Thanks for the tips. Multiple readers have messaged about another crash near Walking On Logs, toward the southwest end of the West Seattle Bridge. One lane is reported to be blocked. No major backup reported. The SFD response closed fairly quickly, which indicates no major injuries either.
SDOT strikes again. During the closure SDOT repaved 1/2 the curve with new and grippy pavement however, for reasons only SDOT knows and of course won’t say why they left the other 1/2 of the curve with the old polished smooth pavement. The mighty fine engineers sure earned their pay……..
Or maybe people just need to slow down on the West Seattle Bridge in general. And this area is in the straight, not really the corner. It is wet outside, everybody needs to slow down. We don’t have traffic police, so we need to police yourselves.
drivers can also slow down… the whole point of a personal vehicle is that you’re in control and responsible for it’s operation. it’s not like SDOT sabotaged the road; like you said, the grippy pavement is new, so drivers shouldn’t be expecting extra traction in their turns.
To be fair, both cars involved were SUVs that appeared to be AWD (one was a forerunner, if I recall)- which means even cars that should be able to get good grips on the road aren’t able to. This section has had so many accidents in the last two months that it really needs to be dealt with.
4Runners are 4x4s meaning they run two wheels unless the 4x is engaged deliberately by the driver. Almost always when 4×4 vehicles do not have their 4x engaged the car is RWD, I am not sure if 4Runners are front or back when not in 4x. Long story short every single vehicle that has been reported as crashing these last 2 years at this spot have been likely RWD, going well over the caution speed while it was raining. This is 100% driver error.
It appears they ground that corner in sections and like you said the smooth part is more like an aggregate which offers little traction when wet. Other factors would be if your on the inside lane westbound the fluids have run over there from eastbound accidents, the outside lane has a big hole or dip on the outer edge mid corner. Speed In assuming also but I’ve gone through there at 25 mph and the back end wanted to come around. SDOT should entertain the idea of repairing that section if they aren’t already
Ya I’ve for sure slipped there recently. It’s not a good road design if anyone going 2mph over the limit loses traction in the rain. We will have a constant stream of accidents here until this is fixed.
when it’s raining you should be going under the speed limit. accidents happen because drivers don’t adapt their driving behaviors to the weather.
We saw the aftermath. We were heading onto the bridge and saw the SUV/truck smashed up. The whole front of the vehicle was gone. They slide into the pole. The person was going way too fast. People need to slow down.
I just drove over that section in the left lane, it was dry, but there is a slight dip in the roadway just uphill of the new pavement. I wonder if water can accumulate there and cause issues when it’s raining. Regardless, SDOT should grind this area to increase traction.
While speed is almost always a factor, it also unfortunately is related to familiarity of that stretch of road. If one lets off of the accelerator and rolls through the transition of surface textures and the bump then traction is maintained without issue.
Of note, people buy “high mileage “ tires to save money because they last longer. Longevity comes at a price of wet traction. Yes, that curve needs surface work. But look at the wet traction ratings of the tires you buy. 80k tires are usually poorer in the rain than 50k tires
For those who aren’t familiar with what the pavement looks like on this stretch (or just blame bad drivers) here’s a pic from google maps. There is a clear change in the road surface from a new grooved surface that was engineered specifically to provide good wet weather traction to a worn, smooth older surface, and the change comes with no notice right in the middle of an off-camber curve.I’m no road scientist, but I would expect that abrupt changes in road surface like that could cause a car to lose traction in the right speed/weather conditions.
There are plenty of examples where SDOT designs or redeseigns are questionable at best. I really question if they even conform to Federal standards. Some the alignment of lanes are really bad requiring last minute changes. The signage has gotten really excessive to the point nobody reads them. Combine those with bad driving like speeding, texting, running red lights & you get the recipe for disaster.
For those claiming “speed is the only cause here” why are the spinouts happening on the transition to smooth pavement and not the resurfaced part?
Hmmm. Got questions… I’ve gone over that transition hundreds of times at speed limit, way over speed limit, rain, cold, dry, nearly bald front tires, either lane, never had any sign of problem; but it has been clear to me that the speed limit of 25 is more than appropriate for that curve.While I’m willing to bet all of the *crashes* that have happened there the driver was going way too fast, it is still interesting that there are reports of slippage at speed limit. Why are some experiencing it while others aren’t?Regardless, I agree that some added grooving would be a good thing. Paired with slowing down.
When 100,000 cars cross the bridge in a day, and only one crashes, isn’t it more important to look at the driving habits of that vehicle’s operator than any issues with road surfaces? Some drivers routinely go 15-20 miles over the speed limit on that bridge. Add a little moisture, and what do you expect?
Sorry, comment time is over.
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