City Light temporarily closing West Seattle Junction EV-charging station for replacements. Also: Latest on Morgan charging lot

| Environment | Utilities | West Seattle news

Two notes about Seattle City Light electric-vehicle charging in West Seattle:

(WSB photo, one of two current chargers on 39th SW, shown in October)

TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF JUNCTION STATION: Starting tomorrow (Tuesday), the two-charger station on 39th SW near West Seattle Bowl will be closed for about a week, according to this announcement we received from SCL:

City Light will replace the two existing 50 kW DC fast chargers with newer 62.5 kW ChargePoint chargers beginning January 13 with anticipated closure of at least 1 week. This projected timeline may change based on weather and site conditions. Please plan for alternative charging during this time as both charging stations will be unavailable.

The project website says this is a prelude to a full-site replacement later this year, to “change the current site layout” and further upgrade the chargers. The station was built in 2020 and has had recurring problems with theft/vandalism in the ensuing years.

(November photo of Morgan Junction site)

MORGAN JUNCTION EV LOT STATUS: Meantime, City Light has not yet started work at the eight-charger EV lot site in Morgan Junction. Last fall, City Light revised the expected start date of construction multiple times. It’ll likely be a topic at the upcoming quarterly meeting of the Morgan Community Association on January 21st, so we asked SCL spokesperson Jenn Strang if there’s a chance it’ll be under construction by then. Her reply:

The current status of the project is that we are in the pre-construction submittal phase with the contractor. This process includes reviewing and approving requirements such as the safety and environmental plans. It is vital to ensure public safety before starting construction. The official start date of construction will be set once all the required approvals have been obtained.

When we first reported on the charging-lot plan in 2022, the utility was saying construction could start by the end of that year.

Aaron January 12, 2026 (10:34 pm)

I haven’t had a chance to update my blog post with the ever-shifting timeline on this project, but it’s pretty embarrassing that this project is going to slip yet again. https://www.brethorsting.com/blog/2025/07/state-capacity-and-eight-parking-spaces/

North Admiral Cyclist January 13, 2026 (5:51 am)

It’s great to see more EV charging, but obviously a disappointment it takes so long. We see that the curbside “Shell” charger on California Ave. in North Admiral gets constant use. Those that complain about the permitting process are too young or have forgotten about the damage done to the city and environment prior to the rules and regulations of today. For example, when the engineers could focus on “outcomes”, Seattle had wide swaths of long-established neighborhoods mowed down for the construction of I-5. Thousands of acres of land were taken from private owners for I-5 under condemnation laws. I’ll live with a little process and delay before I’d want to go back to those days.

WS Res January 13, 2026 (9:27 am)

What’s it going to take to get the chargers under Whole Foods repaired? I’ve lived here nearly five years now and they’ve been broken since before I moved here.

WSB January 13, 2026 (11:54 am)

Reply

Those are privately owned so it would be up most likely to The Whittaker management.
- WS Res January 13, 2026 (2:11 pm)
  
  Reply
  
  Do you have any idea how to contact The Whittaker management?
  - Lauren January 13, 2026 (3:35 pm)
    
    Reply
    
    Google

Clinker January 13, 2026 (11:23 am)

While EVs are great and all, charging infrastructure is precisely where the wall of absurdly obstructive wasteful regulatory policy meets the battering ram of absurdly expensive city contracting and opaque project mismanagement. Please just build some green space for human beings. Help ease the excessive taxation of EVs in the name of adding public infrastructure. Rich EV owners can afford to pay for charging themselves.