In Metro‘s work to figure out how buses will get through downtown once the Alaskan Way Viaduct and its central-downtown on/offramps are history, a reconfigured Columbia Street seems to be in the lead.
That’s according to a presentation made to citizen advisory “working groups” last week, and our followup conversation with a Metro rep.
A day or so after we showed you the plastering operation that was the final stage of major renovation work at Colman Pool, local photographer/pilot Long Bach Nguyen shared that image of the pool partly filled. It’s since been completed – fully filled, too! – and reopens today, which is just one of the highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar:
REMEMBER – SOUTHBOUND VIADUCT/99 IS CLOSED … and scheduled to remain that way till 9 am Sunday.
EX-WEST SEATTLEITE ASTRONAUT PILOTS SUPER GUPPY TO MoF: Today is the day the not-far-from-West-Seattle Museum of Flight celebrates the arrival of the crew cabin from the space-shuttle trainer it’ll house in a permanent exhibit. As reported here 2 weeks ago, it’s arriving in a Super Guppy cargo plane piloted by astronaut Greg Johnson, a West Seattle High School alum. The whole day’s schedule, starting at 9:30 am, is on this page of the MoF website.
FREE ELECTRONICS RECYCLING & SHREDDING: The West Seattle Junction Association-presented event is happening 10 am-1 pm today in The Junction’s parking lot along 42nd SW between Alaska and Oregon. More details here.
PET ADOPTION EVENT: Room in your heart and home for a new friend? Go to Umpqua Bank (WSB sponsor) in Admiral (just north of Admiral Safeway) 10 am-1:30 pm today. Details here.
EXPLORE RIVERSIDE: Southwest Seattle Historical Society walking tour, with Judy Bentley and Frank Zuvela, 10 am-noon, learning about the fishing community founded near the mouth of the Duwamish River. Details here.
‘INVENTORY BLOWOUT’ PLANT SALE AT SSCC: 11 am-3 pm at Puget Ridge Garden Center on the north side of the campus (6000 16th SW), 30 percent off all plants.
COLMAN POOL REOPENS: Noon today is the first session of 2012 for the outdoor pool at Lincoln Park, which has undergone major renovations – new plaster, mostly new deck, new piping and electrical work and boiler and more – in recent months. Here’s its webpage, including a schedule link. (And here’s our most recent story about the renovations.)
K-5 STEM PLAYDATE: Families enrolled in or interested in West Seattle’s new public school are invited to a playdate at the south Lincoln Park playground, 2-3 pm today (details here).
WEST SIDE MUSIC ACADEMY BANDS @ SKYLARK: Thanks to the tipster who let us know that West Side Music Academy‘s rock bands – Rhythm Jam, Beginning Rock Band and Beginning Girl Band – will be performing at 4 pm at Skylark Café and Club (3803 Delridge Way SW). Free, all ages.
DUWAMISH TRIBAL SERVICES’ GALA DINNER/AUCTION: Tonight at the Duwamish Longhouse (4705 W. Marginal Way SW), 4:30-8 pm, it’s the benefit gala – details here.
GRAND OPENING PARTY: Cycle U (3418 Harbor SW) is throwing a grand-opening party at 6 pm in honor of its recent move.
LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT: The Twitch plays “unplugged rock” at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 6-8 pm … Acoustic blues at Kenyon Hall, Orville Johnson with Grant Dermody and John Miller, 7:30 pm … Disco Cowboys, John Hammock and the Rooster Run Band at Skylark, 9 pm … West Side Sally at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), 9 pm … The Badlands, Local Dudes at The Benbow Room, 9 pm.
Way outside West Seattle, but of local note:
EMERALD DOWNS CELEBRATES ‘WEST SEATTLE BOY’: The 21-race-winning 13-year-old named West Seattle Boy is retiring at the South King County track, and special events galore are planned today – detailed here.
Those are the tables and chairs placed in Junction Plaza Park by the West Seattle Junction Association. They are this morning’s “photo of the day” in honor of their continued existence – when we reported their installation two-plus weeks ago, a few commenters predicted they’d vanish within a few weeks; we countered good-naturedly with faith in humanity (despite 30 years in news). The tables/chairs have been there almost three weeks, so three cheers for optimism … and for a place to enjoy lunch in the park. On with the calendar highlights:
TONIGHT’S TRAFFIC ALERT: From our custom-combined list of this week’s closures, day-by-day: Just one for today/tonight – the southbound Alaskan Way Viaduct will be closed overnight, 9 pm-5 am. (P.S. Wherever you’re heading, and whenever, the WSB Traffic page has all the West Seattle-relevant cameras.)
