TRAFFIC, WEATHER, TRANSIT: Tuesday updates, second day of northbound 1st Avenue South Bridge closure, crashes

7:20 AM: Thanks for the tips about the crash scene cleanup with City Light on northbound 35th north of Thistle. Log shows it happened just after 3 am. No major injuries. (Added: SFD says they treated a 19-year-old and that he was taken to the hospital by private ambulancw; they confirm the driver crashed into a utility pole.)

7:46 AM Texter reports Admiral, bridge-bound, is backed up in a big way.

7:55 AM: High bridge EB crash, center lane by NB 99 exit, no injuries.

8:18 AM; Texter reports Delridge to the bridge is backed up seriously too. (But not their H Line bus.)

8:34 AM: Fauntleroy backup to the bridge too.

8:36 AM: SDOT says bridge crash has cleared.

8:51 AM: Reports keep coming in about backups on other routes. West Marginal Way too (texted photo below):

9:03 AM: Police radio reports a crash at Avalon/Bradford (just south of the bridge).

Earlier:

5:59 AM: Good morning! It’s Tuesday, March 10, 2026, second day of a 3-day repair closure for the northbound 1st Avenue South Bridge. The South Park Bridge is the major detour for those coming from the south:

The West Seattle low bridge is an alternative too.

MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here (including links to live video for most); for a quick scan of West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras, see this WSB page..

WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET

Rain/snow mix possible this morning, says the forecast again – high in the mid-40s, brisk breeze again too. Daylight Saving Time is here, so our sunrise is at 7:31 am; sunset at 7:07 pm. Ten days until spring!

TRANSIT TODAY

West Seattle Water Taxi – Regular West Seattle service, winter schedule.

Washington State Ferries – Check WSF’s alert page for any changes to the 3-boat schedule.

Metro buses – Regular weekday schedule and routes.

MORE SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS

High Bridge – Here’s the main camera, followed by the Fauntleroy-end camera:

Delridge cameras: In addition to the one below (Delridge/Genesee), cameras are also at Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Henderson, Delridge/Oregon, and video-only (so you have to go to the map), Delridge/Holden and Delridge/Thistle.

See a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/water? Please text or call our hotline (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!

BB March 10, 2026 (8:31 am)

So with the WSB eastbound blocked by an accident and 1 st ave bridge down to one lane…the lower bridge just opened for a boat. Animals.

Sam-c March 10, 2026 (9:03 am)

1st Ave bridge is completely closed northbound, to vehicular traffic (not down to one lane). Hopefully everything is on schedule and the 1st Ave bridge will be done (for this round) by EOD Wednesday.

Sarah March 10, 2026 (8:42 am)

Worst backup I think I’ve ever experienced in WS.

Admiral Nelson March 10, 2026 (9:24 am)

Agreed. Not counting the WSB closure, anyway. 32 minutes to get onto the West Seattle bridge from the the Admiral Way bridge! I ended up trying to go around by taking surface streets only to run into a flatbed semi stuck at a corner on narrow streets at SW Nevada and 26th Ave SW. Got around that just as two commercial vehicle enforcement units were rolling up.
- Dana March 10, 2026 (9:55 am)
  
  I think that was worse than the bridge closure. I have never seen Admiral hill backed up that much. 😫

dcross March 10, 2026 (8:52 am)

light rail now

Friendly neighbor March 10, 2026 (8:52 am)

The city is going to need to figure something out. 60 min to go two miles on delridge is unacceptable. Some folks don’t have public transit options for their commute.

Honest neighbor March 10, 2026 (10:08 am)

I’m sure our neighbors’ driving habits have nothing to do with the traffic problems
- CarDriver March 10, 2026 (11:45 am)
  
  Typed from your car. Classic!
  - Honest neighbor March 10, 2026 (4:09 pm)
    
    Nope. Typed from my desk downtown, where I arrived on time via bicycle!
  - Gay March 10, 2026 (7:08 pm)
    
    Cardriversnark never helps.

Bubba Paris March 10, 2026 (8:54 am)

Serious question. Who’s idea was it to make Delridge ONE LANE?

Kyle March 10, 2026 (5:05 pm)

Same folks trying to do the same to Highland park way. And this won’t include a bus lane.
- K March 11, 2026 (6:19 am)
  
  The Delridge bus lane mostly took away parking, not a traffic lane. Having a bunch of cars parked between Oregon and Andover would have slowed the cars down even more, as the buses would be stuck in traffic with them.
  - Kyle March 11, 2026 (10:29 am)
    
    I would agree, I’m mostly fine with the delridge upgrades, and do think the bus lane helps for this street. I do think the planted medians were a mistake. Love the backups for separate trash, recycling, and compost pickups every Wednesday.

K March 10, 2026 (9:00 am)

The 11th and Spokane camera has been on that same frame for a couple of weeks.

Derp March 10, 2026 (9:29 am)

Where are the GONDOLA people at. Come on people, we need it now.

Renee March 10, 2026 (10:18 am)

Curious if there are updates on the driver/car that split the telephone pole on 35th, near Holden. What a mess this morning!

WSB March 10, 2026 (11:14 am)

That’s the one briefly mentioned above. I had just gone off watch so I missed it in real time, a kind soul texted at 4 am and somehow I missed that too. No serious injuries, from the level of SFD dispatch, but I am checking with them.

Joe Z March 10, 2026 (10:42 am)

These major backups always illustrate how the dedicated bus lanes fail when they are needed most. The buses can get around small backups but as soon as there is total gridlock they are useless. Even cyclists get stymied by the low bridge opening.

foop March 10, 2026 (11:43 am)

Based on the article it sounds like the bus lanes paid dividends in allowing transit users to bypass most of the backup.And cyclists are potentially impacted by the low bridge opening any day they cross it. We’re aware and often plan for this possibility. What’s nice for us is that the accidents caused by cars don’t cause undue impact.
Kyle March 10, 2026 (1:08 pm)

This sounds like a 100 year flood type traffic situation, and the bus lanes still worked fairly well with bottlenecks at merge points.

H8 SDOT March 10, 2026 (5:27 pm)

It was comical to watch all the cars bypass the No Turn on Red signs at Oregon and Delridge as that was the only way to creep into traffic. SDOT really is a Zero when it comes to resiliency and transportation. Keep up the solid ideaological battle.

Sorry, comment time is over.