TRAFFIC ALERT: Delridge/Orchard intersection work about to begin

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1:42 PM: The Delridge Way repaving/utilities/more project has sent its weekly update a day early because major work is about to start at Delridge/Orchard – where crews will be demolishing and rebuilding the intersection a quadrant at a time. Here’s the announcement;

The upgrades at SW Orchard St are planned to start as early as tomorrow (Friday, April 16 at 7 AM). Traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction on both Delridge Way SW and SW Orchard St. The intersection will be divided into four quadrants: SW, SE, NE, and NW. We will upgrade those quadrants one at a time. We phased our work to allow people traveling through this area to continue having access to West Seattle during this time through maintaining one lane of travel in all directions. A uniformed police officer will be on-site to help navigate traffic.

Look at the second page of this design rendering to see what the intersection plan is, once it’s done.

Meantime – the full update for the week ahead, covering all three project zones, is here.

4:06 PM: We asked how long the Delridge/Orchard work is expected to last. Answer: 4 to 5 weeks.

momof3boys April 15, 2021 (1:58 pm)

yikes. such a major route with the detour out of town, we knew this was coming! pack yer patience folks!!!!

:( April 15, 2021 (2:41 pm)

Unbelievable. This is usually the way that I go to/from work M-F.

reed April 15, 2021 (3:52 pm)

West Seattle Drivers: Upgrade and fix the roads!Also West Seattle Drivers: How dare you inconvenience me by fixing the roads!
- David April 19, 2021 (6:47 pm)
  
  West Seattle drivers: You tell us to stay indoors, then you tow our cars and stick us with a huge bill when we don’t realize someone stuck a barricade somewhere on our block yesterday. Seattle: We need money somehow, deal with it. Besides, we posted a sign in the basement next to a poster that says “Beware the Leopard”.

Nicole V April 15, 2021 (3:43 pm)

Are they adding left turn signals for cars turning onto Delridge from Orchard/Sylvan? The last time they ‘upgraded’ this intersection left turn signals were only added for vehicles turning to Orchard/Sylvan from Delridge.

KM April 15, 2021 (9:31 pm)

I asked SDOT about this a while back and they said likely no, but not sure if that changed. This sight lines for car drivers turning SB onto Delridge are awful, and people are driving too fast. Not good!

Rob April 15, 2021 (5:54 pm)

It seems like some of these projects should be postponed/rescheduled in light of the bridge closure. This is a major detour route out of West Seattle; Delridge has been under heavy construction for months- is no one in SDOT prioritizing the traffic mobility needs of West Seattle at all?? This seems ridiculous.

AMD April 15, 2021 (7:25 pm)

It would be a lot worse if it were postponed. Right now traffic is still lighter than usual with people working from home so there is less interruption now than there would be when the bridge was open and everyone is commuting again (and using Delridge to get TO the bridge).
- Kyle April 15, 2021 (9:17 pm)
  
  I disagree, traffic at that intersection is way up compared to before the bridge closure. Agree overall commuting numbers are lower, but the detour route is busier than ever. That said, they should move forward with the work, just wish they put some more mitigation in place. The amount of people trying to turn left at 21st and Delridge with no signal will be disastrous. Ditto for the timing of the light at 16th and Holden which is timed to funnel cars down Austin to Sylwan Way. Just notice of closing the intersection seems like a D+ effort. Wish our leaders would think about some of the impacts beforehand and put a few mitigations in place.
  - sam-c April 21, 2021 (9:24 am)
    
    Seems like there have been big impacts to this WS bridge detour route. I saw cars backed up (presumably from the Orchard/ Delridge intersection), all the way to 16th. Some cars turning left from 16th (coming from bridge detour route) onto Orchard were still blocking the intersection (to those traveling SB on 16th) when their light turned red. Happened through quite a few light cycles.