West Seattle, Washington
24 Saturday
This is it. Barring some surprise, this will be the third and final week of Highway 99-less-ness, post-Alaskan Way Viaduct closure. A few things to know going in:
REMEMBER THE RAMP: The new Dearborn St. offramp that will take you into downtown from NB 99 before the tunnel entrance is still expected to take a week or so extra to open. So unless there’s a dramatic shortening of that estimate soon, non-tunnel users are really more like halfway through this phase of the squeeze. The tunnel is still expected to open in time for the Monday, February 4, morning commute.
ONE LIGHT(ER) DAY THIS WEEK: Wednesday (January 30th), no classes for Seattle Public Schools (“day between semesters”). Also of note, the Vashon Island School District marks that day Monday; Highline Public Schools, immediately south of here, has no classes Monday for grades 7-12.
CELEBRATION THIS WEEKEND: If you missed our progress-report roundup on Friday and are planning to go to this weekend’s goodbye-viaduct-hello-tunnel celebration, check it out here. The celebration website shows free tickets sold out for all Saturday times, but WSDOT said on Friday’s conference call that there would be some room for walk-ups. The West Seattle Water Taxi will run Saturday (not Sunday – special schedule expected soon) and you’re advised to take sea or land transit to get to the viaduct/tunnel event – “there’s no parking” in the area, you’re warned.
SPEAKING OF THE WATER TAXI: If you’re thinking long term, remember that its two-vessel schedule is scheduled to continue until the 7-days-a-week season starts at the end of March. Not the extra parking, though.
TRAFFIC COVERAGE: We’re back at it at 5:30 am.
“One more week to go!” That was the theme of today’s media-briefing conference call, with the focus starting to shift one week ahead to the tunnel/viaduct celebration. But first:
CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS: Dave Sowers says WSDOT is doing two concrete pours today – the biggest is for the south embankment to the Dearborn offramp, the last major pour for roadway surfaces in #Realign99. They had hoped to finish the “dip repair” south of the tunnel yesterday but wet weather kept them from finishing that; they’ll do it Tuesday instead. North portal electrical work, signage, and “loop ramps” continue, along with “commissioning work” on both ends. Striping work is continuing on the main line, too. We asked when they’ll be able to estimate how long past the tunnel opening it’ll take to open the Dearborn exit ramp; he says there’s still a lot of work to do and they’re still on track for the “extra week to 10 days” but might have a better estimate by midweek.
WATER TAXI FOR SATURDAY 2/2 ONLY: Jeff Switzer from Metro clarified that the West Seattle Water Taxi will run from West Seattle on the Saturday of tunnel/viaduct celebration day only – the day with the biggest events – and said that day’s schedule will be available soon. The WS Water Taxi is still running triple the usual ridership, 18,844 riders through Thursday (Vashon is up 14 percent). One bus note: “Today was a reminder we’re not quite out of the woods yet” – because of train delays they’re looking at changing the paths for some south-end routes such as 113. So far “standby buses” have carried 33,572 riders, he said.
BACK TO THE CELEBRATION WEEKEND: Steve Peer from WSDOT noted that the 520 bridge party had 50,000 guests and the tunnel/viaduct weekend is trending for twice that. The Sunday 2/3 bicycle ride (fee) is sold out with 12,000 registered; the Saturday fun run (fee) has 23,000 registered; 66,000 free tickets already have been claimed for Saturday’s viaduct/tunnel access. WSDOT has published an update here with “what you should know before you come.” One big thing – take public transportation! We asked Peer a reader question about difficulty finding a remaining free-event slot to sign up for; he said there will be SOME room for walk-ups. Go to 99stepforward.com for more on the Feb. 2-3 events.
If you’re thinking of bicycling tomorrow – you can get support and inspiration via the “Winter Pop-Up Bike Everywhere Day” station under the bridge. West Seattle Bike Connections and Cascade Bicycle Club will be there 6:30 to 9 am. They’re promising free snacks and giveaways for everybody who stops. Among those planning to ride: West Seattle-residing City Councilmember Lorena González. Assuming all continues to go well, tomorrow marks one week to go in the three-week viaduct-to-tunnel transition.
“If 90,000 drivers decide to get back in their cars, there’s no question that things will get worse quickly – don’t do it!” So said WSDOT’s Laura Newborn toward the end of today’s multi-agency media conference call, something WSDOT has organized most weekdays since the Alaskan Way Viaduct shutdown, and other participants echoed that: Keep those alternative commuting practices going if and when you can!
Meantime, toplines from the call:
(Framegrab from WSDOT construction cam)
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: WSDOT’s AWV Replacement Program deputy administrator Dave Sowers said they’re still on track to open the tunnel February 4th, right after the February 2-3 celebration weekend, with the NB 99 non-tunnel traffic exit ramp opening a week to 10 days after that. There’s a big concrete pour today, for “load distribution,” as they continue working on the ramps in the south portal area; it’s the groundwork for a future pour, “several hundred cubic yards of concrete.” So far the weather hasn’t really been a problem – absent truly heavy rain, or snow, they’re working through it. The next weather-dependent work is asphalt and striping, likely to happen this Friday, when drier weather is expected.
TRAFFIC ASSESSMENT: Though, as commenters on WSB and elsewhere observed, it felt worse than last week, WSDOT and SDOT reps on the call thought it wasn’t that different – WSDOT traffic engineer Morgan Balogh said “the peak started early and lasted longer,” and observed that people coming into Seattle from points south (via I-5, for example) had an added 15 minutes or so of travel time. SDOT’s Traffic Operations Center supervisor Tim McCall noted the West Seattle Bridge and East Marginal Way were key slowdown spots. As for the truck traffic that contributed to the latter …
PORT TRAFFIC: Port of Seattle spokesperson Peter McGraw said Terminal 18 on the east side of Harbor Island was the main contributor. They have more truck traffic this week because of more vessel calls starting last weekend … T-18 was so backed up that trucks couldn’t even get off the island, he said. And, “you can expect heavier traffic for the rest of the week.”
