132 Replies to "TRAFFIC/TRANSIT/WEATHER/ETC.: Slushy Tuesday AM/early PM updates"

• Smittytheclown February 12, 2019 (6:12 am)

  Am I the only one without xfinity WiFi or is it possibly a regional issue?  Just north of the Junction. Thanks! 

  • Wseattleite February 12, 2019 (6:38 am)

    Smitty, mine has been sporadic since early morning.  Seems to come and go. 

    • Dan P. February 12, 2019 (9:22 am)

      Hi. Xfinity has a way to check on whether your area is experiencing any known issues. You can go to xfinity.com/status to check for local outages and find out when you’ll be back online by getting an estimated resolution time when available. If it doesn’t indicate an outage and you’re experiencing issues, you use Twitter or Facebook to send a DM or private message to the Digital Care Team for help. Use https://comca.st/support for Twitter and https://comca.st/supportFB for Facebook.

      • smittytheclown February 12, 2019 (10:21 am)

        Thanks!

  • Sage K February 12, 2019 (6:40 am)

    It’s working in Delridge.

  • CatLady February 12, 2019 (6:51 am)

    My boyfriend & I live in Alaska Junction (a few blocks south of Easy Street) & ours has been spotty since last night. You’re not the only one!

    • Smittytheclown February 12, 2019 (7:31 am)

      Thanks everyone.Xfinity coming this morning to check.  They did all their resetting and ping testing.  Claimed there was no regional outage. We shall see! 

  • KK February 12, 2019 (6:51 am)

    Freeze/thaw can effect some WiFi cables 🤨

    • grocerylist February 12, 2019 (7:10 am)

      Wi-Fi is wireless. There are no cables, that’s the point. If your internet works fine by ethernet but not over Wi-Fi, the first thing I’d do would be to stop renting a Comcast combo modem/wireless router for Wi-Fi and buy a decent wireless router. Comcast equipment is garbage.

      • KK February 12, 2019 (7:36 am)

        Whatever the cables are that run into the home to make the internet work. Just speaking from unfortunate past experiences in other parts of the country. Or this was just a crappy excuse the company gave that was serendipitously timed with freeze/thaw. 

        • grocerylist February 12, 2019 (8:51 am)

          That’s a crappy excuse, CAT5 cable is rated down to – 67°F.Temperatures wouldn’t cause an outage for cabling unless a pole went down or ice/tree took lines down.

        • chemist February 12, 2019 (10:31 am)

          Animals chew on wires and sometimes connections aren’t well jacketed to the weather, causing rain/snow to help introduce water inside coax cables/connection points.  Connections can always be a weak point and be why signal issues often coincide with wet weather.Many modems have an associated webpage where you can view signal levels to help diagnose your issues.  Often it’s of no help, since you’re only viewing a single spot along the path.

• Julia February 12, 2019 (6:30 am)

  Our WiFi working, south of Lincoln Park.

• Seth February 12, 2019 (6:30 am)

  No trash pickup again today

• Amber W February 12, 2019 (6:31 am)

  No garbage pickup on Tues 2/12. Just updated.

  • WSB February 12, 2019 (6:44 am)

    Yes, posted above! Here’s the full update:
    https://atyourservice.seattle.gov/2019/02/06/solid-waste-collection-resumes-feb-6/
    In short, Monday customers are still the first in queue when pickup resumes …

    • mark February 12, 2019 (12:16 pm)

      They say 2 day delay? I’m counting 9 days so far.

      • WSB February 12, 2019 (12:43 pm)

        For Monday, yes. By two days we are referring to days of the week, as in Wednesday is two days after Monday, etc. I missed watching most of the 11 am briefing live but am watching the archived video to see if SPU’s director had anything to add.
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiOsDTlADdw

• enid February 12, 2019 (6:41 am)

  What the heck is the R line shuttle?  The map provided shows an abbreviated #22 route beginning on Roxbury, calling it service to Arbor Heights (meaning, I suppose, to the outskirts of Arbor Heights).  Never heard of this before; wish I’d known days ago.  Even so, with no info provided as to scheduling, it’s kind of useless.