TRYING TO DECIDE ABOUT RETIREMENT LIVING? West Seattle’s senior/retirement-living communities are joining forces for a Town Hall-style event to share information and answer questions, 2 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon). Details here.
STAND-UP PADDLEBOARDING: The lack of summer sun doesn’t stop this summer series of Tuesday night racing. 6 pm, Alki Kayak Tours at Seacrest (1660 Harbor SW); details here.
OPEN HOUSE: Arbor Heights Cooperative Preschool (10404 34th SW) invites prospective families to visit; starts at 6 pm – more info here.
BLOCKWATCH CAPTAINS NETWORK: This month’s meeting is all about getting ready for Night Out block parties on August 7th, as previewed here last night. Tonight’s meeting is at 6:30 pm at the Southwest Precinct meeting room, Delridge/Webster.
HI-YU WHITE ROSE RECEPTION: It’s a reunion and a celebration for Hi-Yu royalty past and present as the heart of the summer West Seattle Hi-Yu Festival season nears. 7 pm at Fauntleroy Church (9131 California SW), details here.
Every few months, WSDOT convenes the “stakeholders” known as the South Portal Working Group to get a briefing on what’s up with the south end of the Highway 99/Viaduct/Tunnel project and everything that ties into it. They got together again late today at the usual meeting spot, Sound Transit‘s board room at King Street Station. Ahead, toplines of potential West Seattle interest:
SPOKANE STREET VIADUCT WIDENING PROJECT:
*Approaching 90 percent completion, says SDOT project manager Stuart Goldsmith. The project is now expected to be done in “early September.” The new westbound 1st Avenue South ramp won’t fully open till then.
*May 22nd is the date expected for reopening the 4th Avenue eastbound exit, and then closing the 1st Avenue South eastbound ramp for another 6 to 8 weeks.
*Exit confusion where the bridge meets 99 (and truckers going rogue): They’re still working on signage – covering the ones that point them to the Spokane St. Viaduct for I-5.
NEW HIGHWAY 99 BRIDGE (ELEVATED STRUCTURE) WHERE THE VIADUCT USED TO BE:
*WSDOT’s Matt Preedy says the first set of girders for the northbound bridge was set last night – right now both directions are running on the semi-recently-completed bridge that will eventually carry southbound traffic. They have met the milestone of “100 percent up out of the ground,” said Preedy, and are on track to complete the bridge and shift traffic onto it by fall of this year – earlier than what they thought last year.
SOUTH ATLANTIC STREET OVERCROSSING FOR 99
*Bids will be opened later this month; this overpass bridge is to be complete by end of next year. How will bicycles get along? Preedy was asked. The path back to West Seattle will be “detoured a little further to the west” during construction.
EAST MARGINAL WAY SOUTH REBUILD
*On track for completion by June.
AIRPORT WAY SOUTH BRIDGE
*Still expected to reopen by the end of the year.
HOW WOULD SODO BASKETBALL/HOCKEY ARENA AFFECT TRAFFIC?
*One group member pointed out that the possibility completely tousles what’s been under discussion here for a very long time – 4 extra “events” a week – and wondered if it had been adequately discussed among transportation managers.
*The arena came up, by the way, in a new “what’s on your mind?” section of the meeting. Some members including West Seattle’s Pete Spalding had suggested the group’s meetings needed more time to listen to actual concerns regarding the south end traffic situation, and less on presentations that might or might not directly affect them.
ALASKAN WAY – NOW, FUTURE
*Wednesday or Thursday of next week, the detour announced last week – with the demonsration video repeated above – will take effect, and will be in effect until at least early 2014, “possibly longer, depending on the city’s seawall-replacement schedule,” Preedy says. Traffic will be under the Viaduct all the way to Madison. If continuing north, you veer over, and by Spring Street, you’re back in the current Alaskan Way lans. Through traffic will be southbound one lane; northbound, part two, part one. They will implement “bumper to bumper” ferry queueing on the dock, which means 100 more cars, with the help of an on-dock supervisor. There’s 100 extra potential spaces using some street/curb space.