BUSES: They don’t have passenger counts yet, said Metro’s Jeff Switzer, noting that not all buses have counters. He was able to say that standby buses made 570 trips January 12th-19th, carrying nearly 20,000 riders. (We might hear more about the Metro overview tomorrow afternoon, when King County Executive Dow Constantine is leading a media briefing.) … We asked about bus-lane enforcement plans on the bridge besides the lane to 4th; SDOT is checking with SPD on that. They also are looking into the Avalon Way snarl. They altered the 1st and 4th Avenue S. signal timing today to help with traffic including buses.
WATER TAXI: No numbers for today yet. Last week Monday-Friday saw 11,456 passengers, said Switzer, compared to 3,490 in the comparable period last year. (2:45 PM UPDATE: 938 Water Taxi passengers this morning, down from 1,200 last Tuesday but still way up from a year ago, when 367 used it. Also up: The free parking at Pier 2 – which has a free shuttle to the dock – 71 cars today, vs. 53 last Tuesday. Still lots of room.)
P.S. We’re told the post-Viaduct situation is on the agenda at Thursday’s West Seattle Transportation Coalition meeting, with County Executive Constantine the tentatively scheduled guest, 6:30 pm Thursday (January 24th) at Neighborhood House High Point, 6400 Sylvan Way.
Our Instagram video shows where we were this morning atop the ramp you will take into downtown from northbound Highway 99 if you’re not heading into the tunnel. WSDOT invited news media to visit the work zone this morning for a one-week update on how it’s going.
That’s a look southward onto the under-construction Dearborn Street onramp. When you are traveling on it, northbound, here’s what you’ll see:
When you get to the end of the ramp, you’ll either continue north onto Alaskan Way, or turn right to get to 1st Avenue South. Part of the ramp was built by a different contractor a year ago, but it couldn’t be completed until now. It was built with “geofoam” that rests more lightly on the area’s compression-susceptible soil:
WSDOT’s Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program deputy administrator Dave Sowers gave the progress report – here’s his three-minute explanation of the south-end work:
Sowers says they’re still on track to open the tunnel February 4th – right after the February 2nd/3rd goodbye-viaduct-hello-tunnel celebration – and this ramp a week or so later. (You can check out the construction-zone webcams here.)
From today’s daily media conference call with transportation-agency reps:
THE TRAIN DEBACLE: SDOT’s rep on the call, Matt Beaulieu, says they’re still sorting out what exactly factored into this morning’s BNSF blockage on lower Spokane Street (tracked in our morning traffic coverage). He and Metro rep Jeff Switzer acknowledged that the agencies were not given a heads-up by BNSF that the blockage was about to happen – their first word, Beaulieu said, was from police on the ground, who helped divert traffic away from the blocked section of lower Spokane as best they could. They’re “still working on the relationship,” he said, saying they “did make a connection today” and are in “a dialogue.” We had asked SDOT’s Heather Marx about BNSF coordination during last week’s pre-Viaduct-closure City Hall briefing, and she had said that, unlike the limited low-bridge openings deal with the U.S. Coast Guard, they had no deal with BNSF.
METRO AND WATER TAXI: Switzer noted the delays caused by the train situation, and otherwise described delays systemwide as ranging between 10 and 35 mites this morning. Overall, more riders are catching buses earlier. They’re also seeing increased call volumes at Metro’s call center, so if you call with a question and hear what might be a long wait time, there’s an option to request a callback rather than waiting on hold.
(WSB photo from Seacrest this morning)
The Water Taxi had another triple-last-year day on Tuesday, with 2,520 riders overall, but still plenty of capacity, both on the boats and in the temporary Pier 2 free parking.
CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS: WSDOT‘s Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program deputy administrator David Sowers said the on- and off-ramp areas at Royal Brougham have been “completely excavated,” and that the offramp to Dearborn – which isn’t projected to be ready to open until at least a week after the tunnel does – “continues to progress very well” too. Today they’re paving the Dearborn connection to 1st Avenue, where part of the south end of the elevated Viaduct was demolished last weekend; striping work was on today’s agenda too. The dry weather has been “very helpful” and they’ve completed most of the needs-to-be-done-in-dry-weather work – but if the rain that’s expected tomorrow and beyond isn’t a major deluge, the work “will not be affected.” Sowers also invited everyone to keep checking out the construction cams.
YES, THAT WAS A CAR ON THE VIADUCT … but not an unauthorized car, explained WSDOT’s Laura Newborn – it was a security vehicle. Please stay off the Viaduct until the planned February 2-3 celebration, WSDOT reiterates.
COMMUTE TRENDS OVERALL: Today, around the region, saw trends similar to Monday and Tuesday – people traveling earlier, and higher travel times than usual in the earlier hours as a result. Tomorrow’s expected rain could affect things dramatically. But otherwise, keep up the good work, all stressed – “people are doing a little bit of everything” and that’s what’s really helped, some buses, some light rail, some Water Taxi, some time-shifting, some working from home, it’s all adding up, and particularly if you can keep doing things differently, you’re making it a little less hellish for those who absolutely can’t.
(SDOT MAP with travel times / WS-relevant traffic cams / Water Taxi schedule, other helpful info HERE)
5:30 AM: Good morning! No incidents to report so far on this third post-Viaduct weekday morning.
5:39 AM: Someone just texted (we’re at 206-293-6302) to report a helicopter over/near east West Seattle. Flight tracker and radio communication verify it’s just the TV helicopter (the one shared by 4/5) monitoring traffic again, and it’s now headed away, northward. …Noted a few minutes later while monitoring TV, 7’s helicopter (which doesn’t show on trackers) is still here.
5:47 AM: Weather, by the way, still dry. First possibility of any rain is this afternoon, more likely it’ll hold off until tonight.
5:50 AM: We’re tweeting bridge snapshots this morning, since the live cams don’t archive. Getting busy!
6:25 AM: Commenter J reports 4th Ave. exit bus ramp has lots of violators, no police monitors this morning. Meanwhile, we’re headed to the Water Taxi dock shortly to see how that’s going. And here’s the latest bridge snapshot for the record. Even busier.
6:42 AM: After we mentioned the 4th Ave. ramp situation on Twitter, Nichole tweeted back that she saw police getting into position nearby. … For the first time this week, we’re hearing about a train delay on the surface under the bridge. We asked SDOT about this last week – bottom line, they say BNSF didn’t make any commitments to changing policies during Viaductlessness.
