ROAD WORK: Admiral Way Bridge traffic switch, crosswalk removal delayed

(Reader photo from Mark after crosswalk’s installation in August)

As we’ve been reporting, today was the day SDOT said it would switch traffic flow again across the Admiral Way Bridge, as the earthquake-strengthening project continues, while also removing the temporary crosswalk at 39th SW. Project spokesperson Matthew Howard just sent word of a change:

The work we originally had planned for December 19-20 on the Admiral Way bridge will not occur. The new date for the traffic shift will occur on Tuesday, December 31, 2024.

When we transition into our third phase of traffic control on December 31, the two center lanes on Admiral Way SW will be closed during this phase, with one lane in each direction open for people driving. As part of this transition, the temporary crosswalk at Admiral Way SW and 39th Ave SW will be removed.

SDOT doesn’t expect the project to be fully completed before summer.

Al King December 19, 2024 (12:36 pm)

Summer completion means the upper Admiral way will be 1 lane each way until then?

WSB December 19, 2024 (12:47 pm)

Not necessarily.
JMM December 19, 2024 (1:46 pm)

I kindly ask that everyone avoiding Admiral and detouring through the turn off streets such as 36th and 37th would take into consideration that these are very narrow, residential streets and I for one don’t appreciate people speeding down these streets to save themselves a few minutes of traffic. It’s really mind boggling how truly selfish and inconsiderate people have become as they race through other people’s neighborhoods. We followed a car for 1 block to clock their speed on 37th and they were literally driving 40 MPH never breaking at the intersections. Dangerous and wrong.
- Matt December 19, 2024 (6:37 pm)
  
  I live on a purely residential street people often cut down to avoid a light. I sometimes intentionally slow down when I know these people are behind me, and make slow turns. It’s unbelievable how angry and aggressive people get that you won’t let them do 40 down a residential street.
  - Mellow Kitty December 20, 2024 (9:17 am)
    
    It’s time to bring traffic cops back. They’d make a ton of money on California Ave alone!
- K December 20, 2024 (5:26 am)
  
  Ask SDOT to install speed bumps. We got an influx of people cutting through our neighborhood to get around Roxbury when the bridge was closed, and the city responded with a ton of speed bumps. Problem solved and, bonus, we get to keep the speed bumps even though traffic patterns have returned to normal!

Lila December 19, 2024 (10:16 pm)

We desperately need a permanent crosswalk at that intersection or at Belvidere. Otherwise its a steep and long walk between the two current crosswalks. The city has been contacted multiple times about this but no work has been done to make this permanent.

Pedestrian December 20, 2024 (12:22 am)

This temp cross walk has been wonderful. They have put in the infrastructure for the temporary system… why can’t we make it permanent? If this isn’t vision Zero I don’t know what is!

DogMom December 20, 2024 (9:14 am)

Thanks for the update, WSB!! Is it even West Seattle if there isn’t a bridge under construction somewhere? Hahaha. Hope all the lanes are reopened sooner rather than later. The bottleneck is getting old.

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