TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Admiral Way reopens after closure for pole repair, & other Monday updates

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

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

7:14 AM: One major traffic advisory this morning – “emergency City Light repair” has Admiral Way blocked between 57th and Stevens. We are headed over to find out more.

7:37 AM: In comments, Emily says an early-morning crash damaged a pole (apparently no injuries, as the 911 log doesn’t show an SFD dispatch). And as we write this, our crew arrived and sent this photo:

Meantime, Metro says this is “delaying” Routes 50, 56, and 775. No specific reroutes in the alert. Our crew is waiting to talk with an SCL supervisor on scene for a time estimate on the closure.

8:02 AM: No time estimate but it’s not going to be any time soon. For one, the crew hasn’t arrived yet; when they do, the supervisor tells us, they will have to evaluate factors including what kind of a replacement pole is needed and how to deal with wires that are in a precarious balance now with the top of the damaged pole.

8:24 AM: Buses aren’t just delayed, they’re no-shows, per comment, and as we were following up with Metro, they texted/tweeted this:

Transit Alert – Metro routes 50, 56 & DART route 775 are rerouted off of SW Admiral Wy between 49 Av SW & 59 Av SW.

— King County Metro (@kcmetrobus) August 1, 2016

8:37 AM: The only addition to this so far is “Use stops east of 49th Av SW or west of 59th Av SW.” One comment says the 37 is running late too. We’ll be checking on this closure for as long as the situation lasts and updating this story, which we’re also linking from the first of our “spotlight” boxes atop the home page.

9:57 AM: Metro has texted/tweeted that the reroutes continue. We’ll be checking firsthand at the scene shortly.

10:45 AM: Repair crews were on scene when we went by a short time ago.

We’ll be checking again around 11:30.

11:43 AM: Open again, per this Metro alert just tweeted and texted:

Transit Alert Update – Routes 50 & 56 & DART route 775 have returned to normal operation on SW Admiral Wy between 49 Av SW & 59 Av SW.

— King County Metro (@kcmetrobus) August 1, 2016

EmilyC August 1, 2016 (7:28 am)

On Admiral: Car hit a pole shortly before 5:30. Pole now bent over.

WSB August 1, 2016 (7:31 am)

Thanks, apparently no injuries because it wasn’t on the 911 log and nobody texted until about 20 minutes ago.
- EmilyC August 1, 2016 (7:35 am)
  
  The driver stuck around for police to arrive (which usually doesn’t happen — there are too many crashes in this stretch to know that!). He was up and walking around.
  - WSB August 1, 2016 (7:44 am)
    
    Yeah, we’ve covered some there in the past. Our photographer has arrived and just sent a photo of the pole, now trying to find out more of a time estimate from the SCL supervisor on scene.

JJA August 1, 2016 (8:14 am)

“Delay” seems to have meant “cancellation.” I think we’re now at three 56’s that haven’t showed up. The closure is actually pretty significant if you’re trying to get out of Alki, because there isn’t any good detour due to Schmitz Park

WSB August 1, 2016 (8:23 am)

Metro JUST tweeted/texted now that these buses are routed off Admiral between 49th and 59th. I had just sent a question to them a moment earlier ..

Kristina August 1, 2016 (8:31 am)

The 37 is also having issues. The 7am bus was 20 minutes late.

Gina August 1, 2016 (8:33 am)

Dear Metro. Whither may the buses be wandering between 49th and 59th? Off Admiral on what merry pathway?

WSB August 1, 2016 (8:37 am)

Queried via Twitter, they added “Use stops east of 49th Av SW or west of 59th Av SW.”

Naomi Hyland August 1, 2016 (8:54 am)

My husband just texted no 56 at 45th/Admiral either.

EmilyC August 1, 2016 (8:55 am)

SCL cherry picker just showed up.

WSB August 1, 2016 (9:03 am)

Appreciate the updates, since we’re relatively far and weren’t going to go back to check – since it sounds like it’ll be some time – for an hour or so.

Worksmoothly August 1, 2016 (10:02 am)

Gina yes! So good.

Aaron August 1, 2016 (10:25 am)

This is absurd. We live on 57th ave SW and people are driving in circles through our neighborhood trapped in dead end streets because there are no signs for the detour. To make things worse, that never ending construction on California going towards Admiral is backing things up even worse.

Joe Dirt August 1, 2016 (11:24 am)

Agreed.

Ben August 1, 2016 (11:35 am)

I just walked over there to see what was going on, and it looks like they are just finishing working on it now. The trucks there are starting to leave.

WSB August 1, 2016 (11:40 am)

Thanks for the update – we went through again 15 minutes ago and the new pole appeared to have been brought in.
- WSB August 1, 2016 (11:46 am)
  
  … and now Metro has sent an alert saying buses are back to normal, which is our first indicator the road’s reopened.

Sorry, comment time is over.