  • JEM February 12, 2019 (7:04 am)

    Both the map for R line shuttle and C line shuttle just show the map for C line. I’m assuming it’s a typo and they meant C line shuttle, which does the regular C line route south of Junction, just in a smaller bus. Can catch at 35th/Roxbury at totally random and infrequent intervals.

• JCK February 12, 2019 (6:57 am)

  I find the Metro ESN info confusing. Is the C line ending at Alaska junction? Or does it continue south to Morgan junction?

  • WSB February 12, 2019 (7:00 am)

    We had a map the other day – will re-add above.
    Here’s the PDF version.

    • JCK February 12, 2019 (7:11 am)

      Thanks – I saw that map earlier… It is cut off just below AK junction so it’s still not clear to me. I am assuming it turns around at AK junction? I saw a lot of busses stacked on 44th near the hardware store over the weekend. 

      • Mok4315 February 12, 2019 (8:00 am)

        Everything about what Metro is putting out is confusing, JCK. I live in the Morgan Junction, and work in the Admiral District. The C line from downtown terminates at the Alaska Junction. A shuttle is supposed to take you further south, I think the same route as the C line. But as mentioned by the commenter above, it is sporadic and infrequent. There’s no schedule, and I have a feeling it stops running entirely after some point in the afternoon. I waited for some type of bus when this whole mess started, then gave up and have been walking the 70 minutes to and from work ever since. In that time, I haven’t seen one bus go by me, not even in the opposite direction. I know they MUST be running up and down California, right? I just haven’t seen anything, and I’ve been walking the California stretch A LOT the past few days. 

      • Gerrie February 12, 2019 (11:33 am)

        Yes, after turning on 44th the C line proceeds South on California towards the Morgon junction. From there it turns E on Morgon continuing past Lincoln Pk and out to Westwood Village. From there it turns around & heads back to the A Junction then E to downtown Seattle. Hope that helps.

• Gayle February 12, 2019 (7:02 am)

  Has anyone taken the C line?  How delayed was/is it?

  • LE February 12, 2019 (7:17 am)

    I have the same question!  

    • tsurly February 12, 2019 (8:20 am)

      Not delay at all.

      • Loretta February 12, 2019 (6:01 pm)

        Does anyone know the status on the bike trails??

• Erica February 12, 2019 (7:06 am)

  I may have a dumb question, but for the bus routes — is it ONLY the red dotted line we should be looking at for the snow route? Or where the dotted red like begins is where the route breaks off into ESN? Trying to see if the C Line will be doing its Webster St stop. 

• Earlybird February 12, 2019 (7:08 am)

  If anyone needs to get to Bellevue, 90 is bare and wet. The 550 is running, albeit delayed. be careful on the WS bridge though- lots of standing water!

  • Carolyn February 12, 2019 (8:40 am)

    Headed that way. Thanks for the heads up 

• Jennie February 12, 2019 (7:10 am)

  Anyone know if the power pole that fell across California Ave has been cleared?

  • WSB February 12, 2019 (7:20 am)

    Yes, the scene was cleared by late last night.

• Leslie February 12, 2019 (7:21 am)

  this is information on the C line and it’s shuttle: https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/alerts-updates/winter/esn-alerts.aspx?route=c-line

• Barb February 12, 2019 (7:23 am)

  What about driving from Alki to Chinatown? Any news on the drive?

  • Yma February 12, 2019 (10:12 am)

    Chinatown?you mean, the International District?

    • WSB February 12, 2019 (10:23 am)

      Before we sidetrack into a nomenclature discussion, it’s a hyphenated official name.

• AdmiralDon February 12, 2019 (7:31 am)

  left a little late from Admiral to Northgate, via tunnel.  lots of water on bridge exit to 99.  watch it as everyone is going way to fast.  lots of slush on 99 north.  snow on the inside late at median narrows the lane.  tunnel was great.  Aurora was slushy but ok.  Further north it was snowing.  travel time almost the same as holiday.  traffic light.  lots of speeding cars.  good luck, be safe.

• Pp February 12, 2019 (7:37 am)

  I saw that Avalon way is closed at the harbor ave ramp. Is it okay to turn right at the ramp exit to harbor ave ? 

• J. February 12, 2019 (7:43 am)

  Incident going on at 35th and Avalon now. Police blocked off and busses stopping on Fauntleroy. 

