DOWNTOWN TRAFFIC/BUS ALERTS: Columbia road work; 1st Ave. S. collision

3:25 PM: What’s described as “emergency road work” on Columbia Street downtown – the “transit pathway” street – is causing delays on West Seattle-serving bus routes RapidRide C, 21, 55, 56, 57, 113, 120, 121, and 125. We’re checking to see how long it’s supposed to last.

4:46 PM: Another alert for bus riders, and other modes too – all but one lane is closed on 1st Avenue South just south of Safeco Field after a person was hit and killed. Metro says Route 21 is rerouting in that area.

5:26 PM: Updates on both:
-Detectives have finished investigating at the 1st Ave. S. scene and the street has reopened.
-On Columbia, here’s what SDOT spokesperson Mariam Ali tells us: “There was a failed utility vault in the eastbound (bus lane). Crews are working to fix the issue. There is one-way traffic westbound only. Eastbound lane is closed to Metro. The Metro supervisor is onsite and has rerouted Metro bus. We are estimating that the eastbound lane will reopen (around 7 pm).”

7:34 PM: Update from SDOT’s Ethan Bergerson: “SDOT Crews have installed a steel plate to cover the failed utility vault, which is owned by Verizon, until more permanent repairs can be made. The eastbound transit lane is now open to buses.” He added this photo:

Kathy September 29, 2022 (1:02 am)

Another crash victim (pedestrian this time) in SODO. The slaughter on our streets is becoming so common “if it bleeds, it leads” doesn’t even seem to apply anymore. Drivers, please pay attention and obey speed limits.

K September 29, 2022 (9:13 am)

“Public Safety” in the sense of the term in the US only applies to guns, property crime, grafitti, or perceived safety. Unfortunately our nation holds some pretty awful stats in both vehicular and gun violence which are historically close when measuring deaths per year. I think a combination of many people not wanting to admit the damage cars have done to our community (health, environment, violence, infrastructure) combined with a powerful car and gas lobby, we’re going to continue to play down vehicular violence nationally. Our current mayor is a great example of car brain: he makes a big speech about funding public safety while continuing to do nothing about vehicular violence, and making comments against alternative modes of transoprtation. Safety from auto violence doesn’t count as actual public safety many. Meanwhile if someone’s cat converter gets stolen there will be a plethora of calls to fill the jails.
Kathy September 29, 2022 (2:15 pm)

Seems like it might have been a person biking, not a pedestrian. Not sure if we will get the story, it’s not in West Seattle but SODO is an area where many people biking between West Seattle and other parts of the city need to get through safely. There is a memorial ride for Robb Mason starting at City Hall Plaza tomorrow at 5:30 pm that will proceed to Harbor Island. Greg Spotts, the new SDOT Chief is supposed to be riding along. I nearly got hit trying to get through one of those Harbor Island crosswalks this week. The cars are driving so fast in a 25 mph zone, it’s hard to gauge whether you have time to cross. We need some speed humps and maybe a pedestrian activated signal.

Mj September 29, 2022 (11:50 am)

Has more information regarding the unfortunate incident been released yet?

Flo B September 29, 2022 (3:39 pm)

MJ;K. Yes. KOMO news tonight reported what happened. A man had jumped into an open UPS truck to steal a package. He jumped out into traffic with it and was hit by a passing trucks mirror.

Mj September 29, 2022 (5:28 pm)

Per KIRO news a man stealing packages from a UPS truck was killed by a passing truck.

WSB September 29, 2022 (6:34 pm)

Here’s how the SPD summarized it online: “At 1544 hours, an unauthorized male entered the back cargo area of parked UPS truck in front of 1729 1 Av S. The male stole a package from the truck and as he was exiting the truck, he stepped into the southbound curb lane of 1 Av S and was struck by the mirror of a passing Ford truck. The adult male pedestrian believed to be in his 40s was pronounced deceased by Seattle Fire. A DRE responded to evaluate the driver. No signs of impairment were detected. TCIS Detectives responded and conducted a scene investigation.”