*East/west, they will feed people directly off the dock with more options including going straight through and accessing 2nd Avenue Extension. The bike path will be on the east side of the viaduct path from Jackson to Yesler, but north of that, the bike path will cross the detoured Yesler then cross again at Madison. West Seattle group member Vlad Oustimovitch worried that would be creating a lot of “bicycle/vehicle conflicts” in the short run. He called the detour-and-detour again plan “convoluted.” WSDOT says they’re most concerned about safety. The sidewalk on the west side of Alaskan Way will remain open, but it’s not wide enough to be the primary route.
ALASKAN WAY WIDENED FOR STREET PARKING
*About 66 on-street metered parking spots are being created between Spring and Pike along Alaskan Way. That’s about a third of the 200 lost under The Viaduct.
(Photos courtesy SDOT)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Tomorrow starts the first full week of realigned traffic on the Spokane Street Viaduct – the official name for the easternmost section of the West Seattle Bridge, between Highway 99 and I-5.
After two weekdays with the SSV’s newly built north side handling all four lanes of bridge traffic, during the final phase of three years of work to widen the bridge, project-team leaders promised “tweaks” to the signage for one aspect of the realignment that caused more upheaval than expected – the new restrictions on the eastbound onramp that deposits vehicles on the bridge right before 99.
Those vehicles are now only allowed to go to northbound 99, rather than onto the SSV, but as WSB commenters noted, some semi-trucks, either out of surprise or defiance, were running through the upright lane markers on Thursday. SDOT asked the contractor to bring in some “double-collared” orange barrels on Friday, but that didn’t deter everyone, acknowledged project manager Stuart Goldsmith; project engineer Darin Stephens even got video of one truck driving on through.
We talked with Goldsmith, Stephens, and community-relations rep Paul Elliott during the second meeting of a community task force that’s getting periodic briefings on where the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project stands in its final months. Friday afternoon’s meeting was scheduled before SDOT knew it would be making the lane switch on Thursday, but the timing proved fortuitous for discussing the changeover, as well as other updates.
That’s the latest image from the camera watching the West Seattle Bridge eastbound. It was backed up much of Saturday during the first day of the Viaduct/Highway 99 closure, so it’s worth checking as the closure continues today; that’s one of the transportation notes topping our list of highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
ALASKAN WAY VIADUCT/HIGHWAY 99 CLOSURE CONTINUES: The stretch of 99 between the Battery Street Tunnel and West Seattle Bridge is scheduled to remain closed until 5 am Monday. These closures sometimes end early; if this one does, we’ll publish an update here as well as on the WSB Facebook page and in the WSB Twitter feed.
STATE FERRIES SWITCH TO SPRING SCHEDULE: The new Washington State Ferries schedule takes effect today, and it includes the return of three-boat weekend service on the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route.
WEST SEATTLE GEAR SWAP, DAY 2: Winter gear of all types. Mountain to Sound Outfitters is presenting the swap/sale, with more details here. 11 am-3 pm at the VFW Hall, 3602 SW Alaska.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Today and every Sunday, 10 am-2 pm, 44th/Alaska.
GIVE A DOG A HOME: Dog-adoption event today, 11 am-2 pm, at Mud Bay West Seattle (2611 California SW in the Admiral District). In partnership with Homeward Pet.
A HAND UP FOR MIKE: Friends of Mike, aka “miws” in the WSB Forums and site comments, are inviting you to a silent auction/benefit in his honor today, 1-4 pm, at Feedback Lounge (6451 California SW; WSB sponsor). Mike is climbing out of homelessness triggered by a health crisis that cost him his job and then his apartment; he’s in transitional housing and working toward permanent housing and stability (read more about him here), but “a hand up” from friends, neighbors, and community members can make a big difference. Full details in the event listing page from the WSB calendar. (Special request from organizers: “While there will be PayPal available for donations and auction payments, we’re asking for cash and checks to minimize the PayPal fees.”)
OPEN HOUSE: Unified Outreach invites you to an open house today at Ginomai Art Center in The Junction to find out about its free “industry-level cartoon and animation training using Adobe Flash.” 3-5 pm at 4401 42nd SW; meet volunteers and students, and enjoy snacks/beverages. Find out more about the program at UnifiedOutreach.com.
LIVE MUSIC: Mike Buchman at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 5612 California SW, 3-5 pm … Note that Skylark Café and Club has NO music tonight – it’s closing after brunch for repair work.