  • WSB February 12, 2019 (7:46 am)

    That’s because of the bus crash just upslope, mentioned above. Might take another hour or so to clear per SPD quote of Metro supervisor.

• MG February 12, 2019 (7:49 am)

  Anyone know if the 775 water taxi shuttle is really running today?  I’m at a stop waiting for one and don’t know if it’s late or a no show. 

  • WSB February 12, 2019 (7:56 am)

    All Metro has announced is what we included above – not running on Admiral west of California SW and also not running on Calif. Way at north end…
    https://twitter.com/kcmetrobus/status/1095324537577709568
    (they responded to my request for clarification by saying they meant Admiral between 61st and California *Ave*)

  • JJA February 12, 2019 (7:57 am)

    Same here. If we miss the 8:00 boat, the next one isn’t until 9:10!

    • MA February 12, 2019 (8:05 am)

      Ya, I,m confused why there isn’t an 8:35 run.

      • hbb February 12, 2019 (9:37 am)

        FYI regarding the Water Taxi, there was an 8:35 run this morning. I planned to arrive very early for the 9:10, and much to my surprise, the boat was  already at the dock. 

        • Boo February 12, 2019 (11:51 am)

          Maybe it’s been omitted from the reduced schedule that they have published the last two days. I thought they weren’t running an 8:35 AM boat based on the revised schedule…

  • BrianK February 12, 2019 (8:04 am)

    775 is running on snow route, which i’m not sure what that means.  I live down on Alki and it made it there very early.  I was aiming for the 615 but made it on the 650.  The text notification said to expect significant delays, and remember that the apps, including trip planner, are third party developed and managed and don’t always keep up with snow routes, etc.

  • Sara February 12, 2019 (8:05 am)

    Shuttle just stopped to pick up at 53rd.

  • Kathy February 12, 2019 (9:04 am)

    A 775 Water Taxi shuttle just turned the corner from Admiral Way to 63rd.

• Deftones February 12, 2019 (8:07 am)

  Been waiting over 30 minutes for a c line shuttle to the junction by Lincoln park, this sucks 

  • Erica February 12, 2019 (9:11 am)

    Hey, I take that one too I think — Webster? I saw it wasn’t on the map for the snow route. I ended up driving to the junction and taking it from there. Just Incase you’re still out there waiting!

    • Deftones February 12, 2019 (11:11 am)

      Thank you, came maybe 10 minutes after my rant. Super packed, seems like it’s 1 shuttle running a loop

• Rr February 12, 2019 (8:09 am)

  Just wanted to urge anyone willing and able to check the storm drains around your property and nearby. I was shocked by how small an amount of ice was damming up the area around ours. If you’re seeing standing water on your street outside its worth grabbing a shovel and checking it out, you could possibly pull the plug on that bath tub right now! Again, only if you’re able and please be safe!!!

  • SE February 12, 2019 (9:38 am)

    Absolutely agree! I just found a mound of shoveled snow over the storm drain in our ankle deep alley of slush and standing water. I cleared it and shoveled paths from the puddles, and wow, what a difference! Let’s arm our teens with shovels and send them out to clear.

    • Rr February 12, 2019 (10:43 am)

      Though let’s wait till after noon, my teen is a zombie before then, and an armed band of zombies just sounds like an added layer of complexity we don’t need right now ;)

• anonyme February 12, 2019 (8:25 am)

  The problem with any of the links to Metro is that all of the ‘information’ is some combination of incomplete, inaccurate, contradictory or confusing.  For example, ESR routing of the 21 Express seems to indicate that the Arbor Heights loop is canceled.  I saw one yesterday and two this morning, so impossible to depend on.  Hoping tomorrow is better.  Getting a bit stir-crazy, and rations are running low…!

• Ajsal February 12, 2019 (8:29 am)

  Drivers slow down! Two cars almost hit me this am and the drivers think its funny. Love to see ya park those cars and deal with it.

  • KM February 12, 2019 (9:57 am)

    The story of the past few days…and every single day as a pedestrian. It’s more than bothersome that drivers think dangerous driving is cute instead of potentially deadly.

• anonyme February 12, 2019 (8:35 am)

  Having grown up in snow country, I’ve always wondered why the word “sleet” is seldom if ever used here.  “Frozen mix” seems to be used instead.  Is sleet a colloquialism?