6:54 AM: West Seattle Water Taxi dock seems quieter this morning, according to our reporter, who’s just arrived, his third morning there. 100 on most-recent run. Earlier #’s not available yet. (Water Taxi schedule, shuttle schedule, other info all here!)
7:07 AM: Just under 100 on most-recent Water Taxi departure. Meantime, bike commuting remains up; West Seattle-residing Seattle Times transportation reporter Mike Lindblom reports via Twitter that the counter on the bridge shows 137 so far this morning, and that the bridge trail has been de-iced “but nearby asphalt still frosty.”
7:16 AM: Here’s the surface-Spokane train-related jam (we took a screengrab of a nearby camera that’s one of those featured on our full traffic-cams page):
7:28 AM: Direct link to “live” camera here. We’re watching it to see when the train is finally clear – but that hasn’t happened yet. … Related alert for Route 50:
Transit Alert – Route 50 is currently rerouted off of SODO Busway between S Holgate St and S Spokane St, due to a blockage.
— King County Metro🚏🚎⚓️ (@kcmetrobus) January 16, 2019
A friend tweeted blockage has been 30 minutes and pedestrians jumping up and over between train cars.
— Scott Amick (@ScottA_SEA) January 16, 2019
7:39 AM: Commenter Moon Kitten advises, “You can get around the train hold up if you go up E Marginal and cross over to 1st Ave on Hanford! I was stuck as well and went up E Marginal and crossed over to 1st Ave… then back down S on 1st.”
7:45 AM: Train finally cleared in the last few minutes:
(At 7:40 am, it was still there – 7:43 am as per timestamped image, gone.)
7:55 AM: In the meantime, per the Twitter log, the “low bridge” was just open for 17 minutes. Not a good morning for surface (non-high bridge) traffic overall. The openings 7-10 am were supposed to be limited to the largest vessels, so we’re going to check what just passed. (Update: Can’t tell from MarineTraffic.com.)
8:01 AM: Sunrise beauty shot from our Water Taxi dock crew, featuring the MV Doc Maynard:
8:12 AM: The train stop has been the morning’s biggest headline in the area. In the big picture regionally, WSDOT reports “NB I-5 backup into SEA longer than normal.”
8:16 AM: Newest numbers from our Water Taxi watcher: 74 at 7:50 am, 156 at 8:05 am.
8:19 AM: Just dispatched, police to a crash reported at Delridge/Findlay. Cars in center lane, per scanner, no serious injuries.
8:38 AM: Trouble at the east end of the Roxbury corridor – SFD dispatch to a car-fire call, SDOT tweets “collision on 1st Ave S at Olson Pl SW blocking all SB lanes and NB right lane.”
8:51 AM: Bridge still busy (here’s another moment-in-time screengrab for the record and later comparison).
8:54 AM: The 1st/Olson/etc. situation may be an issue for a while. Reader just texted this photo:
So beware, if you are headed through the east end of the Roxbury corridor, to/from South Park and/or the 509 intersection there. (Added – a closer view that also shows a school bus apparently involved.)
SFD has been cleared and no medic units involved so apparently no serious injuries.
9:13 AM: SDOT says one southbound lane is getting through at the 1st/Olson/Myers scene … Our Water Taxi dock crew is back. Here’s a pic of the temp Pier 2 parking lot:
9:51 AM: Most-recent update from SDOT was that most lanes were open again at the Olson/Myers/1st scene. We’ll be following up on the crash later. … Eastbound bridge still busy; here’s the latest addition to this morning’s moment-in-time screengrabs so we have comparisons for future dates.
10:05 AM: Crash reported at California/Juneau. Two SFD units dispatched.
10:25 AM: That crash involves a car on sidewalk plus a truck. 1 person to hospital. Photo to come. SB side of California; traffic getting by in center lane.
11:25 AM: There’s the pic. On our way back from post-traffic-watch errands, we passed the scene again; truck gone, car being towed. SDOT sent an Incident Response Team truck, too.
Again this morning, the second weekday of the #Realign99 three-week Highway 99 closure for the viaduct-to-tunnel transition, multiple transportation agencies had reps available for reporter questions on a conference call. Here are the toplines:
CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS: WSDOT’s Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program deputy administrator Dave Sowers said, as he did yesterday, that work is “overall progressing very well.” The main reason for shutting this entire stretch of Highway 99, you’ll recall, is to do work tying the tunnel’s on- and off-ramps to the rest of the highway. One key point of interest for West Seattleites is the Dearborn offramp from 99 – which will become the key pathway into downtown for northbound traffic not using the tunnel – which is going to take a bit of time beyond the three-week “realignment closure.” Sowers said today that the projection remains “a week to 10 days” beyond the tunnel opening. Among other components of that part of the project, they have to pour concrete and give it two weeks to cure, then stripe it, he explained. He said they might have an estimate by the end of next week, adding “I can’t tell this group enough how motivated we are to get that ramp open as soon as possible.”
TRAFFIC WATCH: WSDOT and SDOT both said traffic patterns were similar to Monday (earlier than usual). We asked about West Seattle Bridge volume stats; that information might be available by day’s end.
TRANSIT WATCH: Total Water Taxi count for Monday (both directions) was 2,872, compared to 779 on the same day last year. This morning’s West Seattle count was 1,200 riders, up from 334 on the same date last year but down a bit from Monday. Still plenty of capacity, stressed Metro’s Jeff Switzer – same with the Pier 2 parking lot, which is only filling about a fifth of its 250 spaces so far. Switzer also had updated Metro bus stats: For all of yesterday they used “standby” coaches for 55 trips, handling 1,500 passengers, mostly for the C Line, E Line, and Route 120. This morning they used standby buses for 19 trips. One word of caution from Switzer: Metro volume usually peaks at midweek so don’t let any low-volume trip today fool you!
3:31 PM: Toplines from this afternoon’s briefing at Metro‘s Transit Operations Center east of the stadiums, led by King County Executive Dow Constantine and Metro deputy general manager Terry White: Things this morning went “fairly smoothly.” They addressed both county transit services, Metro buses and the King County Water Taxi. And the increase in ridership for the latter was described as even more than we’d heard at the pier this morning: 1,350 passengers this morning, 350 passengers on a typical morning this time of year.
