ORIGINAL WEDNESDAY REPORT: Twice a year, Metro has a major “service change” that usually affects dozens of routes. The next one has been announced for August 29, and while the announcement was headlined, “King County Metro announces major service expansion across King County,” West Seattle is going largely without additions/changes this time, with one exception: Route 987 to Haller Lake, paid for by Lakeside School, will now be going to Westwood Village instead of 12th/Cloverdale in South Park. Metro tells us that while the school funds this route, the public can ride it.

We also asked Metro spokesperson Jeff Switzer about a projected date for returning bus service to SW Barton by Roxhill Park/WWV, since the repaving project is mostly done, and the buses’ reroute was done in connection with the previous service change last spring. He replied:

Routes are still rerouted off of SW Barton Street, and we do not yet have an official return date for Metro service to SW Barton Street, but are working closely with our partners at SDOT. We are not planning for a return to SW Barton at the fall 2026 service change.

If you’re interested in the routes elsewhere that are changing as of August 29, you can find route-by-route info here.

ADDED THURSDAY AFTERNOON: We’ll publish a detailed story about this later, but SDOT now says that though the construction is over, the buses won’t move back until Metro’s March 2027 service change.

Ian and Nora from SDOT are at the KeyBank corner right now with information about Admiral’s planned Lander Pedestrian Street project. This is for the stretch of Lander between Good Society and Lafayette Elementary. The project is still in the very early stage – not even in the official design stage yet – but SDOT is trying to get word out about it, and this is part of the second phase of public events (here’s the flyer). Next one is Wednesday, August 12, 4:30 to 6:30 at the future project site – a “community design charrette.” We asked the SDOT team if the Good Society’s longtime “streatery” is staying, and they said yes. There’s general info about projects like this on this page of the SDOT website. P.S. If you don’t find them at the corner, they might be moving into a booth at the Farmers’ Market, they told us a short time ago.

(SDOT camera screenshot during Wednesday night closure)

ORIGINAL REPORT, 3:53 PM: After two breakdowns in two days, SDOT says they know what went wrong with the West Seattle “low bridge” (aka the Spokane Street Swing Bridge) and are making plans to fix it. We inquired yesterday about the Wednesday evening trouble, and added on an inquiry about last night before receiving this response from SDOT covering both:

This week, there have been two unexpected closures of the West Seattle Low Bridge (also known as the Spokane St Swing Bridge) due to mechanical issues with the vehicle gate on the western side of the bridge. The gates did not respond to remote commands from the control tower.

We have plans to replace these gates and are working to schedule the installation. This work will likely require the bridge to be closed to motor vehicles and will take place during the weekend. We will announce the dates of construction once they are determined.

The low bridge has gone through a variety of maintenance and repair work in recent years, most recently during a May closure.

UPDATE, 5:51 PM: Just heard via police radio that it’s down for a THIRD straight night, though bicycles and pedestrians are being let through, vehicle gatesare down.

9:59 PM: According to @sdottraffic, it was back in operation as of shortly after 7 pm.

Three weeks after we first told you that SDOT is again studying the possibility of paid street parking in The Junction, here’s a reminder that their community surveys close tomorrow. If you haven’t responded already, you can go to the appropriate link to do that now:

There are three versions of the survey – for Junction businesses here, for West Seattle residents here, and for “visitors” here.

This is the first time in almost nine yearsthat SDOT has revisited the situation. Here’s how they’re evaluating it this time. Survey responses and other feedback, plus data about parking in The Junction and Triangle (the SDOT-provided map above shows the areas of focus), will result in what SDOT describes as “draft recommendations” that it’ll present sometime this fall. SIDE NOTE: Given that some local businesses famously fought paid street parking decades ago, we asked the West Seattle Junction Association whether its board has taken a position on this; short answer, no.

Sound Transit‘s proposed service plan for next year and beyond would drop ST Express Route 560 service to West Seattle, which among other things has been a way for people to get to the airport without transferring. The proposed change is mentioned in the Morgan Community Association‘s newest newsletter, and explained as follows on the ST website:

Route 560 would no longer serve stops in West Seattle, ending at Burien Transit Center. In turn, frequency between Burien and Bellevue would increase as follows:

Weekdays: Every 20 min (daytime), every 30 min (evenings)
Weekends: Every 30 min all day (double current service)
For trips between Westwood Village and Burien, King County Metro’s RapidRide H Line serves all current Route 560 stops in this segment. The H Line runs every 7-15 minutes on weekdays and every 15 minutes on weekends.

