West Seattle, Washington
19 Monday
Tomorrow will mark one week since mechanical trouble closed the West Seattle low bridge to road and path users. Tonight, some updates, starting with a map for the bicycle detour:
“This is a long detour,” SDOT acknowledges in this post about options for getting around while the low bridge is out of service, adding “We have been working this week to clear recent windstorm debris from the route, install detour route signs, and review the asphalt condition to see if spot improvements can be made to support riders.” Also of note, SDOT says, “Should the closure extend much beyond two weeks, we’ll consider other options for enhancing travel without a car.” (Back during an emergency low-bridge closure in 2018, a shuttle was implemented.)
So how long might the closure last? Still no estimate. SDOT spokesperson Ethan Bergerson told WSB today, “Crews have been in the bridge every day since the recent incident, working to create a repair plan and timeline. We haven’t finished our analysis yet, but this is a high priority and we are working to fix the bridge as fast as we can.” SDOT also has published a recap of work that had already been done on the bridge, and what was planned – including this photo of work back in October:
Most of the low-bridge work was part of the same contract under which Kraemer North America repaired the high bridge. Looking into our archives, this July report projected that much of the low-bridge work was at the time expected to be done by year’s end.
THURSDAY EVENING: After last week’s big freeze led to crews skipping garbage/recycling/yard waste pickups for Seattle Public Utilities‘ Tuesday-Friday customers, this has been a catchup week – at least for garbage and yard/food waste, Though SPU said crews would “attempt” to catch up on recycling for “off-week” customers, so far we’ve only heard from people (ourselves included) whose recycling was not caught up. So we asked SPU about it. SPU spokesperson Sabrina Register didn’t have numbers on how many “off-week” recycling pickups have been made, if any, she did stress these points:
-Customers can set out double the amount of recycling next week on their collection day at no additional charge.
-If customers’ recycling is not picked up at the end of their off-week collection day, they should bring in their carts and set out double next week on their collection day.
So if you have Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday pickup and your recycling hasn’t been picked up, you’re out of luck until next week. One thing she’s still checking into for us – how much recycling constitutes “double,” since the SPU website says you can put out “one unit” extra each week, which theoretically would limit you next week to one bin plus three “units.”
ADDED FRIDAY AFTERNOON: Register confirms that some customers served by Recology did get off-week recycling pickup this week. For everybody who was missed last week and did NOT get off-week pickup this week, you can set out up to four units next week – see the link above for the description of an “extra unit.”
Three more auto-theft-related West Seattle Crime Watch reports:
STOLEN PICKUP: The report and photos are from Sam:
My car, a 1996 black Ford Ranger XLT, was stolen near Alki on 12/28. The phone number for tips would be (updated) 206-625-5011 and the police case number is 22-346724.
(added) The plates on the truck when taken are C53926Y.
CHARGES FILED IN STOLEN-VAN CASE: The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has filed charges in a case we covered last week, in which a 39-year-old man is accused of abandoning a stolen van on West Seattle railroad tracks after hitting a police car while trying to get away from officers in SODO. The suspect, Jesse R. Volk of Burien, is charged with two felonies, possession of a stolen vehicle and attempting to elude police. Court documents say Volk has one felony conviction on his record but four others filed and not yet resolved – three of which are also related to stolen vehicles. He remains in the King County Jail, where he’s been since his arrest eight days ago, in lieu of $25,000 bail.
CHARGE FILED IN STOLEN-CAR CASE: 43-year-old Nicholas V. Renion is charged with possession of a stolen vehicle – a car in which police say they found him early the morning of December 19th in West Seattle, shortly after the car was stolen in White Center. The owner of the Chevrolet Aveo had started it up outside his home in the 10000 block of 17th SW to warm it up; he left it running and went inside, and it was taken. He was able to track it via an Apple AirTag on his keychain, and within an hour, he and his parents found it parked in a lot in the 9000 block of Delridge Way SW. They notified Seattle Police, who found Renion in the car, and arrested him. He’s been in jail ever since, bail set at $15,000. Inside the recovered car, the victim found a bag that did not belong to him, and the documents say:
Inside the bag, officers found five access devices in the names of three different people. A Keybank debit card and a Bank of America debit card were located in (one person’s name). A Seattle Credit Union card was located in (another name). A BECU debit card was located in the name of (the car’s owner).
Renion has a criminal history dating back 29 years, with prior convictions including stolen-vehicle possession, burglary, and assault, plus another auto-theft case currently pending. He’s been in the King County Jail for 10 days, his third booking this fall; the previous two totaled 43 days.
The new year will be momentous for the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, celebrating its 100th anniversary. Its announcement today notes that’s a milestone marked by few:
In 2023, The West Seattle Chamber of Commerce will be celebrating 100 years of incorporation. “Of the nearly 3900 incorporations filed in 1923, only 38 exist today” (Source: Washington Secretary of State) and the West Seattle Chamber is honored to be among the 1% still operating!