They can handle twice that, and there’s still room at the temporary Pier 2 parking lot, so try the WT if you can. As for the various routing changes readers reported in comment discussion – they didn’t know yet if any would be formalized for tomorrow and beyond. As for the extra buses held at the ready in case more capacity was needed, they transported more than 300 people, mostly on the 120 and E Line. More to come, including video of the briefing.
4:43 PM: Here’s the video:
We also got a quick look inside the center, first time we had visited since the C Line’s launch inaugurated major West Seattle changes more than six years ago:
The center is where Metro is in constant communication with its drivers – one corner also hosts the customer call center, too. We asked about the changes-on-the-fly reported by some commenters this morning; Metro hadn’t yet had the afternoon meeting at which they planned to discuss how that went, with an eye toward tomorrow morning.
On this third day of Highway 99-less-ness, the #Realign99 work itself is going well, according to WSDOT‘s project deputy administrator Dave Sowers. That’s what he told reporters on a late-morning conference call. One bit of the ramp-building/tunnel-connecting work is even a bit ahead of schedule, Sowers said. But he also said there’s zero chance the tunnel will open early – they’re sticking to their plan for a February 2-3 celebration weekend, and then (assuming all goes well) the tunnel opening in time for the Monday, February 4th, morning commute. We’re on our way now to a Metro/Water Taxi-specific briefing in SODO; more to come.
(SDOT MAP with travel times / WS-relevant traffic cams / Water Taxi schedule, other helpful info HERE)
5:30 AM: Good morning! As promised, we’re on watch early for the first post-Viaduct commute. No outbound trouble reported so far.
5:40 AM: WSDOT reports a collision on NB I-5 downtown: “in the gore point on NB 5 near Seneca; it isn’t blocking anything, but people are seeing it and slowing, so we are seeing a bit heavier traffic in that area.”
6:04 AM: Our crew is now headed to Seacrest to report on the Water Taxi commute for the rest of the morning, in addition to everything else we’re monitoring.
6:28 AM: Solid brake lights on the eastbound bridge. And an interesting report in comments – Route 56 did stop at the light-rail station, something Metro said they wouldn’t do. Please keep us all updated on anomalies (we’ll ask at the media briefings/Q&A sessions later). Also – wherever you see a temporary no-parking sign, TAKE IT SERIOUSLY!
Some of those zones are meant as holding zones for added buses that might be needed. … Meantime, still lots of room on the Water Taxi. The county isn’t providing passenger counts so far but we counted about 80 people boarding the one that’s about to leave.
6:40 AM: Update – 112 on that sailing. Still room (both boats on the WS run have 200+ capacity). Also, the low bridge opened for 11 minutes. Note that the temporary restrictions are in effect 7-10 am and 2-5 pm, and even during that time, it can still open for 5,000-gross-ton-plus vessels.
6:58 AM: 4700 block of West Marginal Way SW (by the Duwamish Longhouse) has a Seattle Fire “rescue extrication” response headed that way for a crash that is reported to be possibly “in a wooded area.” … Update: Car on roof, off road, one person hurt. Response is still likely to be affecting W. Marginal Way flow for a while.
7:12 AM: Water Taxi dock busy but NOT over capacity, still. Most-recent boat left with 110+ people. Here’s the line:
Marination Ma Kai at the dock is opening at 7 am for breakfast.
Meantime: Andy tells us that West Marginal near the Longhouse-vicinity crash scene is slick – temps this morning were close to freezing. We’re also told traffic there IS getting by despite the emergency response. … Thanks to everyone who’s sharing their experience in comments!
7:39 AM: The headline seems to be, everybody left early so backups started earlier. Meantime back at the dock, sailings are now surpassing 200 (getting closer to capacity). King County Executive Dow Constantine, longtime WT champion, is at the dock too (in photo with KC Marine Division’s Paul Brodeur):
7:49 AM: West Seattle-residing Seattle Times transportation reporter Mike Lindblom tweeted that the 7:30 am bike counter on the “low bridge” showed 278. Meantime, most-recent Water Taxi run was just under 100. The Metro supervisor keeping watch on the temporary parking lot at Pier 2 tells us it’s only about a quarter full – free shuttle to the dock – so if you’re still considering how to get off the peninsula, that’s an option.
8:03 AM: A warning from Rebecca: “Please post a warning ASAP about the northern tip of California Ave where the street makes a sharp turn. I just saw two bicyclists and a moped wipe out there!! Very slippery right now.” She sent this photo:
(Rebecca adds that Ferry Avenue is slick too.) Meantime, bus riders say things are going relatively well – including private transit; an Amazon bus rider from The Junction said the 7 am trip only took five minutes longer than last week.
8:23 AM: SDOT reports “So far, light traffic on major roads in Downtown Seattle.”
8:38 AM: The 8:15 am Water Taxi had 139 people on board. KC Marine Division confirms that they are leaving on schedule even if there are people waiting – Heather e-mailed us about this and said about 15 people were affected at one point during the 6 am hour; our crew hasn’t seen a major amount of this happening, but still, be aware – they are loading until one minute before scheduled departure, and then taking off. Also, the free shuttles have been pretty much at capacity.
(That’s the San Juan Clipper, the second boat on the West Seattle run during this extra-service time.)
8:47 PM: And a big-picture stat – through 8:35, just under 1,200 passengers on Water Taxi runs this morning, 66 percent above normal this time of year. Ride2 has had 150 riders (we’re checking on commenters’ reports of app glitches).
9 AM: If you’ve waited to leave – this would seem to be a pretty great time. We added to the array of cameras on our Traffic page so you can see for yourself beyond the four we are showcasing above.
9:27 AM: Another icy-road report, just in via text:
Might be worth noting in your traffic reporting that Snake Hill on the way to Brandon is terribly terribly icy. I just picked up and took home a couple of bicyclists I came upon who had wiped out on their way down. Bumped and bruised and broke a one of the bikes. Another route to Delridge is advised.