  • Laura February 12, 2019 (9:46 am)

    Sleet and Frozen Mix are different in that frozen mix allows for more leeway in the transition from rain to snow and everything in between. Sleet and frozen rain are the same thing. I’ve heard sleet used, depending on the consistency. We have to many differences depending which area, sub area, hill, convergence zone someone lives in and in weather like this we have too say it is sleeting. Heck, parts of West Seattle alone have too many differences. 

  • KM February 12, 2019 (9:51 am)

    Sleet is definitely in my vernacular, but I grew up with snowy winters as well.

  • Katie February 12, 2019 (10:06 am)

    I think we get it so rarely, people don’t know the term. 

  • Railroaded February 12, 2019 (11:23 am)

    Lived in WA my whole life and sleet is in my vocabulary. One generally will see it in March/April,  usually when the weather is unstable and cool. Looks like little white rounded pellets.

  • trickycoolj February 12, 2019 (12:29 pm)

    This sums it up pretty well: https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/what-is-the-difference-between-freezing-rain-sleet-snow-hail-and-graupel/70006825   I’ve definitely had friends that took meteorology 101 from Cliff Mass as undergrads school me on Hail vs Graupel before.

• JEM February 12, 2019 (8:53 am)

  50 minute wait for 21 at 35th/Roxbury. In that time a 21x came through via Arbor Heights, as well as a C-line and 3 ferry/junction shuttles. Those were all within a short time of each other. 

• K February 12, 2019 (8:54 am)

  Has anyone tried HP Way recently??It was closed last night…Thanks!

  • annaeh February 12, 2019 (10:21 am)

    Clear and open! I can see the HP/Holden intersection from my window.

• Mj February 12, 2019 (9:07 am)

  Three words:WetColdMiserable

• M February 12, 2019 (9:12 am)

  So if Monday’s trash is scheduled for Wednesday does that mean that Tuesday’s would then be on Thursday? 

  • WSB February 12, 2019 (9:24 am)

    I wouldn’t make any assumptions until they actually get pickup going again.

    • just wondering February 12, 2019 (9:42 am)

      At least the cold should keep the trash and compost from smelling!

• Terry February 12, 2019 (9:29 am)

  Why is it that those living on the upper west side get better bus service even during inclement weather?  Metro has canceled the east side buses 125, 113, 131, etc.  and several riders can’t telecommute since they work in hotels, restaurants and other service-related industries.  Getting to the Water Taxi is not an option with no east side service.  So we end up having to trudge down to Delridge to even find a bus.  :-(

  • CAM February 12, 2019 (10:04 am)

    They’ve cancelled most of the buses running through the Morgan, Alaska, and Admiral areas as well. The only buses running are the C, 21, and 128. They have said that the routes are prioritized by where they can safely get the buses to and from, although that seems to even be questionable given the number of buses getting stuck the last several days. I believe I also read that the routes are decided on based on the need to keep operating core routes to all neighborhoods in Seattle. Drivers can’t get to work and buses are breaking down due to the conditions so there just aren’t as many buses to go around. 

    • Wseattleite February 12, 2019 (1:16 pm)

      Drivers can’t get to work?

      • CAM February 12, 2019 (3:02 pm)

        Yes, bus drivers have to be able to get to work in order to be available to drive a bus. Just like many of us are unable to drive our vehicles due to the road conditions, bus drivers experience the same difficulties. They are also unable to get their kids to childcare or school when those places are closed so sometimes they don’t have anyway to get childcare for the time they are expected to be at work. So essentially, all of the difficulties that the rest of us are facing are there for public transit employees as well. 

        • Wseattleite February 12, 2019 (5:42 pm)

          Ah, I see. Bus drivers. I was going to say, driving myself is the only way I got to work.  Bus service was struggling for sure.  Better not to be reliant on it. 

  • NH February 12, 2019 (11:06 am)

    There hasn’t been reliable 55/56/57 service to Alki/Admiral in over a week, and none at all the last 4 days. The west side is not spared the bus cutting, believe me.

• just wondering February 12, 2019 (9:33 am)

  HUGH snowplow heading west on Charlestown but stopped at 46th, did not go down hill.  Heading east now towards California!

