TRAFFIC/TRANSIT: Thursday watch, third week of West Seattle Bridge closure

5:35 AM: The high-rise West Seattle Bridge remains closed for the 17th consecutive morning.

SDOT clarified Wednesday that the low bridge is reserved for transit, freight, and emergency response; SPD presence continued, and there’s more new signage.

REMINDER: For general traffic, the main route across the Duwamish River is the 1st Avenue South Bridge (map) – that’s also how to get to I-5, cutting across Georgetown.

Or you can use the South Park Bridge (map).

Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed to see if a bridge is opening for marine traffic.

TRANSIT ALERTS FOR TODAY:

As first reported here, Metro‘s schedule shrunk again at the start of the week . Use the lookup to see which trips are canceled.

The Water Taxi’s schedule is also reduced – 2 morning departures and 2 evening returns – and its shuttles are no longer operating.

ROAD WORK UPDATE:

Work on the last section of Avalon to be paved, west of 35th SW, is now on pause until Monday because of the mayor’s orders for a two-day citywide public-works construction stopdown – striping will resume Monday; full update later today.

OTHER LINKS

SDOT’s traffic map
Our traffic-cams page

Let us know what you’re seeing if you’re still commuting – comment, or text (not if you’re at the wheel!) 206-293-6302.

Eddie April 9, 2020 (8:01 am)

Stopping a small paving project, already ground down, in good weather, with so little more to complete? What a bunch of baloney.

dood April 9, 2020 (9:07 am)

Anyone want to estimate the travel time increase once COVID restrictions are lifted?Will we add 30 minutes to a trip in/out of West Seattle? More?

tsurly April 9, 2020 (11:46 am)

If the volume of cars doesn’t significantly decrease from pre-stay at home order numbers, I’d bet dollars to doughnuts it doesn’t add time, but becomes impossible for alot of people.
E April 9, 2020 (1:48 pm)

Pre- Stay at home my commute was ~30 minutes to get out of West Seattle to Columbia City areaDuring- Stay at home (pre-bridge closure) it was about 13 minutes. Now, to head south and over it’s about 30-40 minutes depending on the trafficGiven there are only a couple routes in/out of West Seattle – W. Marginal, Highland Park, White Center – and everyone will go through there, I would guess it’ll be an hour easy.
Aaron April 9, 2020 (3:30 pm)

Depends where in West Seattle. I live on Alki and was getting to Chinatown/ID pre-bridge closure but while the roads were mostly empty. It went from about 12 minutes to sometimes 40. I’d imagine when peek traffic comes back it will add a lot more than half an hour.
Bryan K Tupper April 9, 2020 (4:17 pm)

With no traffic when they first closed the bridge heading south and around added 20 minutes to my commute to Bellevue… with traffic I’m expecting it to add 40-45 minutes if not more.Before bridge closer commute was 25-30 minutes with light traffic, with traffic it was 45 minutes.I bet it will be 1-1.5 hour commute when people go back to work if we have to go across 1st Avenue bridge

Eddie April 9, 2020 (10:50 am)

First south bridge open for marine traffic.

Dunno April 9, 2020 (12:00 pm)

Speaking of 35th sw, the paving project was supposed to be completed by November 2019. I drive it all the time, and until October there was even a sign there that stated as much. I was only kidding about taking over the railroad bridge in a earlier post, but got to thinking, since it’s not used that often, whoever owns it (BNSF?) could make money during this crisis with a car carrier like the one’s I’ve been on in Europe. Could have one unloading on a siding while another is loading. A ferry would take much longer. Just a idea that I’ve not heard. This of course after we come off the stay at home order.

WSB April 9, 2020 (12:37 pm)

No, it was NOT. We reported this even before the project began, 14 months, and linked that story again last week. The sign to which you refer was applicable only to the section where they were replacing the water main.
- Vic April 9, 2020 (6:34 pm)
  
  For anyone driving through the area just seeing the signage, it unfortunately is easy to misconstrue it to mean the project would have been completed by then. Thankfully, I follow the Blog so I knew what was up. Also as a life long Washingtonian I always double estimates for projects ;)

Alki resident 300 April 9, 2020 (1:18 pm)

I wonder if there is a way to decrease the fare to the water taxi during the “BridgeDoom” time period. I think it’s pricey for people that don’t have Orca cards paid for by their employer. I realize the water taxi is run by the county and not the City, but it might help some.

Christina April 9, 2020 (4:40 pm)

1st Ave Bridge Southbound down to 1 lane for an accident. Multiple fire trucks on the bridge! Maybe go through South Park.

Matthew April 9, 2020 (9:18 pm)

Since that whole intersection at Spokane, Chelan and W Marginal Way is heavily packed with traffic now (and it WILL get worse, once the whole COVID-19 situation is over) maybe SDOT would take care of its cracks and slowly forming potholes before it gets way worse and starts messing up every daily commuters cars and their suspension. We’d really appreciate that to keep at least that area in a decent shape before WSB gets fixed. Thanks!

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