ROAD WORK, TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER: Thursday notes

6:05 AM: Good morning! Another sunny forecast, with a high in the 70s (Wednesday’s high was 80).

BACK TO SCHOOL

Almost every school is back in session – today’s returnees include Seattle Public Schools kindergarteners and Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor).

ROAD WORK

26th SW & beyond – Northbound 26th SW is still closed between Roxbury and Barton.

Delridge project – Curbs, medians, and landscaping this week.

Tunnel closure Friday – 10 pm Friday (September 10th) to 6 am Saturday, the Highway 99 tunnel will be closed for maintenance.

TRANSIT

Buses are on regular schedules today – except for the rerouting in RapidRise H Line work zones. Watch @kcmetrobus for word of canceled trips.

For ferries and water taxis, regular schedule today. Watch @wsferries for ferry updates.

BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES

535th morning without the West Seattle Bridge. Here are views of other bridges and routes:

Low Bridge: Automated enforcement cameras remain in use; restrictions are in effect 5 am-9 pm daily – except weekends; the bridge is open to all until 8 am Saturday and Sunday mornings. (Access applications are available here for some categories of drivers.)

West Marginal Way at Highland Park Way:

Highland Park Way/Holden – The camera’s back, now pointed west:

The 5-way intersection (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Chelan):

The 1st Avenue South Bridge (map):

For the South Park Bridge (map), here’s the nearest camera:

Are draw/swing bridges opening for boats or barges? The @SDOTBridges Twitter feed will tell you. (1st Ave. South Bridge openings also are tweeted on @wsdot_traffic.)

See all local traffic cams here; locally relevant cameras are also on this WSB page.

Trouble on the streets/paths/bridges/water? Please let us know – text (but not if you’re driving!) 206-293-6302.

Allan September 9, 2021 (8:15 am)

SW Roxbury is backed up to White Center all week. 25 minute idle commute to South Park remind me how that is good for the environment?

Busrider September 9, 2021 (9:36 am)

It looks like commuters are done taking vacation, and everyone is going back to work.
DO September 9, 2021 (10:12 am)

Yeah, I think it’s been a slow increase back to normal traffic, which thus illuminates the complete lack of imagination from SDOT / city of Seattle to try to mitigate the insane backups due to there being no good routes in or out of West Seattle.I remember when this closed at first, we were like ‘how many great opportunities to try to get creative with a ferry service addition, anything’. Like, ANYTHING.And yet, they’ve done absolutely nothing to mitigate the traffic nightmare that we face here. Nothing. It shows a complete lack of imagination from this city, and it makes me feel like moving outta here increasingly more as each day passes with this nightmare we live in here. We pay a shed load of taxes here, and I legitimately don’t know where all that money goes when it’s really needed, I.E. this ’emergency’ they claim it to be.
- bill September 9, 2021 (5:29 pm)
  
  Indeed there has been a complete failure of strong action: No houses bulldozed to build new streets, no waterfront property condemned for a new ferry dock nor ships magically conjured into being and random citizens shanghaied as crew.
  - DO September 9, 2021 (9:17 pm)
    
    Bro, none of that is necessary. You didn’t hear the magic word, ‘imagination’, of which you clearly have none.
- Jort September 9, 2021 (6:27 pm)
  
  There is no way SDOT can “fix” the traffic problem because traffic has not ever, in the history of human civilization, been “fixed.” SDOT will not be the first government agency in human history to “fix” the problem of too many cars filling the available street space. Get on the bus or get a bike if you don’t like waiting in traffic. Those are your options, and yes, they’re options for everybody.

Gill & Alex September 9, 2021 (10:36 am)

Does anyone know why the traffic camera covering the South Park Bridge has been pointing east on Cloverdale where there is no traffic?

Paleeaze! September 9, 2021 (12:30 pm)

I wonder how many people complaining about traffic could easily take the bus to their destination. That would help cut back on said traffic and allow you to multitask (read a book, decompress, learn your love life again….)

Djet7carn September 9, 2021 (1:43 pm)

Junction to SEATAC — leaving at 7:26 AM, arrive 8:30 AM. 2 bus connections. So PALEEAZE: Show us your bus route.
- Paleeaze! September 9, 2021 (7:40 pm)
  
  I take #50 from Admiral area to Othello lightrail station.
- Foop September 9, 2021 (10:49 pm)
  
  I mean, 1 hour on a bus to SeaTac not worrying about traffic doesn’t sound so bad?128 or c line to westood and the 560 would get you there easy

Andraste September 9, 2021 (12:57 pm)

The positioning of the HP/Holden camera is… so unhelpful. Wow. Did they just stick the thing back up there blindly and call it good? It needs to be aimed where it was, at Holden. That’s where the backups are.

WSB September 9, 2021 (1:55 pm)

I asked them about that yesterday when they told me the camera was back. Seems to be deliberately positioned…
Tracey September 9, 2021 (2:46 pm)

They must not want people to know that it will take them 1:45 to get from West Seattle to an MD appointment in Capitol Hill. Maybe I could take the ferry to Southworth for healthcare quicker?

Sorry, comment time is over.