! :-)

JayDee February 16, 2012 (7:40 pm)

Ok, Admiral to the EB West Seattle bridge will be open the entire time, correct? And the same for WB traffic? I just want to know before I make travel plans off the peninsula.

Mike February 16, 2012 (10:21 pm)

West Seattle is closed for the weekend from 9AM – 5PM and then from 5PM to 9AM…thanks and have a nice day.

Been There February 17, 2012 (5:22 am)

@Mike, FUNNY!

ST February 17, 2012 (6:17 am)

I thought they were going to have signage before you get onthe bridge, I have not seen any thing on Delridge. Will they be doing that?

Angel February 17, 2012 (9:14 am)

Amen JW, you are not alone but I think we are in the minority, sadly.

Max February 17, 2012 (9:33 am)

Admiral to the Bridge. Open or closed? Does anybody know?

WSB February 17, 2012 (10:03 am)

I’m asking SDOT because as you have observed, their copy is not clear. – TR

WTF February 17, 2012 (2:43 pm)

@LivinWS, just wait until the “big dig”, then it will be nightmarishly hard to get anywhere! ;)

WSB February 17, 2012 (2:45 pm)

If you mean by “big dig” tunnel construction – the Viaduct is staying up till it’s done. So any potential traffic effects from the Viaduct going away are four years away.

laeti February 17, 2012 (5:30 pm)

I’m confused: the sign on 99 says “West Seattle Bridge closed all week-end”. Does it mean that the acess from I5 and 99 will be closed?
Also, what about the Admiral / Harbor ave exits?
thanks WSB!

WSB February 17, 2012 (5:51 pm)

Does a sign really say “all weekend”? The Fauntleroy Expressway and eastbound Spokane St. Viaduct ends are scheduled to be closed again overnight tonight – then just the Fauntleroy Expressway end, which mostly affects how you get onto and off the west end of the bridge, from 9 pm Saturday till about midnight Sunday night. I haven’t heard back from SDOT re: Admiral access, but you definitely will be able to use the bridge at least until the Delridge exit going west, and at least from the Delridge exit eastbound. We have driven it a zillion times during similar overnight closures in the past couple months, and it’s not too much inconvenience. I agree the signage is somewhat confusing, though, as for example, the signage on Fauntleroy Way in the Triangle, which I photographed today, says “West Seattle Bridge Closed/9 pm Saturday till …” as if the entire bridge was closing … TR

JayDee February 17, 2012 (6:28 pm)

What I don’t understand is why doesn’t SDOT understand? I love West Seattle, but I do need to leave sometimes. Knowing specifically what will be closed when is a no-brainer. Harder still is addressing the need to say what “isn’t” affected…why is this so difficult to understand? Thx for persevering on our behalf (the 25%)….

WSB February 17, 2012 (6:47 pm)

On the bright side – SDOT is out with a NEW update at day’s end that says the Fauntleroy Expressway work is AHEAD OF SCHEDULE and the nighttime closures likely will end after this coming week. Will be posting it separately, but in the meantime:
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http://onthemove.seattle.gov/2012/02/17/west-seattle-bridge-corridor-lane-closures-feb-20-24/

soosan February 17, 2012 (8:40 pm)

Here is it Friday and we still don’t have an answer on Admiral/Harbor access eastbound.

Hot tip for SDOT: If you can’t express it clearly in words, use a visual. As in, a map showing us what’s open and what’s closed. If you’re concerned about budget issues I can draw a map for you and all you have to do is color in the closed parts in red! LET’S DO THIS SDOT!

WSB February 17, 2012 (8:53 pm)

I apologize, but I didn’t get a reply. I drove Admiral today and there is no signage on Admiral comparable to that on Fauntleroy – so I sure hope that means no access problems from Admiral. Will check it out late tomorrow night so we can at least have the info up first thing Sunday morning, in case you have to go somewhere (or late Saturday night for that matter) … TR