Since Alaskan Way is part of the surface connection between here and downtown/points beyond, you might be interested in this WSDOT announcement about a reroute taking effect tomorrow (see the map here):
Drivers who use Alaskan Way South along Seattle’s waterfront can expect major changes beginning this week as crews make way for the SR 99 tunnel construction zone.
Washington State Department of Transportation crews will reroute Alaskan Way South between South Main and South King streets beginning at 5 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 5. Drivers will travel on a new temporary roadway located underneath the Alaskan Way Viaduct, while crews use the old roadway to relocate utilities and prepare for tunnel work.
10:24 PM: Have heard from a few people who apparently missed the previews and reminders about the current abundance of road work and were surprised by the bridge closures last night and tonight. In case you’ve been out of town, or busy, or lost track, this SDOT update from today explains what’s going on. Tonight is the only night the two bridge projects overlap, but if you are trying to get home from points eastward before 5 am or so, it will be tricky – you can’t get onto the westbound West Seattle Bridge from I-5 or Beacon Hill, and once you’re on, Delridge is the last open exit.
10:47 PM: As noted in comments, and in e-mail we received, try exiting at Harbor Island, BEFORE Delridge, for a reduced chance of getting stuck in a backup. One person who e-mailed points out that the detour signs do NOT offer this option (and also, as we’ve noticed, erroneously declare the entire WS Bridge closed).
Once upon a time, the city had said they hoped the new 1st Avenue South on- and off-ramp for the westbound Spokane Street Viaduct – the now-being-widened section of the West Seattle Bridge between I-5 and Highway 99 – would be open by this fall, maybe even before the Alaskan Way Viaduct‘s closure last month. It wasn’t. So many then asked, when WILL it open? We asked SDOT, and were told the contractor was coming up with a revised schedule. Now, that’s in, and our answer has finally arrived from SDOT spokesperson Rick Sheridan:
While the overall project is nearly 90 percent complete, our Spokane Street Viaduct contractor has not finished constructing the First Avenue S on-/off-ramps due to delays in receiving critical construction materials. Their steel subcontractor has yet to deliver specialized steel girders needed to complete the ramp.
When the girders finally arrive from the fabricator, it will take at least two months to complete the ramps. At that point in the construction schedule, we will need to transfer traffic to the viaduct’s new roadway to resurface the existing deck and cannot safely allow use of the on-ramp. Due to this, SDOT does not anticipate opening the ramps fully until the overall project is completed in July 2012.
We understand that the loss of this access point does create inconveniences for West Seattle residents and businesses. Alternate routes such as accessing the high rise bridge via I-5 or SR-99, the lower Spokane Street Swing Bridge or the First Ave S Bridge will continue to serve as good options for reaching West Seattle. The overall project remains on budget and scheduled for completion by summer 2012.
If that timeframe holds, it will be 26 months after the closure of the old 1st Avenue South onramp to the westbound bridge; just before that closure, we were told the ramp would take “at least 16 months” to build.
(SCROLL DOWN FOR NEWEST INFORMATION)
(More cams on the WSB Traffic page; travel times on the city Travelers’ Info map)
Will the “earlier rush hour” trend hold through today too? We’re watching the commute again this morning; let us know how it goes for you. No problems reported in the area right now.
6:02 AM UPDATE: We’re continuing our weeklong traffic-watching collaboration with KING 5; their crew that just drove onto the “high bridge” says it’s a little busier than yesterday at this time. We’re watching the bridge via the new live-video cams linked here (lower right).
6:18 AM UPDATE: Eastbound high bridge is now officially slow going. KING is showing a live chopper shot of both bridges – the low bridge is busy but not as slow. First Water Taxi run just left – 87 people, down from just over 100 each of the first two mornings of the week.
6:31 AM UPDATE: Our Water Taxi crew is diverting over to the 1200 block of Alki Avenue SW, where a water-main break is reported and police have been asked for “traffic control.” Back to the bridges – high bridge slow, low bridge not as busy. KING 5’s crew driving the bridge again reports police are back to enforce the bus lane, as they’ve done the past two mornings.
6:41 AM UPDATE: No “water-main break” – just an outdoor sprinkler malfunction, so there’s some water in the street but NOT a problem. Our crew’s headed back to the Water Taxi dock – by the way, here’s its Viaductless-week schedule – where there’s “only” ONE TV crew this morning.