9:43 AM: Don’t get complacent, is the reminder … everybody who made a change today DEFINITELY helped. We’ll be watching traffic through the day and will have a PM report too with an ear on getting back this way. We also expect morning post-mortems from the transportation agencies in a conference call in less than 2 hours, and a Metro briefing at 1:30 pm, so stand by for updates! Thanks again for texting/calling 206-293-6302 (our round-the-clock hotline, in its 12th year) when there’s something to report.
One last round of reminders tonight, after an uneventful weekend post-Alaskan Way Viaduct shutdown, with the first 99-less commute hours away:
(Live webcam showing work by south tunnel entrance. See other construction cameras here)
WHAT’S CLOSED: Highway 99, between the West Seattle Bridge and the south end of the Battery Street Tunnel: The Viaduct is closed forever; the Highway 99 tunnel will be open the morning of February 4th if all goes well. Finishing the pre-tunnel exit ramp for NB 99 traffic to downtown (at Dearborn – here’s the explanatory video) is projected to take at least another week after that.
WHAT’S DIFFERENT
–Metro routing. All the routes that used the Alaskan Way Viaduct are using temporary new “pathways” to get downtown. (Here’s the map.)
-The temporary bus lane painted on the eastbound bridge and 4th Avenue is now officially in effect.
-Maritime openings of the low bridge are supposed to be kept to a minimum during morning peak hours and part of the afternoon (7-10 am and 2-5 pm). (Bridge openings are tweeted here.)
FOR WATER TAXI RIDERS
-Two boats on the West Seattle run (Doc Maynard and San Juan Clipper), both with 200+ capacity – here’s the schedule, including Vashon (which is on its regular schedule):
-Doubled free Water Taxi shuttle service (see the schedules here)
-Parking at Pier 2 (Harbor/Florida – here’s a map) with a free shuttle to the dock
-Overnight parking restrictions on Harbor between Fairmount Avenue and Don Armeni Boat Ramp, meant to ensure more street-parking spots for WT riders
-Extra bicycle parking at Seacrest
-Remember the Free Waterfront Shuttle once you get downtown (see the maps here).
THE OTHER SHUTTLE OPTION
-As long as you are traveling either to or from The Junction or Seacrest, and are in the service area, Ride2 might be an option for you. (See the map, times, etc. on the Ride2 website.)
TRAFFIC CONTROL ONCE YOU’RE OFF THE BRIDGE
-The city plans to station uniformed police officers at key locations from SODO to downtown – see the list and maps here. (And note that the city says the plan is subject to change at any time.)
WSB TRAFFIC COVERAGE
-We’ll be starting by 5:30 am and will see how that goes. We’ll have a crew at the Water Taxi dock monitoring the situation there, as well as at the desk here watching/listening to the traffic/transit situation. We’ll also, as we did during the last weekday Viadoom, have running PM coverage for starters. Something to report to us? (Not while you’re at the wheel, of course!) 206-293-6302, text or voice.
-If you have questions or observations, please share those when you can – we’ll be participating in media briefings between the am and pm commutes.
-In addition to the cameras we will feature during ongoing coverage, our 24/7 traffic-cameras page is here.
Notes from the first day of the Highway 99 viaduct-to-tunnel-transition closure:
VIADUCT RAMP DEMOLITION: WSDOT keeps stressing that this is NOT the start of the full demolition – that six-month process won’t launch until next month (with some of the debris to be used in the Battery Street Tunnel decommissioning). But the ramp to the remaining elevated Viaduct is coming down this weekend, to clear the way for the intersection that will be used by (among others) West Seattleites getting off NB 99 to head into downtown.
WSDOT’S UPDATE: That demolition work comprises most of the update posted by WSDOT, which also notes that traffic and transit were “similar to average weekend conditions.”
METRO’S NEW ROUTES: Remember that the closure means new routes for the buses that previously traveled the Viaduct, and that started last night. The maps are here and here (that last one shows the “interim” pathways that buses then will use for up to a year after the tunnel opens).
WATER TAXI’S EXTRA BOAT: As we reported last night, the San Juan Clipper will join the Doc Maynard on the West Seattle Water Taxi run. The Water Taxi is NOT running on weekends (though the county has said the “celebration” weekend February 2-3 will be an exception), but Jennie spotted the SJ Clipper at Seacrest today:
Here again is the which-vessel-on-which-run is planned starting Monday:
And the extra-parking info (among other details for water-taxi riders) is available here.
ANOTHER LOOK AT THE PARTY: In addition to the helicopter video we featured last night, here’s a bit of video of what it was like in the midst of the final cruise, linked in a WSB comment by Mike Russell:
Regional media reports people were walking on the viaduct at sunset tonight. Remember, an official chance to say goodbye is coming up the first weekend of February, just before the tunnel’s expected opening – info here.
TRAFFIC WATCH: Quiet today but we’re continuing to watch the outbound and inbound routes. If you encounter an incident we haven’t reported yet, please alert us at 206-293-6302 when you can do so safely/legally (after calling it in to authorities if they’re not on scene yet). And our collection of SDOT/WSDOT traffic cameras is here.
12:21 AM: While the Columbia Street onramp closure happened just before 10 pm as planned, the process of fully closing the Alaskan Way Viaduct took two more hours because of an impromptu farewell party. Guardian One recorded this unique view of people driving, dancing, walking, waving, and more:
Though an officially “goodbye, Viaduct/hello, Tunnel” event is planned in three weeks, those people decided to say farewell on their own terms. Finally, just after midnight, WSDOT tweeted that “the viaduct is clear and the #Realign99 closure is officially underway!” So Highway 99 is now closed for ~3 weeks between the West Seattle Bridge and the south end of the Battery Street Tunnel. Much more coverage to come, starting later today.
8 AM: Uneventful night since then. Reminder that our traffic-cam page is here (we’ll be adding and subtracting a few this weekend, but they already have the biggies for West Seattle in/out flow). And here’s a “live” look at the eastbound bridge:
Are you ready for the Seattle Squeeze? This photo from our Jack Large Photograph Collection shows the view west over the Alaskan Way Viaduct in January 1967. #SpecialCollectionshttps://t.co/w1vjjVX8S6 pic.twitter.com/BTf6BoVNYI
— Seattle Library (@SPLBuzz) January 11, 2019
7:46 PM: A day full of Alaskan Way Viaduct nostalgia ended with a colorful sunset.
