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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Friday watch

July 26, 2019 6:59 am
|      22 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)

6:59 AM: Good morning! No incidents reported in our area so far. One transit alert:

FERRY TRAFFIC ALERT: From Washington State Ferries:

Passengers traveling through Fauntleroy this weekend should prepare for potential delays getting to the tollbooth starting tomorrow. Washington State Ferries has learned that the city of Seattle has permitted event staging in front of Lincoln Park from 6 a.m. Friday, July 26, through 6 a.m. Sunday, July 28, as part of Sesame Street’s Road Trip event. This may block Fauntleroy Way ferry staging lanes between Southwest Kenyon and Southwest Monroe streets, possibly leading to extensive backups.

Travelers should give themselves extra time to get to the terminal. As a reminder, ferry traffic queues that extend beyond Lincoln Park continue on Fauntleroy Way. Drivers should avoid using nearby 47th Avenue to get in line.

STADIUM ZONE: The Mariners continue their series against the Tigers tonight, 7:10 pm.

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22 Replies to "TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Friday watch"

  • Quora July 26, 2019 (8:58 am)

    Traffic in on the bus this morning is a complete and utter JOKE. I caught the C from the junction at 8:12 and we haven’t even pulled off of 99 yet and it’s 9:00am. Complete log jam on the 99 off ramp to Pioneer Square. Again, the County does NOTHING to address the fact that this isn’t improving but is actually getting much worse. So what am I to expect now, a 1.5 hour commute each way now even though my house is 7.2 miles from my office. And the best part is we are paying COPS to regulate the traffic flow off of 99; is this really the best approach here???

    • sam-c July 26, 2019 (10:09 am)

      Almost seems like the buses should go back to the 4th avenue re-routes that they were using when the tunnel was being connected to the rest of 99 at the north and south ends.

    • sam-c July 26, 2019 (10:11 am)

      (and I imagine the traffic at that 99 exit will only get worse once WSDOT starts tolling in the tunnel.    SDOT needs to figure something out to create clearer paths for the buses to move on through)

    • GatewoodMike July 26, 2019 (10:17 am)

      The city could really stand to hire a massive number of traffic cops. I was at a bar recently and a guy from Chicago asked me how a city of our size didn’t have more traffic cops directing traffic at major intersections. It’s a good question. We’re a world class city, it’s time to act like it. This would benefit buses and cars. The 99-S onramp at Harrison in SLU is a complete circus in the evening. Not a traffic cop in sight. It’d be a good question for folks running for city council. 

      • donttreadonme July 26, 2019 (11:13 am)

        All the traffic cops are in slu helping amazoners out of their parking garages. 

      • JCW July 26, 2019 (1:59 pm)

        The difference between Chicago and here is that people wouldn’t dare block a box or try to make an obnoxious traffic move with a CPD officer directing the intersection. From the officers I’ve seen in Pioneer Square recently and SLU over the last 2 years, most are not active about controlling the intersection, and drivers end up blocking the intersection anyway. (Or in SLU, they favor clearing out the garages to maintaining the flow of traffic and it gets worse as they ignore the light cycle timing…)Seattle needs tickets for blocking the box. It’s absurd, as a major city, that we don’t have these already. 

      • Roms July 26, 2019 (8:49 pm)

        Seattle is not a world-class city. It’s the angry child who wants to be it, but just does it all wrong, decision after decision. Public transit is worse than in some developing countries, the airport is a joke, public transport infrastructure (roadways, etc.) couldn’t have been designed worse, etc.

  • Rick July 26, 2019 (9:12 am)

    Taking an already time consuming and difficult commute and giving priority to figgin’ Sesame Street promotion? I expect no less from this city. Disgusting.

  • newnative July 26, 2019 (10:18 am)

    One of our #56 buses was cancelled this morning and then there was a stalled vehicle in the tunnel. Then we pull into the bus only lane to find a stalled (C)rapidride there and had to go around it. I was really surprised, however despite these obvious delays, it was still faster than yesterday’s commute-when I was late to work. 

