TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Thursday’s a go

(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:12 AM: Good morning! No alerts today – just watching to see how things go. Speaking of watching – we just noticed the city has added more live video to its Travelers Information Map (where you can get the same travel times that are shown on the signs over the major outbound roads), and you can now watch for up to 5 minutes at a time (previously, :30). Explore here, on the lower right.

8:52 AM: See comments for advice to take more time if you’re heading out through Highland Park.

9:36 AM: We’re getting more reports that the truck-backup problem is back and affecting westbound traffic on the bridge. Trying again to find out why this has suddenly flared up over the past few days (for a current visual, see the lower-right image above, from the camera just east of the low bridge, and you can see the truck lineup headed for the port).

3:42 PM: We’ve been tracking the ongoing truck-backup problem in a separate story – see it here.

trickycoolj January 15, 2015 (8:50 am)

Unusual volume at 16th Holden Austin. Give yourself an extra 10 min if you go thru Highland Park.

WSB January 15, 2015 (8:52 am)

Thanks!

emmapeel January 15, 2015 (10:04 am)

The trucks were backed up onto I-5 southbound earlier. It’s really a mess.

LB January 15, 2015 (10:07 am)

I noticed the westbound truck backup around 6:15 or so this morning (it was past the top of the Harbor Island offramp).

KT January 15, 2015 (10:28 am)

Where is Seattle PD? Funny they have turned W/B Spokane Street Viaduct into an Alabama style speed trap usually but aren’t out there addressing this. It is 10:30am and worse than ever. You can’t get on from First Ave and is backing up I-5 to downtown. Ridiculous. When I first went by at 5:30am they were all parked on the side of the Spokane St Viaduct obviously waiting for the terminal to open.

ganative January 15, 2015 (10:43 am)

At 8am the trucks were backed up all the way to I-5.

WSB January 15, 2015 (10:46 am)

And apparently still are, we’re hearing. SDOT so far says it’s “watching” the situation, and points me to the port, whose response we await.

KT January 15, 2015 (11:10 am)

“SDOT so far says it’s “watching” the situation, and points me to the port, whose response we await.”

Watching the situation get more anymore out of control? Points you to the port to handle a traffic problem on City of Seattle streets? Wow. I surrender.

Duskyviolet January 15, 2015 (11:16 am)

Just left WS & the trucks were backing up traffic on all exits onto I-5 south, even from I-90. Gridlock! Feels like maybe a Port slowdown.

WSB January 15, 2015 (11:20 am)

Port person is gathering info. Separate story in minutes, even before I get their response, just to get it going. Thanks for the updates.

zephyr January 15, 2015 (11:23 am)

Just came into downtown via the bridge and Spokane viaduct. Passed a huge wall of trucks all along the way. South bound I 5 is a mess through downtown. Better take the Alaska viaduct or alternate routes to West Seattle. ~z

sam-c January 15, 2015 (11:31 am)

just went through that mess. wow. that was insane.
Can’t wait to hear what the port has to say

Add January 15, 2015 (11:39 am)

My sister has been on Spokane Street going west for 30 minutes and has traveled .2 miles. There’s no indication of what’s causing this kind of backup. She said there was a sign near I90/I5 saying that the WS Bridge was congested and advised alternate routes. What the heck is going on??

WSB January 15, 2015 (12:22 pm)

“Three large vessels” and the ongoing “disruption” are what the port cites. SDOT now says they’ll be meeting with port, terminal op about this today: https://westseattleblog.com/?p=298214

IR8trucker January 15, 2015 (1:34 pm)

The problem isn’t the export cargo as the ports claim. The problem is the ongoing port slowdown. This isn’t the first time the PMA has had this problem or that Seattle PD and city officials have turned their back on the situation. Who suffers for it? The truckers, that spend all day outside the gates waiting to get into the port only to be sent away without picking up or delivering their load. The truckers who are usually paid by the mile or by the load that are sitting there for the entire day not getting paid. And the people that live or work in the area that are inconvenienced. Mostly the truckers are the ones punished. They have no part in this slowdown yet they are having to lose income and many of them are having to spend the night up there in the hopes of making it through the gates the next day. And the port keeps charging extortion for late containers even though it is the port preventing them from being on time.
As a safety issue, I wonder how that bridge feels about all that weight just sitting on the one side of that bridge? Those trucks are upwards of 100,000 pounds each. Just lined up, hardly moving on one side while there is relatively little traffic of weight on the other side.

Seattleites (And everybody else impacted) need to rise up and demand action from your elected officials in the city council and the port authority. Any of them that tell you they can do nothing about the problem, should be telling you they choose to do nothing about the problem. It may be the port operator that is responsible, but it is the lease that gives them the power. Unless they gave total control of city property to a for profit company with no strings attached, and no responsibility for how their operations affect the surrounding area outside the port, then they have a say. If they did give the property with no strings, then they are unfit for their positions.

TrkrWife January 15, 2015 (4:18 pm)

I completely and totally agree with with IR8Trucker! You hit the nail on the head bud! It’s the truckers who suffer and excuse the long line but there are no other options for them! They need to come to an agreement and get the show on the road, for everybody’s sakes- the truckers, their families, the port workers, and all Seattleites!

trucker20 January 15, 2015 (6:12 pm)

I couldn’t AGREE more with IR8trucker andTrkrWife!! This has been going on now for several months and it’s really affecting a LOT of people except for the ones it should…the longshoremen. You haven’t been noticing it before in Seattle because it’s been going on in Tacoma and now it’s switched towns is all. Don’t blame the truck drivers trust me we want off the road worse then the cars want us off of it.

Sorry, comment time is over.