TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: First post-Viaduct weekday – AM coverage
(SDOT MAP with travel times / WS-relevant traffic cams / Water Taxi schedule, other helpful info HERE)
5:30 AM: Good morning! As promised, we’re on watch early for the first post-Viaduct commute. No outbound trouble reported so far.
5:40 AM: WSDOT reports a collision on NB I-5 downtown: “in the gore point on NB 5 near Seneca; it isn’t blocking anything, but people are seeing it and slowing, so we are seeing a bit heavier traffic in that area.”
6:04 AM: Our crew is now headed to Seacrest to report on the Water Taxi commute for the rest of the morning, in addition to everything else we’re monitoring.
6:28 AM: Solid brake lights on the eastbound bridge. And an interesting report in comments – Route 56 did stop at the light-rail station, something Metro said they wouldn’t do. Please keep us all updated on anomalies (we’ll ask at the media briefings/Q&A sessions later). Also – wherever you see a temporary no-parking sign, TAKE IT SERIOUSLY!
Some of those zones are meant as holding zones for added buses that might be needed. … Meantime, still lots of room on the Water Taxi. The county isn’t providing passenger counts so far but we counted about 80 people boarding the one that’s about to leave.
6:40 AM: Update – 112 on that sailing. Still room (both boats on the WS run have 200+ capacity). Also, the low bridge opened for 11 minutes. Note that the temporary restrictions are in effect 7-10 am and 2-5 pm, and even during that time, it can still open for 5,000-gross-ton-plus vessels.
6:58 AM: 4700 block of West Marginal Way SW (by the Duwamish Longhouse) has a Seattle Fire “rescue extrication” response headed that way for a crash that is reported to be possibly “in a wooded area.” … Update: Car on roof, off road, one person hurt. Response is still likely to be affecting W. Marginal Way flow for a while.
7:12 AM: Water Taxi dock busy but NOT over capacity, still. Most-recent boat left with 110+ people. Here’s the line:
Marination Ma Kai at the dock is opening at 7 am for breakfast.
Meantime: Andy tells us that West Marginal near the Longhouse-vicinity crash scene is slick – temps this morning were close to freezing. We’re also told traffic there IS getting by despite the emergency response. … Thanks to everyone who’s sharing their experience in comments!
7:39 AM: The headline seems to be, everybody left early so backups started earlier. Meantime back at the dock, sailings are now surpassing 200 (getting closer to capacity). King County Executive Dow Constantine, longtime WT champion, is at the dock too (in photo with KC Marine Division’s Paul Brodeur):
7:49 AM: West Seattle-residing Seattle Times transportation reporter Mike Lindblom tweeted that the 7:30 am bike counter on the “low bridge” showed 278. Meantime, most-recent Water Taxi run was just under 100. The Metro supervisor keeping watch on the temporary parking lot at Pier 2 tells us it’s only about a quarter full – free shuttle to the dock – so if you’re still considering how to get off the peninsula, that’s an option.
8:03 AM: A warning from Rebecca: “Please post a warning ASAP about the northern tip of California Ave where the street makes a sharp turn. I just saw two bicyclists and a moped wipe out there!! Very slippery right now.” She sent this photo:
(Rebecca adds that Ferry Avenue is slick too.) Meantime, bus riders say things are going relatively well – including private transit; an Amazon bus rider from The Junction said the 7 am trip only took five minutes longer than last week.
8:23 AM: SDOT reports “So far, light traffic on major roads in Downtown Seattle.”
8:38 AM: The 8:15 am Water Taxi had 139 people on board. KC Marine Division confirms that they are leaving on schedule even if there are people waiting – Heather e-mailed us about this and said about 15 people were affected at one point during the 6 am hour; our crew hasn’t seen a major amount of this happening, but still, be aware – they are loading until one minute before scheduled departure, and then taking off. Also, the free shuttles have been pretty much at capacity.
(That’s the San Juan Clipper, the second boat on the West Seattle run during this extra-service time.)
8:47 PM: And a big-picture stat – through 8:35, just under 1,200 passengers on Water Taxi runs this morning, 66 percent above normal this time of year. Ride2 has had 150 riders (we’re checking on commenters’ reports of app glitches).
9 AM: If you’ve waited to leave – this would seem to be a pretty great time. We added to the array of cameras on our Traffic page so you can see for yourself beyond the four we are showcasing above.
9:27 AM: Another icy-road report, just in via text:
Might be worth noting in your traffic reporting that Snake Hill on the way to Brandon is terribly terribly icy. I just picked up and took home a couple of bicyclists I came upon who had wiped out on their way down. Bumped and bruised and broke a one of the bikes. Another route to Delridge is advised.
9:43 AM: Don’t get complacent, is the reminder … everybody who made a change today DEFINITELY helped. We’ll be watching traffic through the day and will have a PM report too with an ear on getting back this way. We also expect morning post-mortems from the transportation agencies in a conference call in less than 2 hours, and a Metro briefing at 1:30 pm, so stand by for updates! Thanks again for texting/calling 206-293-6302 (our round-the-clock hotline, in its 12th year) when there’s something to report.
with laughter and tears.”
Patricia Earle-Sylvester (née Rutherford)
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