It was a beauty. pic.twitter.com/o71a0Z8bqa
— J. Michael Starling (@jmstarl) January 12, 2019
Viaducts final golden rush hour. @westseattleblog @komonews @KIRO7Seattle @KING5Seattle @Q13FOX @wsdot @CityofSeattle pic.twitter.com/DIl50Sb1Co
— anthonyk (@anthonykdrives) January 12, 2019
Now, it’s almost closure time.
No big briefing today but we have new information including responses to reader questions. First, a reminder of the timeline:
-10 pm, Highway 99 officially closes between the West Seattle Bridge and south end of Battery Street Tunnel. WSDOT says the Columbia Street onramp will be the first section closed, around 9:45 pm.
–Here’s how work begins after that.
–Here again is the full timeline.
WEST SEATTLE WATER TAXI: Two-boat service begins Monday (January 14th). While seeking answers to readers’ questions, here’s what we have learned:
-Second boat on the run will be the San Juan Express, capacity 245 passengers, which is close to the size of the regular boat MV Doc Maynard. (The much-smaller Spirit of Kingston will remain available as a backup.) From spokesperson Brent Champaco:
The schedule – which is subject to change – has the San Juan Clipper starting the day’s service with the 5:55 a.m. sailing out of Seattle followed by the 6:15 a.m. sailing out of Seacrest. The Doc Maynard will follow with the 6:15 a.m. sailing out of Seattle and the 6:30 a.m. sailing out of Seacrest. The two vessels will alternate until the 9:25 a.m. sailing out of Seacrest.
We’ll use the Doc Maynard for the midday service between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Both boats will resume service beginning with the 3:25 p.m. sailings out of Seacrest (Doc Maynard) and Pier 52 (San Juan Clipper) respectively, until the final sailing at 7:05 p.m. out of West Seattle.
Please note that the 5:05 p.m. sailing out of Pier 52 in Seattle has been moved up to 5 p.m. This is a slight change to the expanded schedule that’s in our printed brochures.
Here’s the planned schedule including the Sally Fox on the Vashon route, which is not adding capacity:
WATER TAXI SHUTTLES: In response to questions about whether larger buses will be used, spokesperson Torie Rynning says no, they’ve just doubled up here too: Two 19-passenger shuttles on each of the two routes during peak hours, one during the added midday hours. The Pier 2 parking shuttles will use a 19-passenger bus and a 33-passenger bus.
ONE MORE WATER TAXI NOTE: King County Executive Dow Constantine plans to be at the dock for a while Monday morning.
RIDE2 CONTINUES: We asked Metro about the Ride2 usage so far: It averaged 26 passengers a day during last week’s non-holidays. If you missed the original announcement a month ago, this is an on-demand service you can use provided your starting or ending point is either The Junction or the Water Taxi dock. Find out more here.
POLICE OFFICERS DIRECTING TRAFFIC: The plan to have police assigned to certain intersections has been in the works for a while. Now, SDOT has provided the list and maps of where – part of this new post on the city’s recently launched traffic-info website. Here for example is the map showing the plan for 4th/Spokane:
TRAFFIC COVERAGE ON WSB: It’s been a priority for a long time and you can count on us to step it way up during the Highway 99 closure and beyond. Your help is always important – now more than ever. If you see a problem and we’re not reporting it, please let us know when you can (once of course you have reported it to authorities, if they’re not on the scene either) – safely and legally – 206-203-6302, text or voice, 24/7. Meantime, we’ll update later tonight once the closure’s officially in effect. And we’ll be adjusting our standard resources (like the cameras page) to reflect “the new normal.”
10:05 PM: The closure has indeed begun – after a crowd of drivers took to the Viaduct to travel it one last time! Separate report to come, but for starters:
The #Realign99 closure is beginning. Crews have closed the Columbia Street on-ramp. pic.twitter.com/fGSqx5nX0p
— SR 99 (@BerthaDigsSR99) January 12, 2019
11:30 PM: We haven’t published a separate update yet because it’s still not fully closed – it’s taken an hour and a half so far to clear the last vehicles off!
12:07 AM SATURDAY: Finally cleared, says WSDOT.
(WSB photos/video by Patrick Sand)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Forever.
As in “The Viaduct’s going to be closed forever.”
Multiple speakers, including Mayor Jenny Durkan, used the word at today’s last multi-agency briefing before the Alaskan Way Viaduct‘s permanent shutdown at 10 pm Friday (January 11th).
First – here’s the video, so you can watch and listen for yourself if you want to:
This briefing was held at SDOT headquarters in the city’s Municipal Tower downtown. Among the speakers were two new players in the city government’s transportation scene – Sam Zimbabwe, who hasn’t officially started work as SDOT director yet, and Michael Worden (with the mayor in top photo), the retired general hired to be the city’s mobility czar.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
X marks the spot.
The “X” marks a small section of the Alaskan Way Viaduct that will be demolished almost immediately after the entire structure is closed forever at 10 pm this Friday (January 11th).
WSDOT and other agencies gathered local news media near that spot at midmorning today for the latest briefing looking ahead to the weeks of 99-less-ness while work is done for the viaduct-to-tunnel transition. We recorded it all on video:
No huge headlines at the briefing, but its context was shaped by today’s tougher-than-usual morning commute out of West Seattle, one that hadn’t yet subsided when we headed out for the 10:30 am briefing. The main event factoring into the hours-long backup was a stuck truck blocking one lane of NB 99; that was enough fodder to imagine what things might be like once all of 99 is out of commission for 3 weeks starting Friday night.
SDOT‘s director of downtown mobility Heather Marx (a West Seattleite) urged commuters to be kind and patient with each other. Seattle Police Assistant Chief Steve Hirjak said police will be taking special measures to help tow trucks get though when needed, and that a new auxiliary tow yard has opened “closer to downtown” so that crews involved in clearing incidents won’t be out of service for as long as usual.
Those tow trucks might be busy with other things during #Realign99 – Marx said, “We will tow with alacrity” if people violate the temporary no-parking zones that are planned in various spots. Hirjak reiterated that police will be deployed to keep certain intersections moving, but their goal is more to move people along than to cite them, though ticketing is not “off the table.”
