West Seattle, Washington
26 Friday
Three months ago, we reported the first publicly disclosed West Seattle case of COVID-19. Tonight – here are the toplines:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: We’re going to start including all four of the stats now highlighted on the Public Health daily-summary dashboard:
*8,536 people have tested positive, 29 more than yesterday
*570 people have died, 3 more than yesterday
*1,499 people have been hospitalized, 10 more than yesterday
*109,813 people have been tested, 1,182 more than yesterday
One week ago, the positive-test count was 8,235; the death toll was 560.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.
HOUSE CLEANING AND NANNY RULES: The governor issued several new “guidance” documents today, including Phase 2 rules for domestic services. It’s all linked here.
SCAM ALERT: Scam callers are still trying to convince people to give them money to “prevent shutoffs’ – even though Seattle City Light and Public Utilities are still NOT cutting off service while the coronavirus crisis continues.
DEADLINE EXTENDED: From King County:
New COVID-19 funding for Community Orgs now available:
On May 5, the King County Council approved a second emergency supplemental budget proposed by Executive Dow Constantine to provide additional resources related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Included in the legislation is $1 million for the Office of Equity and Social Justice (OESJ) to expand funding for the COVID-19 Community Response Fund. As the pandemic has progressed, we understand more about its effects and the disproportionate impact it inflicts on communities of color. OESJ will continue to prioritize funding to partners working with communities at the highest risk of immediate and long-term negative health, social and economic impacts. Grants of up to $25,000 will be awarded to organizations and the application closes at 5 pm on June 23rd. Visit this link for more information on how to apply.
NEIGHBORHOOD BRIGHTNESS: Most people are still working/learning at home, so we appreciate the chance to keep sharing scenes like these when photos come in! Noodle spotted a flamingo flock:
GOT INFO? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Thanks to Nancy for the photo of the “small but mighty” gathering at Delridge Playfield during “Take a Knee for Justice” around this time last night. For those looking to show their opposition to racism and support for justice and equity, here are three upcoming events:
WEDNESDAY: At noon tomorrow, a family rally is planned outside Louisa Boren STEM K-8 (5950 Delridge Way SW), “to proclaim that Black Lives Matter.” You’re asked to wear masks and spread out along the sidewalk.
Also tomorrow, White Center’s Community March for Black Lives is planned, starting at Greenbridge Plaza:
People of White Center, we stand together in solidarity to fight for justice for our black brothers and sisters.
-We will gather at Greenbridge Plaza at 4 pm
-Hear from community members and leaders
-Begin Peaceful March toward 16th Avenue at 5 pm .Please bring your face mask.
The plaza is on 8th SW just south of SW Roxbury.
(ADDED WED.) Per image in comments, there’s also a 3 pm march from Chief Sealth International High School (2600 SW Thistle) to White Center.
SATURDAY: The organizers of last weekend’s Peace Peloton ride from Alki have organized another ride – not in West Seattle but not far:
2nd PEACE PELOTON demonstration and bike ride to support black-owned businesses
Saturday, June 13, 2020Starting point is Tougo Coffee at Yesler Terrace. Riders gather from 10:00 am onward. Ride starts at 12 Noon and ends at Ezell’s Chicken/Garfield Playfield. Additional details and route map are in this link.
Anything else ahead? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Another retailer’s getting ready to open as enabled by “modified Phase 1” – that’s Linda Sabee of Carmilia’s (4528 California SW), cleaning up! Her annuncement:
We’re ready for you!
Thanks to our fabulous customers, we made it through and are ready to reopen our doors!
Thursday, June 11, Carmilia’s will be open 1:00 ~ 7:00 with new arrivals and lots of hand sanitizer!
Our schedule {for now} will be
Thursday ~ Saturday
11:00 ~ 6:00Sunday
10:00 ~ 4:00And for those of you hesitant to shop in person, you can still support Carmilia’s.
Here’s how!
•Visit us online 24/7
•Schedule an individual in-person or virtual shopping appointment here
We have a stack of other announcements and will publish more this evening!