6:51 AM UPDATE: 107 people on the 6:45 am Water Taxi (that’s down only a few from yesterday). KING crew timed their bridge drive from 35th/Fauntleroy to I-5 – 32 minutes. Probably about the same now, bridges still sluggish (you can check current travel times from the city map too – lower right, near the “live video” links). Low bridge busy too.
7 AM UPDATE: We checked Water Taxi parking. Don Armeni lot only about a quarter full. Street parking still available from parallel with Alki Tavern, westward. High bridge now looks stop-n-go. Commute times we’re getting via Twitter and comments similar to yesterday. KING’s reporter in the Traffic Management Center says the official city overview is about the same. Metro just sent its 7 am update – no problems, but “building traffic volumes” in SODO, which the city is seeing too:
(That’s the newest image from 1st South, looking north; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:17 AM UPDATE: KING’s roving crew is on 1st Avenue South – busy but still moving. Tried the 4th offramp from the bridge lately? Once you get there, of course – high bridge still slow. (added) 7:15 Water Taxi count, 114. Still room for you to give it a try if you’re still mulling commute options.
7:33 AM UPDATE: Don Armeni lot for Water Taxi about 3/4 full (so 20 or so spots left), and there’s still street parking. High bridge still slow – great sunrise, though. No problems or crashes reported anywhere.
7:47 AM UPDATE: Most recent view from KING chopper, looking at both bridges – low is moving a lot faster than high. 1st Avenue South Bridge looks OK, via its WSDOT camera. Looks foggy over the Sound to the west – toward Vashon – of note if you’re a ferry commuter. Has NOT looked foggy over Elliott Bay, though, and in fact, we should get our updated Water Taxi report any time now. … and here it is: 108. So the boat has not “sold out” yet this morning.
7:55 AM UPDATE: And we’ve just passed the magic moment, apparently – like the past two days, the high bridge is starting to empty out. Still brake lights on the eastbound stretch. Which reminds us, the Royal Brougham onramp to northbound 99 is again open till 7 pm, as it’s scheduled to be the next two days, so if you need to go north of downtown and 99 is your usual route, you can still do that, but the surface streets may take you a while to get to 1st/Royal Brougham.
8:05 AM UPDATE: We’re not sure yet if it’s going to cause serious trouble but there’s a medical call on I-5 northbound around Pine – so if you are leaving shortly and headed downtown, that 4th Avenue So. exit from the bridge might be a better choice. We’ll keep an eye on it.
8:23 AM UPDATE: Last Water Taxi report from our crew – 8:15 sailing had 110. High bridge moving along, but do note that downtown I-5 northbound incident is reported by WSDOT to be blocking two lanes, and this I-5 cam shows a jam (not that I-5 is usually anything else at this time of day, in our experience).
8:33 AM UPDATE: Definitely do NOT head for I-5 northbound. Now three lanes blocked through downtown. If you are going to the eastbound bridge, take the 1st or 4th exits, or head for the 1st Avenue South Bridge via Roxbury or Highland Park Way (or West Marginal if you are coming from north West Seattle)
8:57 AM UPDATE: High bridge still backed up, no doubt because of the northbound I-5 incident. We’ll keep the commute updates going till that’s cleared. (added) WSB commenters have been discussing the incident; our fellow neighborhood-news publishers at Capitol Hill Seattle say “person fell” in an area where falling/jumping is not uncommon.
9:09 AM UPDATE: The I-5 incident (a man died after either falling or jumping from overpass) is clear, according to KING via Twitter. Also via Twitter, some bicycling info from WSDOT: “Cool info: 125 cyclists checked in at WSDOT bike checkpoint in WS at Alki trail between 6:45 – 7:15 am! Thx for helping w/ commute!!”
10:20 AM NOTE: Ridership numbers for the Water Taxi are posted. If you add up and compare each of the past three mornings, there was a drop of almost 25% from Monday to Tuesday, but Tuesday to today didn’t lose that much. High-bridge still looks a bit slow, by the way, but moving.
AFTERNOON POSTSCRIPT: The police patrol of the bus lanes yielded fewer violators than the past two mornings – 19 bus-lane tickets today.