Seattle Fire Deputy Chief Ron Mondragon said SFD will keep close watch on response times, and if they have to take extra measures downtown such as using transit lanes, they will.
Among the many other things that will be watched and adjusted if necessary once the effects of the Highway 99 closure are fully up to (or more like down to) speed next week: Metro bus operations. Post-briefing, we asked Metro’s Bill Bryant the question we continue to hear – will the buses that formerly used The Viaduct be stopping anywhere south of downtown? He says the inbound buses will all stop at either Yesler or James for starters, but that will change if it turns out to be a logjam. (Here again are the Metro routes [PDF], both temporary for #Realign99, then interim, then permanent.)
As for the #Realign99 work itself, WSDOT’s Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program deputy administrator Dave Sowers said what began when the 99 ramps in the stadium zones were closed is “progressing” well. WSDOT published this time-lapse video of the built-then-buried tunnel approach ramp being unearthed:
That part of the ramp was built in 2013 – the same year tunnel-digging began, after the tunneling machine arrived from Japan.
If all goes well, the tunnel could open as soon as the night of Sunday, February 3rd, WSDOT has said. Remember that if you’re not using the tunnel, 99 won’t be of use for another week or more after it opens, because work will continue to finish the new Dearborn ramp. If you missed it last week, here’s the WSDOT video explaining how getting into downtown via that ramp will work:
Here’s the full transition timeline. (And if you’re looking for information on the February 2-3 goodbye/hello celebration weekend, that’s at 99stepforward.com.)
WHAT’S NEXT: At least one more briefing before the Friday night closure.
Six nights until the Alaskan Way Viaduct closes forever. Got your plan for how to get around during the #Realign99 viaduct-to-tunnel transition time? Today was the day West Seattle Bike Connections offered a free guided ride to anyone interested in testing the route to/from downtown. WSBC’s Don Brubeck forwarded the video by Paul Dieter; Don reports, “28 adults + 4 kid passengers. Strong interest in this commute option!” P.S. If you’d like to meet up with WSBC pre-Viadoom, their regular monthly meeting is next Tuesday (January 8th), 6:30 pm at Neighborhood House High Point (6400 Sylvan Way).
In our report last night on a City Hall briefing about changes related to the Viaduct-to-Tunnel transition – aka #Realign99 – we mentioned temporary bus lanes, including the 4th Avenue S. offramp from the eastbound West Seattle Bridge. We asked SDOT after the briefing when that work would be done. They didn’t have an answer then – but today, they’ve announced work will happen tomorrow:
Temporary bus lane construction will occur on Saturday, January 5.
To manage the increased volume of traffic on our city’s streets and changing traffic patterns in advance of the SR closure beginning Friday, January 11, we’re rechannelizing key streets downtown starting Saturday, January 5. Streets include the Spokane Street Viaduct, the eastbound off-ramp to 4th Ave S and a short section of 4th Ave S approaching Spokane St.
These dedicated bus-only lanes will allow buses coming in from West Seattle to access the SODO busway and improve bus travel time throughout the SR 99 closure.
The graphics included with our Street changes for SR 99 closure begin January 5, 2019 flyer show what’s changing.
Here’s what you can expect:
On the Spokane Street Viaduct in the eastbound direction, the right lane will be converted to a bus only lane from 1st Ave S and will continue to the 4th Ave S exit to the signalized intersection at 4th Ave S. On 4th Ave S, we are adding a short bus-only lane heading northbound approaching Spokane St. These changes will be in place by 11 PM on Saturday, January 5.To accommodate this change, we have modified the island separating the north and southbound lanes on 4th Ave at Spokane St and a third northbound lane was added in December.
Rain is expected to occur after Saturday, January 5, so these lanes will be installed prior to these weather impacts. Completing this work one week early ensures that we avoid delays associated with weather for this installation in order to allow buses to begin using the lane on January 11. So, while we are installing these lanes on Saturday, January 5, there won’t be any buses using this lane until after 8 PM on January 11.
Please note that these are temporary bus lanes and will be restored to general travel lanes open to all vehicles in mid-February when the northbound off-ramp to Dearborn St is opened and King County Metro resumes northbound service on the SR 99 corridor.
And another reminder – the first #Realign99 closures start tonight – the Atlantic and Royal Brougham exits from/to 99 in the stadium zone close permanently at 10 pm tonight, exactly one week before the Alaskan Way Viaduct’s 10 pm January 11th permanent closure.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
What happened to us on the way to today’s Viaduct-closure briefing was a reminder of why you’ll want to know enough about options for getting around that you’d be able to switch routes if you have to.
Leaving at 9:15 am to travel the 8.5 miles from Upper Fauntleroy to City Hall should have been enough time for a pre-Viadoom, post-holiday morning.
Taking the high bridge to the 4th Avenue S. exit is our preferred route, as City Hall is on 4th.
Today – so was a crash with a “rescue extrication” response; one person was taken to the hospital. 4th was blocked just north of the end of the NB exit ramp.
Kind fellow drivers let us switch lanes to the SB exit ramp, and we headed south, diverting to 1st Ave. S. at the first possible opportunity.
But – the story will be different if something like this happens in the tunnel-transition time post-Viaduct closure (10 pm Friday, January 11th). The 4th Avenue offramp will devote one of its two lanes to buses. Temporary transit lanes like that are part of the city’s toolbox for trying to ease the “Seattle Squeeze” that kicks off when the Viaduct is closed for the ~3 weeks of work that’ll be needed to #Realign99.
Today’s briefing was primarily about what the city and other transportation/transit agencies, like Metro, are doing, and most of it is information we’ve already reported, but now that the end (of The Viaduct) is in sight, it’s time to sit up and really pay attention.
So first, here’s the slide deck from the briefing (13 MB PDF). Next, video of the briefing, from our late arrival:
Seattle Channel also recorded the briefing, and you can watch via the SC website here.
