West Seattle, Washington
27 Saturday
10:37 PM: According to multiple texted reports, that big squall a half-hour or so ago left behind an Xfinity outage. We’ve heard from customers near 42nd/Andover and 42nd/Manning.
11:30 PM: One of our tipsters reports restoration.
(‘Ghost bike’ memorial at crash site – WSB photo from December)
Two months ago, 66-year-old Steve Hulsman was riding his bicycle in Arbor Heights when a 53-year-old man driving a car made a left turn and didn’t see him in time to stop. It was less than two hours later, according to the police report, when Mr. Hulsman died at the hospital. Now his widow is dealing with the bills, saying their coverage has been exhausted, and that the driver was uninsured. A friend asked us to write about her crowdfunding page, so we also looked into the status of the case. King County Superior Court and Seattle Municipal Court files don’t show any charges filed, so far, in the incident, though the officer who wrote the initial report noted that the driver “operated his vehicle in a manner that endangered a person.” As was first reported by Seattle Bike Blog, records show the driver had a suspended license and a history of DUIs, but officers said that at this scene there was no indication he was impaired. Meantime, SDOT has told us in past cases that they evaluate sites of traffic deaths for possible modifications; we asked them about this location, and a spokesperson replied, “We conducted review of the site at Marine View Dr SW and 46th Ave SW as part of our fatal-review process. We will carefully assess the findings and engage in discussions to determine the most appropriate next steps for this location.” We’ll continue following up. Meantime, Mr. Hulsman’s widow is also hoping that crowdfunding will help with the costs of a memorial for her husband and for bike safety projects, which were a passion of his. Here’s the link.
Most of West Seattle’s arterials get shoutouts in the newly released Seattle Transportation Plan, billed as the city’s long-term vision for people will get around over the next 20 years or so.
We reported several times last year on comment opportunities for the draft version of the plan; today, Mayor Harrell officially sent his recommended final version to the City Council for consideration. The SDOT announcement describes the plan as the “20-year vision for the future of Seattle’s streets, sidewalks, and public spaces.” In addition to philosophy and goals, it includes a list of dozens of potential projects meant to help achieve those goals.(You can see them in the “implementation strategy” section – 103 pages into the plan with more project-by-project details in Appendix A.)
The plan does not address funding – that’ll be in the spotlight within a few months, when the next transportation levy proposal is unveiled. Nor does it include specific dates for the potential projects. But it does offer prioritization.
Two West Seattle projects are listed in the “highest tier” of prioritization – 35th Avenue SW and “Fauntleroy Boulevard.” The latter is a project that was supposed to be in the nine-year transportation levy that’s expiring this year, shelved because of the possibility that light rail would follow the same path and lead to relatively new roadwork being torn up. The former is of interest because 35th SW got a significant amount of attention, including partial rechannelization, last decade. The overview of this potential project (19 pages into Appendix A) says:
This project will improve a major street that connects many West Seattle neighborhoods. This could include:
• Repaving portions of the road
• Redesigning the street to better support transit
• Repairing sidewalks and making it safer to cross the street with elements like extensions of curbs and better crossings
• Adding bicycle routes for people of all ages and abilities
• Enhancing access to destinations like shops, businesses, restaurants, and cultural centers in the area
The “middle tier” of prioritization includes projects for California SW, SW Alaska, and the south section of Fauntleroy Way (separate from the Triangle-area section involved in the “Fauntleroy Boulevard” plan). The rest of the list includes possible projects for 16th SW, SW Orchard/Dumar, Highland Park Way, Roxbury, the Alki Trail, and an Admiral Way project that’s definitely many years down the line – redirecting the RapidRide H Line to Admiral/Alki once West Seattle’s light-rail extension opens (currently projected for late 2032).
Again, the projects are just part of the plan. SDOT says things will get more specific when they create an “implementation plan” for the Transportation Plan next year; meantime, the City Council will be accepting public comment before voting on whether to accept the plan – council@seattle.gov, and public comment during a council meeting on March 5 (watch for the agenda here).
Another anniversary to note today: 23 years since the 6.8 magnitude Nisqually Earthquake on February 28, 2001. The next big one could happen in a minute or a year or a century … so preparedness is always a good idea. We usually take this occasion to remind you of one simple thing: Learn and remember the location of your nearest Emergency Communication Hub. It’s where community volunteers will help coordinate information and resources, if an earthquake – or other major disaster – knocks out normal channels of communication. Here’s the West Seattle map:
Again, this is an all-volunteer effort, so if you don’t see a hub near you, it’s probably just because someone hasn’t volunteered to coordinate one! Here’s how. (Hub volunteers hold regular drills – here’s one we covered last year.)