• Chris February 12, 2019 (9:33 am)

  My senior friend went out to clear the sewer drains and found that the snow plows had covered them with about 3 feet of snow.   She was not able to clear, however found a gentleman that could.   She is concerned about this in so many other locations.   We did contact public utilities re this and hope something can be figured out as not everyone is going to be able to get to those drains due to the stack of snow.   Thank you.   Thanks to all the snow heroes out there. 

  • just wondering February 12, 2019 (9:52 am)

    I also like to attend to the storm drains near my house but the snow is so heavy I could barely clear my front porch steps. 

    • KM February 12, 2019 (12:27 pm)

      I just used a smaller-than-a-show-shovel to do mine. It was easier because of the weight, but still a lot of work nonetheless! Took a while to find the storm drain too.

  • LJJ February 12, 2019 (11:53 am)

    Same here. I shoveled drainage routes to our drain to help relieve the mass of water that was pooled in front of our house, only to have someone plow a bunch of slush back over my work. So, out I went again! Drainage is a priority right now. The roads will melt. Stop plowing. 

• moregarbagethansnow February 12, 2019 (9:38 am)

  they’ve missed two Mondays, that’s why they’re specifically saying that Monday will be prioritized the first day that they can resume pickup.  After that, I suspect they’ll just resume regular schedule.   

• J. February 12, 2019 (9:54 am)

  Been taking an Uber or Lyft from Junction to Westwood Village rather than wait forever for inconsistent C Line Shuttle.

  • M February 12, 2019 (10:53 am)

    Sorry to sound dumb but what’s the c line shuttle 

• enginerd February 12, 2019 (9:57 am)

  Just drove into work from Fairmount Park… the side streets are covered in a slush mix that is extremely slippery… definitely more slipping and sliding this morning than any of the other days that I drove to work. Without AWD there is no way I would have made it up even a moderate hill or driveway in this slush.  Please be careful and know that the conditions on slush may be more dangerous than the snow and ice of the last few days, IMHO.

• jenjm82 February 12, 2019 (10:13 am)

  My car is parked on Fauntleroy in front of The Bridge, not well either thanks to the snow I tried to drive over, luckily not the worst parked car I’ve seen! Too much slush stuck around all my tires so I’m missing work today, hoping I can get it out for tomorrow, I can’t afford off days!

• Cbj February 12, 2019 (10:25 am)

  Snow plow just went up and down on 44th ave  between genese and charleston thank you  you guys rock

• The Snow Troll February 12, 2019 (10:40 am)

  Interesting the KC Elections says they can’t extend the deadline for ballots.  We are on an all absentee (mail in) system and we haven’t received mail in a few days…..seems to be a problem that would make an extension obvious.

• Gorillita February 12, 2019 (10:43 am)

  Does anyone know if we’re getting mail delivery today? I called the post office, but they didn’t answer after 20+ rings.  Don’t know if that means they’re closed or just inundated with calls.  I really miss mail!

  • Buttercup February 12, 2019 (1:20 pm)

    I’ve had a mailman everyday.

  • annaeh February 12, 2019 (1:30 pm)

    I got mail this morning for the first time since Fri or Sat. I’m on the Highland Park/Delridge border

• m February 12, 2019 (10:51 am)

  Bonaire Drive… don’t bother unless you have a 4WD, and even then, it’s really tricky, especially towards the top. Hopefully later today, it may get better.

• Zyatah February 12, 2019 (10:54 am)

  Will the Lutheran Elementary School Tournament (L.E.S.T) still be going on in portland? It’s supposed to start on thursday-saturday and our school (hope lutheran) is going. Do you think it’d be delayed or cancelled bc of the snow?

  • Why_cause February 12, 2019 (12:31 pm)

    You should check in with the office if you aren’t receiving emails from them. The last email said that LEST is moving forward.

    • Why_cause February 12, 2019 (12:56 pm)

      I just meant that the school is sending out email updates about it and if you have a child at the school (which is how I read the comment) and aren’t getting emails, you might want to make sure the school has the correct contact information for you for the future.

  • Gene February 12, 2019 (12:32 pm)

    According to the school calendar & their last FB post LEST was still on- but why not just contact Hope directly?