(UPDATE: WSDOT announced on June 11th that this work is now set to start July 12th)
WSDOT has announced the dates for overnight closures required for major work on the northbound side of the 1st Avenue South Bridge – starting four weeks from tonight. But the West Seattle “low bridge” will be open to all on the closure nights. Here’s the announcement:
Beginning July 6, people crossing the northbound State Route 99 Duwamish River Bridge, also known as the First Avenue South bridge, after dark will have to plan for up to 14 nights of detours. Southbound SR 99 will not be affected.
Contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will replace 14 sections of steel bridge decking on what has become the main link between West Seattle and downtown Seattle since the closure of the West Seattle Bridge.
During northbound full closures, crews will detour vehicles and pedestrians beginning at 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday nights. For each day of these closures, the bridge will reopen at 5 a.m. the following morning. No work will take place Friday or Saturday nights.
In addition to the full closures, people using the bridge should plan for overnight lane reductions and additional travel time during June.
Scheduling the bridge closures
The Duwamish River Bridge spans the Duwamish Waterway, a busy marine highway. When crews are working on the bridge, it cannot open for boat traffic. Keeping the bridge closed requires permission from the U.S. Coast Guard, which manages the waterway.
“This is important work to preserve the bridge. If we don’t do it now, we’ll have to wait until fall at the earliest,” said WSDOT Assistant Regional Administrator Messay Shiferaw.
Partnering with SDOT
WSDOT and the Seattle Department of Transportation are working closely to keep traffic moving during the northbound bridge closures. SDOT announced it will allow traffic to use the lower Spokane Street Bridge on nights the northbound Duwamish River/First Avenue South bridge is closed. This could change based on access needs for emergency vehicles. Other detours include the 14th Avenue South Park Bridge, Tukwila International Boulevard, East Marginal Way and Interstate 5.
“This is critical work that WSDOT must prioritize, but it comes at a time when many depend on the First Avenue South bridge more than ever. That is why we’ve worked with WSDOT and others to enable displaced traffic from the First Avenue South Bridge to use the Spokane Street Bridge as an alternative route across the Duwamish every night this work is being done,” said SDOT Director of Downtown Mobility Heather Marx, who also is the West Seattle High-Rise Bridge response lead.
Preserving the Duwamish River Bridge
The Duwamish River Bridge is an important transportation link between Seattle, West Seattle, Burien and points south. Fourteen of the 26.5-foot-long, 6-foot-wide steel deck grids need to be replaced. It takes a few hours to replace each one. During this work, all lanes must be closed for the safety of the people working on the bridge and the traveling public.
Replacing the decking during scheduled closures at times when there is less traffic will keep the bridge in good condition and avoid emergency repairs.
If all 14 nights are needed, that would be Monday night, July 6th through Thursday night, July 9th, plus Sunday night, July 12th, through Thursday night, July 16th, and Sunday night, July 19th, through Thursday night, July 23rd.
2:25 PM: We are at Walt Hundley Playfield in High Point, where an Airlift Northwest medical helicopter has just landed for the second day of West Seattle drills with SFD.
It’s the same thing they did at Alki yesterday – but the weather’s worse. Updates to come.
2:50 PM: Helicopter has departed. 2 more drills – 2 pm tomorrow at Alki, Thursday at Walt Hundley. Spectators welcome, around the edges of the field.
ADDED 8:41 PM: More photos/video, with a closer look at the helicopter:
Firefighters had a training class before they came to the field for the drill.
SFD has said, air transfers are likely to be very rare if they happen at all- but in case of, say, a total transportation logjam at peak hour, without the West Seattle Bridge, the option needs to be available, and they need to be ready to assist.
Airlift Northwest offers memberships; we asked spokesperson Stephen LeMay about them. “Airlift Northwest membership works with insurance carriers to offset any remaining balance on an aeromedical bill, which can be very expensive. Patients with a membership will *not* receive a bill for their transport, or any services provided during the transport. Membership is *not* required to be eligible for transport. We will fly any patient in need to any hospital regardless of membership or payor status. Airlift Northwest provides over $2 million in charity care every year.”
(Texted photo)
2:21 PM: Thanks for the tip – now a crash is blocking lanes at the east end of the Roxbury corridor.