Of continued interest are the bus changes. The latest version of the South End Pathways map is in the slide deck linked above. Metro’s Bill Bryant recapped the metamorphosis that’s in store for the routes that currently use the Alaskan Way Viaduct – their temporary routes for the Highway 99 closure (three weeks plus the extra week-or-two to finish the new Dearborn exit ramp from NB 99 into downtown), the transition period over the next up-to-a-year while the Viaduct is being demolished and the new Alaskan Way is being built, and the routes’ permanent changes after that. The transitional time will put 40 to 50 buses an hour on 4th Avenue during peak hours, Bryant noted. And if transit gets overloaded, Metro will have 20 coaches on standby, ready to augment any route. Meantime, as the “pathways” map shows, Metro has two options for outbound (pm commute) routes and will be ready to “quickly shift” between them if needed – that’s part of why those routes will be passing through SODO but NOT STOPPING in that area.
A few miscellaneous points that caught our ear:
-SDOT is now up to six “incident response teams” to try to clear trouble faster
-43,000 people have signed up for the Viaduct farewell visits on February 2nd (go here if you haven’t already)
-The city has 7,000 employees downtown, about a tenth of them driving single-occupancy vehicles, and the city is working to provide incentives (teleworking, flex hours, etc.) to reduce that
-If everything SDOT does to try to manage traffic isn’t enough, SDOT’s Heather Marx said, there’s a “Plan B” with more signal modifications, increased street-parking restrictions, more transit-only lanes, potential operations of some streets as transit only, modified I-5 ramp availability/signal timing, restricted turning, expanded hours for transit priority/restrictions, increased “call to action” messaging and more.
WHAT’S NEXT: Tomorrow (Friday, January 4) at 10 pm, the Highway 99 ramps in the stadium zone (Royal Brougham and Atlantic) close permanently so the #Realign99 work can begin. Exactly one week later, the Viaduct closes permanently (10 pm Friday, January 11). If all goes well, WSDOT hopes it can open the tunnel at the end of the celebration weekend – the night of Sunday, February 3rd. The NB 99 Dearborn ramp – which West Seattleites will use to get into downtown from 99 – won’t be ready for “a week or so” after that.
Transportation managers plan more briefings/availabilities in the week-plus ahead, so keep asking questions, and we’ll seek answers. (Tomorrow morning’s briefing topic: Expanded availability of the temporary free downtown waterfront shuttle.)
With nine days left until the Alaskan Way Viaduct closes forever for the tunnel transition, the countdown is revving up. We’re just back from a media briefing in SODO at one of the two 99 ramps that will close this Friday – a week before the Viaduct itself – for transition work to begin. What’s new: WSDOT has released videos that try to more clearly answer the persistent questions about how getting into and out of downtown will work after the transition. Two of the clips are particularly relevant to West Seattle – first, how you’ll get into downtown from NB 99:
Second, here’s how you’ll get to SB 99 to get out of downtown:
(The other two new videos are linked here.) For months, WSDOT has been warning that the new Dearborn ramp into downtown from NB 99 won’t be ready for another two weeks or so after the tunnel opens. But when we previewed the video about getting into downtown, we noticed it says the ramp should open after “a week or so.” We asked project deputy administrator Dave Sowers about that at today’s briefing.
He acknowledged that finishing the new ramp could take as little as five extra days of work post-tunnel opening. We recorded the entire 15-minute briefing on video and will add it here when it’s uploaded. (Added 1:55 pm – here it is:)
Other highlights: Sowers said WSDOT is ready to go for the tunnel transition work. If all goes well, the tunnel could open right after the weekend of “goodbye/hello” celebrations February 2-3, Sowers said, possibly that Sunday evening. … The Atlantic and Royal Brougham ramp closures that take effect this Friday night (10 pm January 4th) will mostly affect those who live and work in SODO – 23,000 vehicles a day use the ramps. “There’s a fair amount of work we need to get ahead,” Sowers said, starting with removal of the geofoam that’s under the soon-to-be-closed ramps, revealing more of the permanent northbound tunnel onramp.
SIDE NOTE: Today’s briefing was WSDOT only, and focused on the tunnel transition work itself, not getting around during it. We will be covering a city-led briefing about the latter tomorrow, so if you still have questions about that, let us know and we’ll do our best to get them answered!
Time for the countdown to rev up. The first closures as part of #Realign99 – the work that’s necessary for the Highway 99 viaduct-to-tunnel transition – are now less than 1 week away:
10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 4: Stadium ramps close
Northbound SR 99 on-ramp at South Royal Brougham Way closes (near stadiums; connection to I-90 and I-5).
Southbound SR 99 off-ramp at South Atlantic Street closes (near stadiums; connection to I-90 and I-5).
That’s exactly one week before the Alaskan Way Viaduct is permanently closed at 10 pm Friday, January 11th. The full timeline is here.
ORIGINAL WEDNESDAY REPORT: With the Alaskan Way Viaduct closure (10 pm January 11th) nearing, it’s time to get down to even more details of changes both temporary and permanent. Tonight: Harbor Avenue parking for riders planning to use the West Seattle Water Taxi‘s doubled service. First, new signage noticed by Carolyn, who sent the photo:
SDOT tells WSB that the newly designated “carshare vehicles only” spaces are for Car2Go/ReachNow/LimePod (more on that new service tomorrow) vehicles, and that this is a permanent change.
As for temporary changes: Briefings have mentioned for months that there would be restrictions along the water side of Harbor Avenue near Seacrest, to facilitate more Water Taxi park-and-ride use. So we also asked SDOT’s Dawn Schellenberg about the newest details for those spaces. The current plan, she replied, is “to temporarily restrict on-street parking between 2 and 5 AM along Harbor Ave SW from Fairmount Ave SW to SW Spokane St. Current expectations are restrictions will last from January 11, 2019 until about mid-February, when the northbound off-ramp to Dearborn opens.”
As previously announced, an extra parking lot is also opening – as it did during the 2016 Viaduct closure – Pier 2 (entrance at Harbor/Florida, across from the Harbor Avenue 7-11), with a free shuttle to and from Seacrest, where the Water Taxi’s special two-boat, weekday-only schedule (except for the celebration weekend February 2-3) will continue all the way until seven-day spring/summer service begins in late March.
THURSDAY 6:38 PM: SDOT’s Schellenberg said late today that the information she gave us on Wednesday was inaccurate – the stretch of Harbor that will be restricted is actually from Maryland to Fairmount (map).
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