    • WSB February 12, 2019 (12:40 pm)

      They may not be there since the school is closed. And not everyone uses membership-required social media. Person-to-person info can be helpful and we VERY MUCH appreciate everyone helping others here, on a site visible to all. I can think of one person I’ll ask, too.

  • CAM February 12, 2019 (1:00 pm)

    I’m not sure if this is helpful but my friends in Portland haven’t really gotten much snow. They’ve been doing fine getting around and everything is normal from what I’ve heard. 

• aa February 12, 2019 (11:16 am)

  There is a movie from the 80’s called Testament, it’s about a family trying to cope with life after a disaster.  What has stayed with me about it was how people expected the government to help, to tell them what to do and they never came.  For many of us, we have an assumption that when something bad happens someone in an official capacity will help us.  These past few days I have read a lot of comments from people expressing frustration about buses being late, poor information,  generally ‘why didn’t someone alert me to…’  It has reminded me how much we depend on these outside agencies and it seemed to be forgotten that they are dealing with the same crisis.  So much outrage about being inconvenienced by buses,.  How about some compassion for the drivers who are risking their lives? Or understanding that metro may  have been dealing with a reduced staff like many companies due to drivers not being able to get to work.?  

  • WSB February 12, 2019 (11:28 am)

    Bleak as it is, I love that movie.

  • LJJ February 12, 2019 (12:00 pm)

    Word. I kind of like the fact that people have to deal with their own garbage (like, literally, since there’s no pick-up). And no one is going to come out and pick up your tree branches or shovel a path to your road’s sewer drain… You, or the kind help of neighbors, have to make that happen! Also, grocery stores are understaffed – bag your own groceries. Time to step up a bit! 

    • KM February 12, 2019 (2:15 pm)

      I’m always intrigued by how much concern or outrage a missed garbage pickup receives in these types of situations. It’s always a good time to consider how much waste households create and what we can all do to lessen that impact, but when a pickup is missed, people might realize that their waste impact doesn’t end just because it leaves their property.

  • Buttercup February 12, 2019 (1:08 pm)

    I love your observations. Before I whine about myself look at others who are at more risk. Bus drivers, ambulance people. 1st responders, people restoring our power, air traffic getting to work, hospital people.even postal people although I wish they could stay home and be safe, I can wait a day or two for my mail. Tired of people who only think of themselves

  • Meg February 12, 2019 (2:28 pm)

    AA: I definitely see what you’re coming from and agree about the need for self-sufficiency! I think the grumbling about unreliable buses comes from people whose bosses and workplaces have unrealistic expectations of them showing up in bad weather! So maybe that’s where we should focus our frustration.  If you work somewhere where you have to be there come hell or (literal) high-water, and you rely on a bus to get there, it’s understandable that you’ll be frustrated when the bus doesn’t come.  I wish all employers would cut their employees a break in situations like this. 

• Mike February 12, 2019 (11:18 am)

  From walking through the admiral neighborhood, I’ve noticed that many cars are getting high centered. Please advise folks that don’t have snow tires nor high clearance vehicles, they’re likely to get stuck on unplowed roads.be safe everyone 

• Chris February 12, 2019 (11:37 am)

  We did get out mail delivery yesterday and today in North Admiral.   We have a nasty street though somehow they get here. 

• L February 12, 2019 (11:42 am)

  Personally, I think Metro and SDOT have done a great job with a tough situation. Yes, it’s frustrating to have to wait a long time for a bus, and yes, the web pages about ESN were confusing (I waited 20 minutes for a bus before I figured out its ESN route didn’t include my area!)  But the fact that buses were running at all in some very bad road conditions yesterday is great, and that only worked as well as it did because Metro had a plan to limit bus routes to arterials that were being regularly plowed by SDOT.

  • trickycoolj February 12, 2019 (12:36 pm)

    I think this was the first go for the ESN anyway so they’ll have plenty of lessons learned on how to advertise it and differentiate between the standard snow routes (or perhaps get rid of the standard ones?) I’m sure the ESN is helpful when drivers available are limited because it’s just as hard for them to get to work as the rest of us and I recall in 2008 when so many buses were wrecked that they had to keep services limited well after the storms because there was such a backlog of buses in the shop for repairs!