In 1923, incorporating a business was quite a challenge. Incorporation paperwork was delivered to Olympia, Washington by horseback, steam wheeler, or train. Even if you owned a car, the roads leading to Olympia were virtually impossible to navigate.
To celebrate, the organization’s plans include:
*Unveiling a new “celebratory logo” on January 1st
*Distributing a new “Westside Guide“ around the area – including dozens of locations outside West Seattle – “to encourage people to visit the peninsula”
*Launching a new “Visit West Seattle” mobile app with city Neighborhood Economic Recovery Fund money
*Special commemorative treats to be sold by member businesses (example: a custom Husky Deli ice-cream flavor next summer)
Dates are set for four major 2023 events, too:
Chamber Annual Meeting | Tuesday, January 26, 2023 @ Alki Masonic Hall
Cheers to 100 Years Chamber Birthday Party | Thursday, April 27, 2023 @ Admiral Theater
Annual Westside Awards | Tuesday, May 16, 2023 @ South Seattle College
Battle for West Seattle Softball Game – West Seattle Chamber vs. West Seattle Junction Association | Sunday, May 21, 2023 @ Mel Olson Stadium (Home of DubSea Fish Sticks)
Watch the Chamber website for details.
Back on Saturday, we reported on a false-alarm water-rescue call at Don Armeni Boat Ramp, related to a sinking sailboat that turned out to have been there for some days. By the next day, the boat was entirely submerged. Today, it’s being removed. After a tip from Doug, we went over for a look. The crew from BoatUS, which included a diver, told us they’re working on behalf of an insurance company.
They plan to take the boat over to Shilshole, where it’ll be cut up for salvage.
(Photo from last Friday, sent by Viacheslav)
Multiple readers have mentioned missing their U.S. Postal Service deliveries some days – in West Seattle neighborhoods scattered from Pigeon Point to Fauntleroy. Obviously we’ve had some weather issues – as the photo above, from last week, shows. But USPS information both official and unofficial indicates the bigger problem is the one plaguing a variety of services and professions – they’re shorthanded. First, the official: We inquired with Lecia Hall, regional USPS spokesperson. She didn’t have information about specific affected routes, nor about what percentage of routes have had disruptions. But she did say, “We are still hiring, To review available jobs, go to usps.com/careers. We do update the list every week, so if someone doesn’t see the type of job or location they’re interested in this week, come back next week to refresh the list.” Unofficially, one reader reports speaking by phone with someone at one of West Seattle’s two post offices, who said they are dealing with 70 complaints from the reader’s route after more than a week of no deliveries. According to the reader’s report on the conversation, the problem is indeed a vacant position and that there’s too much red tape to go through to simply, for example, assign someone to work that route on OT. Meantime, USPS spokesperson Hall urges people to report missed deliveries or other service problems: “We’ll gladly work to address any specific issue from the community when brought to our attention. Customers can call us at 800-ASK-USPS or go to our website usps.com and click on ‘Contact us’ at the bottom of our homepage. Every concern will be carefully documented and appropriate action taken to strengthen service.”
From Johanna:
My silver 2001 Honda CR-V was stolen last night, approximately between 10 PM and 7 AM this morning. I need it to drive my dad back-and-forth in hospital. I am at a huge loss without it. Here’s a picture of it if you could post it on the blog so people know to keep their eye out for it. My license plate is BHH 8282. It was stolen in front of my house on 15th Ave between Kenyon and Elmgrove.
We’ll add the police-report number when we get it. (Added: It’s 22-346619.)
ADDED 10:35 AM: Texter reports a backup on the West Seattle Bridge ramp to NB 99.
Earlier:
6:02 AM: Good morning! It’s Thursday, December 29th.
LOW-BRIDGE CLOSURE
This is the 7th day the low bridge has been closed to surface traffic, with SDOT expecting a 2-week-plus closure for repairs.
WEATHER & WATER
No weather alerts this morning – rain expected off and on today, high in the 40s. There’s a Coastal Flood Advisory for the morning’s high tide at 10:07 am.
TODAY’S TRANSIT STATUS
–Metro is back to a regular schedule today but still down buses for repairs – 12 of the 126 had been fixed by the end of last week – keep watching notification channels such as @kcmetroalerts for trip cancellations and route suspensions.
-The West Seattle Water Taxi is on its regular schedule – note that it won’t be running Sunday or Monday
-WSF’s Triangle Route remains on its two-boat schedule- check here for alerts/updates.
SPOTLIGHT CAMERAS
Delridge cameras: Updating this recent report, five are now live. Besides the one below (Delridge/Genesee), cameras are also up at Delridge/Oregon, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Orchard, and Delridge/Henderson.
High Bridge – here’s the camera at the top.
High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (when SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way).
1st Ave. S. Bridge: The south route.
Highway 99: Here’s the northbound side at Lander.
All functional city traffic cams can be seen here, most with video options; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are also on this WSB page … Are movable city bridges opening for vessels? Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed.
If you see a problem on the roads/paths/water, please text or call us (when you can do so safely) – 206-293-6302.
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