TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: What you need to know for Wednesday

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

6:12 AM: Good morning. No incidents in or from West Seattle so far. A few notes:

SCHOOL’S OUT EARLY TODAY: Today is an early-release day (two hours) for Seattle Public Schools, which shifts the times you’ll see flashing beacons, buses, biking/walking students, etc., this afternoon.

ADDED POLITICAL RALLY FRIDAY: If you commute through SODO – note that presidential candidate Bernie Sanders announced last night he’s coming back to Seattle Friday for a Safeco Field rally (4 pm).

METRO CHANGES START SATURDAY: Another reminder that Saturday brings Metro’s next “service change,” including the RapidRide C and D Lines separating, with the C Line route ending in South Lake Union. See all the Metro info here.

P.S. For downtown workers/commuters – as of right now, the #ManInTree incident downtown continues. SDOT is tracking nearby lane/road closures.

8:11 AM: Multiple reports of general slowness.

8:39 AM: Still (as at least one commenter affirms) nothing specific to blame for this – just overall regional backups. The morning’s incidents are all in areas that don’t usually have any sort of direct effect on outbound traffic from here.

12:12 PM: If you haven’t heard, #ManInTree was down safely before noon, after about 25 hours. So that part of downtown should be back to something resembling normal traffic.

Roger March 23, 2016 (7:50 am)

I’ve seen the new C map a dozen times but not a list of stops in SLU. Anyone know if that’s published somewhere?

Sevenless March 23, 2016 (8:26 am)

I haven’t seen an official map, but the signs have already been updated along the route and the data and map is in OneBusAway.

Northbound, after turning north on Blanchard, the C will stop at Blanchard & 4th, Westlake & Denny, Westlake & Harrison, Westlake & Valley, and ends at Fairview & Valley.

Southbound it will start at Valley & Fairview, then stops at Westlake & Mercer, Westlake & Harrison, Westlake & Blanchard, then picks up the old routing on 3rd.

Chris March 23, 2016 (7:50 am)

Admiral way backed up

Roxy March 23, 2016 (7:56 am)

NB Avalon too, bqcking up onto 35th.

David March 23, 2016 (7:56 am)

35th backed up to Alaska. Usually not a good sign.

Roxy March 23, 2016 (7:57 am)

NB Avalon too, backing up onto 35th.

Stuart March 23, 2016 (8:11 am)

Took half an hour to get across the bridge from taco time to first Avenue. No sign of any wrecks or incidents

watertowerjoey March 23, 2016 (8:19 am)

About 7:20 a fire response SUV went through the traffic – always fun and easy to deal with – but never saw where they stopped. You’d think they would use Avalon to access anything east of the crest of the bridge. there is just more space for cars to move out of the way and even a bus lane if needed.

WSB March 23, 2016 (8:38 am)

There have been no incidents reported on the bridge itself – either via 911 (meaning SFD responds)

http://www2.seattle.gov/fire/realtime911/getRecsForDatePub.asp?action=Today&incDate=&rad1=des

or via SDOT. The overall slowdown seems to be just a regional situation – the incidents that HAVE been reported have been in places that don’t usually cause chain-reaction slowdowns here.
- WSB March 23, 2016 (8:58 am)
  
  Re: the C Line’s new stops – this page seems to have more detailed information than I’m finding on Metro’s site:
  
  http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/transitSLU.htm
  
  If that still doesn’t help, let me know and I will see what I can find out from Metro’s communications team – TR

Pjm March 23, 2016 (8:25 am)

8:23. Bus on avalon has gone less than a block in 10 minutes.

JayDee March 23, 2016 (8:32 am)

The approximate 6:30 57 bus was 18 mins late, and then harvested 57/56 riders until the 56 caught up at Olga, then the 57 merged 40-50 cars earlier than necessary near the gore point before 99, allowing the 56 and a C bus to merge in front. And the heat didn’t work either.

Pjm March 23, 2016 (8:33 am)

8:33. Once on the bridge and traffic is up to speed.

Sheila G March 23, 2016 (8:36 am)

Thank you for the notice regarding the C line change. I am so sad about this, as I really have loved taking the C all the way to the Seattle Center and Ballard. I know we will be able to transfer to the D at Pike/Pine, but it is not the same thing. Sigh. I was hoping the C would still go to Seattle Center and then head east to SLU.

Ttn March 23, 2016 (8:38 am)

Way backed up on Avalon, delridge, Fauntleroy, more volume then usual during this time. Anything going on?

sam-c March 23, 2016 (10:24 am)

That was crazy. Who knows? If I would have known ahead of time, I would have taken my ‘back way’

Lola March 23, 2016 (8:59 am)

The emergency vehicles were going SB onto I-5 as I get off at the 4th Ave Exit. Not sure why all the traffic was so backed up unless they were going to an accident on I-5 SB?

Sue March 23, 2016 (9:04 am)

My 55 was several minutes late way packed to capacity today – turning away people on Avalon. I’m guessing a C (or two) didn’t come and they all packed on at the Junction. Then the bus crawled all the way to downtown with no apparent reason for the delay other than volume. I got on a bus around 8am at 42nd/Alaska and got to 3rd/Seneca at 8:35 – way longer than it should take to go 5 miles.

carolh March 23, 2016 (9:22 am)

It was slow even at 6:40 am when I was heading over the bridge.

But on another note, I think I may have now seen everything. As I was heading down I-5 South around 8:30 am to get off at West Seattle bridge, we all had to slow down abruptly cuz a pickup truck was doing a Uturn on I-5 to get off at the exit before the bridge.

It looks like there had also been a fender bender which was pulled in to the gore at the West Seattle Bridge exit.

A U-turn on the highway?!?!?!?!? I guess I’ll do that next time I miss my exit.