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON: Thanks for the tip. A reader found a sign on the door at Westwood Village Marshall’s saying the store’s without power. The Seattle City Light map shows a 26-customer outage in the area, blamed on “equipment failure.” We went to the center for a quick survey and it appears that businesses north of QFC, on the east-facing side, are affected, so if you’re planning to go to one of the businesses in that area, try calling before you leave.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: We asked SCL spokesperson Jenn Strang about the outage: “This appears to be an underground system issue. In order to fully and safely access equipment, we will need to take additional phases of power to the shopping center offline.” They delayed that a bit at the request of WWV management, but the outage appears to be resolved now.
Two biznotes:
MOON ROOM REOPENS: After a two-week closure, Moon Room Shop and Wellness (WSB sponsor) has reopened and is awaiting your visit at 5902 California SW. The shop’s regular hours are Wednesday-Fridays 11 am-6 pm, Saturdays and Sundays 11 am-5 pm, Mondays-Tuesdays noon-5 pm. (Haven’t been to Moon Room yet? Here’s what they’re all about.)
CIRCA TURNS 26: Happy 26th anniversary to Circa (2605 California SW). They’re celebrating today/tonight by offering “birthday party” specials. Circa co-proprietor Gretchen tells WSB, “We are doing $15 Circa burger & fries, $5 Manny’s Pale Ale, and free funfetti birthday cake for all dine-in patrons all day and night as a thank you for supporting us all these years. We love west Seattle!” Circa is open until 10 pm tonight.
The long-awaited East Marginal Way corridor project – including safety improvements for the bicycle riders who use the corridor to get between West Seattle and downtown – is finally about to start, more than two years after the city announced the project was fully funded. The first work will be on the north segment (map above). Here’s the announcement from SDOT:
We are excited to announce that construction on the North Segment of the East Marginal Way Corridor Improvements project will start as early as March 11!
We’re making improvements between S Atlantic St and S Spokane St that will benefit freight operations, reduce conflicts between people biking and trucks accessing the Port of Seattle, and increase safety and efficiency throughout the corridor. For more information about what to expect during construction, please visit the East Marginal Way Corridor Improvement Project website.
East Marginal Way S Closures and Detours
To complete our work as quickly and safely as possible, we are closing East Marginal Way S to general purpose traffic. Detour is not yet active and we will notify the community prior to the detour taking effect. When the detour is active, we will:
-Convert East Marginal Way S to one-way northbound and access will be limited to freight vehicles and Port of Seattle traffic only. See the above route map for freight and Port-bound traffic.
-Detour all non-Port of Seattle vehicle traffic to nearby streets
-Maintain access for people walking, biking, and rolling along East Marginal Way S using different routes to avoid active construction areas. Detour routes may change to accommodate project work.
-Detour routes for non-Port of Seattle vehicle traffic and for people walking, biking, and rolling may be in place before construction activities start in areas between S Atlantic St and S Spokane St.
You can send questions to EastMarginal@seattle.gov or call 206-257-2263.
After a month-plus closure, Duke’s Seafood on Alki reopens today! Duke’s is sponsoring WSB this week to be sure you hear about the reopening and a special giveaway. Here’s their announcement:
(Photos courtesy Duke’s Seafood)
Great news for West Seattle! Duke’s Seafood on Alki re-opens today (Wednesday, February 28) after being closed for about a month. This was to make extensive repairs due to flooding from burst pipes during January’s freezing temps.
To celebrate and to thank West Seattle for supporting Duke’s Seafood all these years, Duke’s on Alki (2516 Alki Avenue SW) will offer One Free Bowl of Chowder to anyone who stops by during the first week of re-opening (Wednesday, February 28 – March 5). After that, the restaurant plans to launch a new weekly special for the entire month of March, which they will announce on Instagram every Wednesday here: instagram.com/dukesseafood
Owners Duke Moscrip and John Moscrip made lemonade out of lemons by using this temporary inconvenience as an opportunity to give the location a few updates. New flooring and carpet, of course, but also new lighting and décor, new paint, as well as kitchen upgrades. Alki has a fresh, new look – same sustainable-seafood dishes and award-winning chowder – open 11 am-10 pm daily.
Duke’s Seafood uses the strictest standards for sourcing ingredients. All seafood is 100% sustainable, chicken and eggs are organic, all beef is local and grass-fed, and produce is local and organic whenever possible. Every item is made with ingredients that are chemical-free, nitrite-free, BGH- and BST-free, cage-free, hormone-free, growth stimulant-free, antibiotic-free, and contains no high fructose corn syrup or aspartame.