That’s the reason we’re doing without a key stretch of Highway 99 this week – so WSDOT can take down as much of the south-end section as possible, including what needs to go so crews can connect a bypass allowing them to then get to work building the other half of the new elevated south-end stretch. Here’s another view – from West Seattle-residing pilot Stephen Griffith:
(Click to see larger image)
At Seacrest Pier, some of the almost 1,000 Monday morning-commute West Seattle Water Taxi riders got to see this sunrise:
The downtown skyline was a striking backdrop for the vessel itself, too.
The extra 100+ spaces at nearby Don Armeni Boat Ramp were a hit, full before the morning commute ended:
Besides the Water Taxi, which hit capacity three times in the morning commute (and approached 1,000 morning passengers total), bicycles were a popular alternative – Wes Sauer shared this photo:
Trains were a sore spot during the evening commute, with buses getting stuck waiting for them too. Linda Thielke of Metro told WSB that they are relying on a “flexible reroute plan with three options each direction” to deal with the trains, even knowing it’s “cumbersome” to ask drivers to deal with that. Don’t be startled if your bus diverts all the way to the 1st Avenue South Bridge – she says, that “adds miles but can save minutes.” We’ll be back on commute patrol in just a few hours.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Though the chat ended just after noon, it’s archived as-it-happened, below)
Right now, WSB and KING 5 invite you to this live online chat about the Viaduct closure that starts at 7:30 pm tonight and is scheduled to continue till 5 am Monday. Got a last-minute question? KING 5’s Tracy Taylor and your WSB editor here (Tracy Record) are both on hand to try to help. Join in! P.S. You have to click the “play” button to see the chat – and to see how to join in.
12:31 PM NOTE: Thanks to everyone who participated (we recognized some WSB’ers)! Now we’ll look ahead to tonight, the weekend, and Monday … with continuous coverage, am and pm commutes, plus traffic bulletins whenever something happens that you need to know about. If it’s easier for you to access Facebook/Twitter when you’re out and about, be sure you’re following us there too – “like” the WSB Facebook page by going here, follow WSB on Twitter here.
(Click for larger version)
“We are 16 days away” from the 9-day Alaskan Way Viaduct closure – partial closure northbound, full closure southbound – declared Matt Preedy, WSDOT’s deputy program director, at not one, but two meetings of West Seattle interest on Wednesday – the South Portal Working Group (citizens’ advisory committee that is convened roughly quarterly) and the Southwest District Council (reps of various community councils/organizations/institutions, mostly from western West Seattle). And now that it’s Thursday, we are 15 days away. From those meetings, we have more tidbits on how you are supposed to get around during the closure – which is scheduled from 7:30 pm Friday, October 21st, till 5 am Monday, October 31st (unless it ends early, which is apparently a real possibility). New maps are part of what’s new – the northbound bus plan above, for starters. Read on for more of the latest:Read More
As first reported here last month, the West Seattle Water Taxi will add runs, shuttle-bus capacity, and parking for the weekdays that fall during the October 21-31 Alaskan Way Viaduct closure. A news release with official final details is just in from the King County Ferry District – including the full WT schedule for the closure period – read on:Read More
(March 2010 view of the “low bridge,” from its tower, taken by Councilmember Rasmussen)
Though they’ve rejected previous requests to limit low (swing) bridge openings during rush hours, the U.S. Coast Guard has agreed to do so, temporarily, for pm rush hour, during the upcoming 9-day, 10-night Alaskan Way Viaduct closure. That’s according to a statement just in from City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen‘s office, which includes formal announcement of the October 10th closure-info open-house meeting we’ve been previewing here – read on for details:Read More
(From the updated “interactive simulation”: Red marks the Viaduct section to be demolished during late October closure; green shows how new section will be connected to detour)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
If you are thinking about a fall vacation – October 21-31 might be an excellent time to consider. That has just been announced as the time frame WSDOT is projecting for the biggest Alaskan Way Viaduct shutdown required by the south-end replacement project, according to its director, Matt Preedy.
His Viaduct-project briefing was the biggest presentation at last night’s Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting, and included other new information of interest to West Seattle drivers/bus riders/etc. – such as, what is being planned to keep our area out of total gridlock during that time.
Details ahead:Read More
As noted overnight, the Alaskan Way Viaduct closure ended much earlier than WSDOT had projected – it is fully OPEN again this morning, and the blank traffic-info sign we photographed at dawn along Fauntleroy Way SW is further proof (absent a live AWV camera). But why leave West Seattle, unless you absolutely have to? From our Events calendar:
FITNESS FOR VITALITY 5K/10K: The last race in trainer Annette Herrick‘s spring series along Alki is at 9 am this morning – you can walk or run, and same-day registration is available – starting at 8 am. More info here.