• chasbo February 12, 2019 (12:14 pm)

  When C line is on snow route, as in past few days, C line outbound to downtown starts at Alaska Junction, all stops south of the Junction are not served by the C.  The C shuttle serves these stops south of Junction and drops people off at Junction, where they can pickup the C on Snow Route.  The C Shuttle does not run as frequently as the C – the wait can be longer (my experience).  The communication of C-Shuttle and Rapid Ride C can be improved by KC Metro (IMO), hence some of the frustration from folks.

• CAM February 12, 2019 (12:22 pm)

  For the pedestrians/bus riders who have also been stuck at home due to conditions, I just tested the walk from about Fauntleroy and Hudson to see if I could get to a bus tomorrow morning. The east side of Fauntleroy is completely unshoveled, including the section in front of the construction zone. Once I got across the street it looked like the west side was clearer but I could only see down the street a little ways. The Whittaker did a passable job shoveling along Alaska but the corners/crosswalks are hazardous. They are standing water and slush with no shoveling around them making it risky to step into the water when you don’t know what’s there. Bank of America has not shoveled at all on the way west up Alaska. Same for Jefferson Square. Once you cross 42nd though the businesses did a great job clearing the snow. I’m going to walk a slightly different route back and see if the walk along Fauntleroy to 35th/Avalon is easier traveling. Based on what I’ve seen, I don’t know if I’ll be risking it tomorrow morning when it’ll probably be even slipperier after the overnight temperatures. It just seems like a recipe for spending the next two weeks on the couch nursing an injured back, etc.

  • CAM February 12, 2019 (12:49 pm)

    So unless you either have cleats or studded shoes/boots, it is extremely hard to get to the Junction bus stops traveling north on Fauntleroy and west on Alaska. Coming back the sidewalks on the west side of Fauntleroy were clearer but it was spotty and if you live on the east side you then have to get across the street (thank you to the 10 cars including the SPD vehicle that saw me standing and waiting at a crosswalk but kept on going anyways). Coming down the north side of Alaska, QFC and the Spruce did a great job but the bank/jiffy lube was unshoveled. It was easier to navigate though then the other side because there was more area to walk on next to the sidewalk that wasn’t as compacted. I could not get a good look at Fauntleroy heading toward the bridge, but if anyone has walked that I’d love to know how it is. Hope this is useful to more than just me!

• Michelle C February 12, 2019 (12:24 pm)

  Alaska junction report (11:30ish am) – lots of slush & standing water on some sidewalks & parking areas. Parking lot by ballot drop box is very slushy.True Value had 5 partial pallets of ice melt & a bunch of snow shovels. QFC mostly restocked except low on eggs; they may close at 7pm again. Bakery Nouveau closing at 5 pm today. Most restaurants & cafes are open.

• Donna February 12, 2019 (12:35 pm)

  A few months ago there was an excellent disaster preparedness workshop at Hiawatha.  One thing that really struck me is how in a disaster government services won’t be able to go around and solve everybody’s problems; they need to triage and will be able to address only the most pressing ones—-and our personal definition of “pressing” may well not match with the available services.  They really stressed how every one of us needs to be prepared to get by with limited or no government services for a couple weeks or even longer and to have sufficient emergency supplies. They also talked about the importance of neighbors helping neighbors and the community doing advance planning for that.  The inconveniences of these past several days have shown me just how on target their information was.

  • Laura February 12, 2019 (12:45 pm)

    Donna, that sounds like an amazing class. Do you remember who put it on? I’d love to try to find out if they’ll be holding another anytime soon. 

    • Donna February 12, 2019 (1:58 pm)

      Laura, the organization is West Seattle Be Prepared.  https://westseattlebeprepared.org/They had a lot of great presenters at the event.  Before attending I would have said I was reasonably prepared, not totally, for a disaster but  I came away from there with a lot more knowledge.  It was really enlightening to hear from the fire department how they have already determined routes they would take to first tour the region to assess the issues and then prioritize responses based on that.  What I personally think is an emergency may be nothing compared to the collapsed building several blocks away.  It was also pointed out that here on the Peninsula we don’t have a hospital and accessing one in other parts of the city might not be possible.  I believe there is a community group looking at possible solutions, like maybe local clinics or individual medical providers becoming resources.  There was conversation about surveying your neighborhood to find out things such as who has a chainsaw, who has a 4wd vehicle, who has medical skills, who would be in need of extra help, etc.   It was great and I hope there are followups.