  • Lola July 26, 2019 (12:41 pm)

    I know I am staying away from Lincoln Park this Weekend due to the Sesame Street happenings.  I cannot imagine 5,000 or more people being down there and I do not want to get stuck in any Traffic Jam.  Good luck to you commuters for the Ferry. 

  • Susan July 26, 2019 (12:45 pm)

    I hope that the City, having granted the permits, thus creating the ferry line/traffic chaos on Fauntleroy this weekend, plans to provide traffic cops to manage the mess.  Or am I being too optimistic?

    • WSB July 26, 2019 (1:02 pm)

      We have an update of sorts. Writing a separate story now.

  • Quora July 26, 2019 (3:06 pm)

    Update! Back on the C Line and 1st Ave is already a complete mess at 2:30PM. Been on the bus for 35 minutes and we aren’t on 99 Southbound yet…awesome!

  • Eddie July 26, 2019 (4:00 pm)

    Do you guys think that completion of the Viaduct demo near the stadiums, and the resulting road and lane closures is what is causing these backups recently.  I don’t drive through there, but it seems like you all started complaining about it around the same time they got started with the south end demo.All that being said, that would make the pain temporary and we should re-evaluate just how bad it is in a few months when they are finished with the demo. Suppose you should expect another round of disruption when they do the Alaska Way refresh once the viaduct is all gone.

    • Meyer July 27, 2019 (8:40 am)

      Interesting point. Yes it does seem like the Pioneer Square route only got real bad starting a few weeks ago. Before that it usually OK but on occasion would take 20+ minutes to go from 3rd and Columbia to the on ramp of 99.I’m just looking forward for when the Viaduct is completely down and they have paved that bus only lane on Alaskan Way. I’m guessing the West Seattle commutes will return to how they were back when the Viaduct was still standing

  • Angry on the C July 26, 2019 (5:35 pm)

    Left 3rd and Seneca at 4:40. It’s 5:30 now and we’re stopped in pioneer square.Total nightmare!!!who can we call or write to complain about the new bus routes????This is awful!!!!!

  • WS commuter July 26, 2019 (6:03 pm)

    Traffic has been a complete nightmare today! This morning was awful due to 2 separate buses stalled on 99. As far as tonight, it makes absolutely no sense why cars and buses are traveling down 1st through Pioneer Square. Thus pain point is getting worse and worse. WSB, can you contact Metro for an update on plans to adjust routes (bus only lanes?). I know they have statistics on travel times which are increasing each day. Additionally, they need to address routes during event times. The city has not gone through Seahawks games and this new route. 

  • David July 26, 2019 (6:03 pm)

    21x is parked at 3rd and Madison for 4 green light cycles while waiting for curb space at 3rd and Columbia. Looks line busses can’t make right turn on Columbia.  What a cluster fudge.

  • JayDee July 26, 2019 (6:21 pm)

    Dear Angry:Last Friday it took me 1:45 to get home from the 4:04 @ Seneca 56. Tonight only an hour. I agree it is the cutoff of Yesler, Washington, and King Street access to the waterfront due to the Viaduct demo. Tonight they opened Columbia to the waterfront and suckered many drivers into going that way…only to cause/contribute to the backup at the 99 on-ramp south. It’s a mess (I was gonna say something else) and it is the result of no communication between Metro, SDOT, WSDOT, and SPD in my opinion.

  • WSEA Commuter July 26, 2019 (6:23 pm)

    Got on bus at 5:30 and it’s 6:22 and still not on 99…. still waiting at intersection. The city needs to consider a reroute out of 1st Ave/Pioneer Square for buses. This isn’t sustainable.

  • Bus rider July 26, 2019 (6:30 pm)

    Last Friday a commenter gave a tip to walk to the First Avenue bus stop at Railroad Ave. I did that and caught my bus, which was stuck in traffic. I left work at 4:50 and was home in an hour. Much faster than last week.

  • Big Mama July 26, 2019 (10:44 pm)

    If it’s gonna take an hour for a bus to get from 3rd & Columbia to SR-99, it might as well be Happy Hour. I think I might start packing a flask of Yukon Jack for the ride home. 

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