CHIEF SEALTH CHEERLEADERS’ CAR WASH: Chief Sealth International High School‘s Cheerleaders invite you to come get your vehicle cleaned and shined at their fundraising car wash at Alki Auto (56th and Alki), 10 am-4 pm.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm, The Junction (44th/Alaska). Market manager Catherine Burke says today’s returnees include strawberries and “live lettuce”; the kids-tent activity will be presented by Woodland Park Zoo.
POLIO-FIGHTING FUNDRAISER: Rotary Club of West Seattle plans to be in The Junction today with an iron lung, demonstrating that the fight against polio isn’t over yet. 11 am-5 pm, by KeyBank at California/Alaska.
TWO CHANCES TO ADOPT A NEW FELINE FRIEND: Friends of the Animals Foundation adoption event with cats and kittens from 11 am – 2 pm at Next to Nature in The Junction … Kitty Harbor (3422 Harbor SW) is open for its second weekend of the season, 2-6 pm today.
COOKING CLASS: At West Seattle Produce with Cinnamon Berg: Grilled Pizza, 11 am. We will make the dough, sauce and toppings, then grill up a home-cooked pizza without the hot oven or delivery charges! $30 12 and up, kids under 12 free with paid adult. Register cinnamonberg97@gmail.com (or drop by to see if there’s still room for today).
ULTIMATE FRISBEE: West Seattle Family Ultimate Frisbee – today’s the monthly 2nd Sunday event at 11 am, Hiawatha Playfield, southeast corner.
WEST SEATTLE SUNDAY SOCCER: The adult/big kid soccer pickup game every Sunday morning is at Delridge Playfield (4501 Delridge), all ages and skill levels are welcome! 8 am.
OUTDOOR SWIMMING Final pre-season weekend wraps ups for Colman Pool in Lincoln Park, starting with lap swim at noon (7-day-a-week summer operations start next Saturday).
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE GROUNDBREAKING: The community celebration of the ceremonial groundbreaking for the new Parish Life Center and Gymnasium is at 12:15 this afternoon in the lower playfield, followed by a multicultural potluck.
LAST DAY OF SIFF: Final day for the film festival, and four films are screening at the Admiral Theater in West Seattle, starting at 1 pm, concluding with “Flamenco, Flamenco” at 8:30 pm. Full schedule here.
LOVING DAY: Celebration of the anniversary of the court ruling that led to the end of remaining laws against interracial marriage in the U.S., sponsored by MAVIN, 1-3:30 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, live music and more (details in this WSB preview story).
LIVE MUSIC: Once Minutos, 3-5 pm at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW) … All-ages show with Brian Wagner of Pablo Trucker, Lowlands, Wes SP8, 7 pm ($5 cover) at Skylark Café and Club (3803 Delridge Way SW; note, both C&P and Skylark are WSB sponsors; got a live music listing? send it so we can include it, the further in advance, the better!) …
Back on Monday, when WSDOT issued its two-week warning of the impending Big Squeeze on the Alaskan Way Viaduct between the West Seattle Bridge and the stadiums (our reports are here and here), Metro told us they would have info out by week’s end, regarding how this would affect Metro, Water Taxi, etc. And now it’s here. What follows the jump is the Metro news release, which is somewhat generalized, but we have followed it with West Seattle-specific tips provided courtesy of Linda Thielke at the King County Department of Transportation:Read More
3 quick Alaskan Way Viaduct notes – Northbound this morning, the Seneca exit is backed up more than usual because of a crash at Seneca/2nd – Metro has even rerouted the 21, 54, 55, 56, and 120. It’s not a major-injury situation, though, so a long-running blockage is not likely … THIS SUNDAY, you may have seen signs about a Viaduct closure for the St. Patrick’s Day Dash. To clarify, WSDOT says the 8-11 am closure is north of downtown, Republican to the Aurora Bridge (course map here), so it shouldn’t affect you south of the Battery Street Tunnel … One more reminder, WEEKEND AFTER NEXT, March 19-20, it’s the next weekend-long Alaskan Way Viaduct inspection shutdown, 6 am-6 pm both days.