      • WSB February 12, 2019 (2:07 pm)

        Our coverage of the November event:
        https://westseattleblog.com/2018/11/the-most-important-plan-is-your-plan-what-you-can-learn-from-packed-house-west-seattle-be-prepared-event-even-if-you-werent-there/

        We’ve been covering these dedicated local volunteers’ work (and exhortations) for more than a decade.

• AJP February 12, 2019 (12:41 pm)

  Three cheers to WSB for your up to the minute, timely and helpful info. I’ve been checking WSB multiple times a day for all the info. THANK YOU!!!

• Tracey February 12, 2019 (12:59 pm)

  Just made it to the High Point Ballot Box.  Holden, down 35th to Raymond.  The worst part of the journey was the High Point Library parking lot.  Almost got stuck. The sidewalks accessing the box are also not shoveled.  Got stuck trying to get my car back into the street spot in front of my house.   Still worth it to voice my opinion on the upcoming Ballot.

• anonyme February 12, 2019 (1:02 pm)

  Hey Tricky, thanks for that weather link!  I think I know the difference between sleet and frozen rain now, but maybe not frozen mix…?  Snow combined with frozen rain, maybe?  The info on graupel was great, never heard of it but know exactly what it is now that I have a picture.

• -Admiral neighbor February 12, 2019 (1:25 pm)

  I just went outside for the first time today to shovel our sidewalk (again), and noticed that there’s a wire down from our house to the pole. I want to report it, but I’m not sure how to tell what kind of wire it is. We have power on at our house and the cable/internet is working fine, so I’m not sure what this line is for and/or who to report it to. Sorry if this is a stupid question, but does anyone know how to tell or who to call?Also, this wire is draped across the sidewalk. I don’t want to touch it, and I don’t want anyone else to touch it. I put up a kids-at-play sign to mark it, but I don’t have any cones to mark it more officially or to ensure that no one walks on it/trips on it when it gets dark. I’m worried about this, so any ideas welcome. Thanks!

  • CAM February 12, 2019 (1:50 pm)

    I’d still probably call city light. It may be an electrical line that isn’t live. Cable companies will sometimes leave redundant cables up on the pole too. But the safest bet is to have City Light inspect it first. 

  • miws February 12, 2019 (2:23 pm)

    Admiral Neighbor, it sounds like you’ve done everything right so far. The first paragraph on this page looks like it answers your questions, and suggests two numbers you can call, along with suggesting 911 as an option. http://www.seattle.gov/light/sysstat/electricsafety.asp#Howto

  • Westwood Neighbor February 12, 2019 (2:55 pm)

    It might be the wire for an old landline phone. I’ve got one of those even though the phone is long gone. 

• Russ February 12, 2019 (2:22 pm)

  Is the 50 running today?

  • JEM February 12, 2019 (3:25 pm)

    No 50 today, it is not part of the ESN (Emergency Snow Network) which is still in effect today. Tomorrow they switch back to the snow route.  Here is a link to  reroute map that was posted earlier (goes to/from Junction via Fauntleroy and Avalon, not Genesee and Delridge). At least that is the latest info I’ve heard.

• susandennis February 12, 2019 (3:18 pm)

  I’m in pioneer square. I’m not an adventuresome driver. I do like to be at the LA Fitness pool at 5 am on weekdays and haven’t been since last Friday.It seems to me,  reading WSB, checking weather and looking at the traffic cams in West Seattle, that my plans to drive from Pioneer Square to West Seattle at 4:45 tomorrow morning are pretty safe plans. Anyone disagree? Thanks in advance for any advice.  (I’d be taking 99 to get there and 1st Ave to get home.) 

• KatHP February 12, 2019 (3:46 pm)

  JEM, has Metro given an official announcement that tomorrow’s service will be on  snow route and not ESN?

  • WSB February 12, 2019 (3:53 pm)

    Yes, they have, we updated it in the story above earlier, including this link
    https://kingcountymetro.blog/2019/02/12/king-county-metro-to-restore-most-bus-service-as-road-conditions-improve/

• KatHP February 12, 2019 (4:04 pm)

  Yay! Thank you!!!

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