3:03 PM: Just went through the area. All clear.
While SDOT decides whether/how to replace the closed-since-March West Seattle Bridge, it’s also working on how to move people off/onto the peninsula in the meantime. Last night’s Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council meeting revealed that effort now has a name.
“Reconnect West Seattle” debuted as PPNC got a bridge briefing from SDOT’s project leader Heather Marx (who repeated her commitment to brief anyone any time anywhere). Some of it recapped what’s been reported to date:
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Marx noted again that the big decision – is the bridge fixable or not? – is getting closer. But in the meantime, with the “stay-home order” over and gradual “reopening” under way, it’s time to shine the spotlight on traffic “mitigation.” So that’s where “Reconnect West Seattle” comes in, both as a peninsula-wide plan “with ambitious mode-split targets” and as a collection of neighborhood-specific strategies – which, as we’ve reported before, will focus on four areas:
“Community priorities are going to need to inform all those plans” – in other words, the prioritization process that we’ve also noted previously:
Your chance to weigh in should happen before long – here’s the timeline:
In subsequent discussion, Marx mentioned one other timeline point: We should hear by the end of the month about some changes in low-bridge access, as has been hinted.
Q&A: Are the cracks still growing? Yes, but “the bridge is not in imminent risk of failure.” That said, it’s not stable enough to, for example, carry emergency traffic. (Yes, vehicles are on it – the SDOT crews doing work such as inspections.)
Is the low bridge compromised? No – the recent closures were to repair and upgrade its communication technology, not for mechanical/structural problems.
Is SDOT going to take a serious look at the “immersed-tube tunnel” proposal? Yes, said Marx, the tunnel idea is “very much in play,” and n fact the Request for Qualifications for a potential bridge-replacement design team has been amended to reflect that. “We will absolutely investigate the tunnel as an option.”
So what’s next?
West Marginal Way improvements will largely be for freight, she said. The signal work is to continue expanding what can be adjusted in real time, remotely, from SDOT HQ. And the two advisory groups are beginning their work – the Technical Advisory Panel has its first meeting today, and the Community Task Force has its first meeting tomorrow.
(PPNC also got an update on Terminal 5, with Port of Seattle reps – we’ll write that up separately.)
11:03 AM: Multiple reports of a big backup as crews work to remove a downed tree/limb across West Marginal Way SW north of Highland Park Way. Avoid the area for a while.
3:19 PM: Finally got a chance to go through the area. All clear.
Thanks to Lura (who sent the photo above) and Peter for the tips – the seasonal bloom of Noctiluca is back. Our archives have sightings going back a decade; the state Ecology Department says sightings were reported as far back as the mid-1940s. Sometimes (like last year) it’s been seen by mid-May, sometimes not until mid-July, sometimes not at all. The state has a simple explanation here – it’s NOT toxic, and it’s NOT a spill, though it’s also NOT a good thing – and more research details here.
Another business reopening today: Rick’s Barber Shop (whose neon signage has led to Rick’s alterego The Psychic Barber), at 4845 California SW. Rick emailed us to say, “Regular hours Tuesdays-Fridays 9-6, Saturdays 9-4, with appointments strongly recommended.” You can call for one at 206-933-8733.
6:07 AM: Good morning – the 78th morning without the high-rise West Seattle Bridge. Again today, we start with a road-work reminder – the Delridge Way repaving-and-more work is scheduled to continue, depending on how the weather goes; here’s our preview.
Now on to the cameras for the 5-way intersection, and the restricted-access low bridge just east of it:
The main detour route across the Duwamish River is the 1st Avenue South Bridge (map) – here’s that camera:
The other major bridge across the river is the South Park Bridge (map) – this camera shows the SP-side approach:
Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed for info about any of those bridges opening for marine traffic.
You can see all local traffic cams here; locally relevant cameras are also shown on this WSB page.
TRANSIT
Metro – Check the Twitter feed for any breaking service changes. Otherwise – still on the reduced schedule and reduced capacity; check here for next departure
Water Taxi – Reduced schedule continues
Trouble on the roads/paths? Let us know – comment or text (but not if you’re driving!) 206-293-6302.
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