Another turn in the tunnel tussle tonight: Two West Seattleites and 15 other “stakeholders” who served on the committee that helped choose the proposed Highway 99 tunnel two years ago have released a letter to Mayor McGinn. They’re asking him not to go through with his threat to veto the actions the City Council has taken to join the state in proceeding with the project (which won’t be final until and unless it passes environmental muster later this year – and then, there are the two ballot initiatives looming this fall). “While we respect your preferences for a different Viaduct replacement approach, this compromise is the only feasible way to move forward,” says the letter, recapping how the stakeholders first went on record backing two other options, then the tunnel. The letter adds, “We believe that the time has long passed to second guess the bored tunnel decision made by the Governor, state legislature, County, Port and past and present City Councils. Whether or not it was our initial choice, all of us agree that the citizens of Seattle, the region, and state are best served by moving forward.” And they ask for a meeting with the mayor. No word yet on his reaction, but you can read the full letter here (Word doc). Its 17 signers include West Seattleites Pete Spalding and Vlad Oustimovitch.
ADDED 11:11 PM: For those who can’t read docx, here’s the plain-text version:Read More
(WSDOT photo via Flickr: Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond signs tunnel contract Thursday)
Even as the Alaskan Way Viaduct Central Waterfront Project marked a milestone – signing the tunnel design-build contract – a team from the AWV front lines debunked some misperceptions in Q/A during an appearance before the Southwest District Council Wednesday night, hours before the signing. First and foremost: No, this does NOT mean the tunnel is “no going back” final, and it does NOT mean construction is about to start, as some may believe. The construction that’s starting now is a separate phase of the project, its Holgate-to-King-Street segment (formerly known as South End Replacement Project). After the jump, the Q/A/myth-debunking on that:Read More
As pointed out by LB in a comment following Tuesday’s story about upcoming Alaskan Way Viaduct work, more Metro routes will be affected than the ones in the transit service’s original announcement. Today, they’re spelled out in a just-sent update – read on for details, as well as a reminder about previously mentioned February changes in downtown routes/stops:Read More
(WSDOT’s newest animation showing the tunnel plan and other area components)
In the Alaskan Way Viaduct project offices downtown this morning, project leader Ron Paananen led a media briefing meant to underscore the point in our headline – why you should take the time to comment on the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the tunnel, officially released a week ago. Much of the discussion centered on the fact project managers believe the tunnel has to carry a toll to raise hundreds of millions of dollars – but, as the SDEIS points out, if the tunnel is tolled, there will be almost as many drivers avoiding it as drivers using it – about 45,000 daily for each. And, according to the summaries handed out at this morning’s briefing, that would affect West Seattle drivers: Not just the obvious effect, the fact that West Seattleites going downtown won’t use the tunnel because it has no exits, but the fact that the “diversion” (tunnel avoidance) will put enough traffic on other streets that it’ll increase the travel time. This morning’s presentation included:
With a tolled bored tunnel, the West Seattle to downtown and Woodland Park to downtown trips’ travel times could be 3 to 4 minutes longer than without tolls.
“No toll” is apparently not an option, but the new report does study three levels of tolling (ranging between $1 and $5 “in 2015 dollars), including one option that would only raise about a fourth of the money. It also notes that the tunnel still puts more traffic on city streets than they carry today, since it is not designed for as much capacity as the current Alaskan Way Viaduct carries – two lines in each direction compared to the current three. So if so many people would avoid the tunnel, how will gridlock be averted? The “potential tools for traffic management” listed at the briefing include:
Fine-tune toll-rate structure throughout the day
City street operations
Transit priority into and through downtown
Pedestrian and bicycle improvements
Manage parking on downtown streets
Seek additional transit funding
Active Traffic Management (ATM)
The state has started to dabble in the latter – variable speed limits, among other things. Meantime, it was asked whether tolls would continue after the loans were paid off; “That’s up to the Legislature to decide,” Paananen replied. Tolling and traffic are just part of what the SDEIS looks at; it also discusses tunnel-construction effects, such as five and a half years of 24/7 construction work with “17 potential staging areas.” But the biggest direct West Seattle effects are those travel times; you will be able to comment, and ask questions, at the public hearing/open house coming up at Madison Middle School, 6:30 pm November 16, and you can also have your say all these different ways. (The links to the entire document, including an “executive summary,” are here.)
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