Duke’s Seafood is a family-owned restaurant group in the Seattle area, founded in 1977. It operates seven restaurants in the Greater Puget Sound region, as well as a special event space, Dockside at Duke’s, which hosts events for up to 350 guests. dukesseafood.com
We thank Duke’s Seafood for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here; email patrick@wsbsales.com for info on joining the team!
(Tuesday sunrise, photographed by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
Here’s the list for the rest of today/tonight – just a reminder of what’s on our Event Calendar (where you’ll find even more for today and beyond):
LEARN ABOUT CYBERSECURITY: Free presentation in “Empowering Women Through Financial Literacy” series, presented by HomeStreet Bank (WSB sponsor), noon-1 pm, “lunch and learn” format (BYO lunch, beverages provided by HomeStreet) at West Seattle Realty (2715 California SW; WSB sponsor). Event info here.
HYPNOSIS FOR RESTFUL SLEEP: Free presentation 1-2:30 pm at Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon). RSVP requested.
FREE TODDLER GYM: 3-5 pm drop-in playspace at the Salvation Army Center in South Delridge (9050 16th SW).
‘DINE OUT’ AT OUNCES FOR ROXHILL ELEMENTARY: 4-9 pm, Friends of Roxhill Elementary partners with Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW) in this “dine-out” fundraisr. Tell them you’re there for Roxhill!
FIX-IT WORKSHOP: Repair your broken item instead of replacing it! Weekly event, 5:30-7:30 pm at West Seattle Tool Library (4408 Delridge Way SW, northeast side of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center).
FREE GROUP RUN: Meet at West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor) for the weekly free group run!.
TRIVIA x 4: Four places to play tonight. At 6 pm, Locust Cider (2820 Alki SW) offers trivia … Larry’s Tavern (3405 California SW) hosts Wednesday-night trivia starting at 7:30 pm … Quiz Night starts at 8 pm at Beveridge Place Pub (6413 California SW) … and at 8:30 pm, trivia with Phil T at Talarico’s (4718 California SW).
LIVE MUSIC AT THE LOCOL: 6:30 pm. 21+. Rotating performer slate. (7902 35th SW)
HPAC TALKS BUSES, ‘HUM,’ MORE: As previewed here, you are invited to tonight’s 7 pm online meeting of the community coalition for Highland Park, Riverview, and South Delridge. Connection/call-in info is here.
PIANO MUSIC, ALL REQUESTS: 7-10 pm at Otter on the Rocks (4210 SW Admiral Way)
MUSIC BINGO: Play weekly at The Good Society (California/Lander), 7 pm.
SKYLARK OPEN MIC: 7:30 pm signups for West Seattle’s longest-running open mic. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
If you’re planning a presentation, meeting, performance, reading, tour, fundraiser, sale, discussion, etc., and it’s open to the community, please send us info for West Seattle’s only comprehensive event calendar! westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
9:27 AM: The report and photo are from Stan:
Sometime overnight my 1998 Ford E-250 van was stolen from in front of my home near corner of 48th and SW Stevens. Van is white, with a raised roof cap, and would be hard to miss, with signage from its previous life as a coffee van consisting of the word Coffee in front, and other coffee-related signage (all on the roof cap). Signage seen on van body has since been removed. WA license CDV0613.
If you see it, call 911. We’ll add the police-report number when we get it. (UPDATE: It’s 24-55953.)
12:06 PM: As Stan commented below, a reader tip has reunited him with his van.
6:01 AM: Good morning! It’s Wednesday, February 28.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
A Wind Advisory alert is in effect. Besides strong southerly wind, today’s forecast features rain, high in the mid-40s. Sunrise will be at 6:52 am, sunset at 5:52 pm.
TRANSIT NOTES
Metro today – Regular schedule; check advisories here.
Water Taxi today – Regular schedule. Check the real-time map if you need to see where the boat is.
Washington State Ferries today – The usual 2 boats on the Triangle Route. Check WSF alerts for changes, and use the real-time map to see where your ferry is.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Orchard), cameras are also at Delridge/Genesee, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Henderson, and Delridge/Oregon.
High Bridge – the main camera:
High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (when SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way):
Low Bridge:
1st Ave. S. Bridge:
Highway 99: – northbound side at Lander:
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.
BRIDGE INFO: The @SDOTBridges feed on X (ex-Twitter) shows whether the city’s movable bridges are opening for vessel traffic.
If you see a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/water, please text or call us (when you can do that safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene). Thank you!
| 1 COMMENT