Burien Transit Center will also be the future western end of the Stride S1 Line, which will replace Route 560 as early as 2028.

Passengers looking to go from West Seattle to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport can take the H Line to connect to Route 560. Passengers can also take King County Metro Route 60 to connect to the 1 Line.

ST is running a survey about this and other proposed service changes; you can go here to participate. Route 560 service to/from West Seattle is already less than it used to be; it used to run to The Junction from Westwood Village, but cut that section in 2013 while increasing frequency of its runs to/from Westwood Village. If the plan to drop West Seattle remains in the ST service-plan proposal, the ST Board would vote on it in November.

For the first time in almost a decade, SDOT is taking another look at potentially charging for street parking in the West Seattle Junction. The department announced here that it’s been studying Junction parking again, with possible outcomes including paid street parking. It’s also opened online surveys asking what you think about Junction (and Triangle) parking. Here are excerpts from SDOT’s explanation:

SDOT last studied parking in the Junction in 2017.  Since then, the neighborhood has grown, including new housing, new businesses, more outdoor dining, increased food delivery activity, and changing travel habits.

Recent parking study data shows that on-street parking is often hard to find or completely full, especially along California Ave SW and nearby streets.

We’ve also visited the Junction multiple times to talk with people about how they get around.

We heard that while many people drive to the Junction, most people arrive by walking, biking, or taking transit. People shared mixed opinions about how easy it is to find available parking.

We are now asking people who visit, work, and live near the West Seattle Junction to share their feedback so we can better understand parking and loading needs.

Please take our survey by July 27.

We will use what we hear from the community, along with parking data, to develop possible recommendations.

In the fall, we will share draft recommendations with the community for additional feedback to inform a final plan.

…Potential changes could include:

*New time limits or paid parking to make sure customers can reliably find a parking spot
*Accessible parking spaces for people with disabilities
*Load zones for goods deliveries, food delivery services, and rideshare pick-up and drop-off
*Intersection daylighting to improve safety and visibility at crosswalks

… Our goal is to make it easier to find parking by encouraging parking turnover. This helps more people access shops, restaurants, and services. We also want to address loading needs for businesses’ deliveries and quick stops.

See the SDOT map above for the project zone; the project website describes it as “California Ave SW from SW Edmunds St to SW Dakota St, SW Alaska St from Fauntleroy Way to Glenn Way SW, and surrounding streets. The project area also includes the West Seattle Triangle Area, including Fauntleroy Way SW from SW Edmunds St to SW Alaska St.” There are actually three versions of the survey – for Junction businesses here, for West Seattle residents here, and for “visitors” here. As noted on the project page, SDOT also will have reps available for Q&A at upcoming events including West Seattle Art Walk, Summer Fest, and the farmers’ markets.

BACKSTORY: Here’s our report on how the 2017 parking study turned out; here’s our report on how the one before that, in 2008, turned out. The Junction used to have privately owned lots with free-parking but that ended five years ago.

(Added Wednesday: WSF recording of meeting)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

If you’re interested in Washington State Ferries, you have another chance to join one of its systemwide online community meetings – tonight at 6 pm. We watched the first version of the meeting this afternoon – here’s how it unfolded:

WHO WAS THERE: Above is the slide identifying the system executives participated. As for those in attendance, 60 people were reported to have signed in as the meeting began. They were polled about their routes of interest; Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth came in at 19 percent.

UPDATES: Ferries boss Steve Nevey was first up. He started with the system’s 75th anniversary on June 1 – that date in 1951 is when, he said, “the state decided to take over the service.”

WSF has a variety of anniversary events planned including special flags to fly on the ferries and even one atop the Space Needle. Free small bags of popcorn and cups of coffee will be offered (with purchases) in the galleys on Monday, and various giveaways are planned throughout the month.

Next, he updated employment stats – deck and engine staffing are among the categories improving, Nevey said:

The percentage of “retirement risk” in key crew categories is down, too – among captains, from 53 percent to 40 percent; among chief engineers, from 34 percent to 20 percent. “We’re really encouraged by the way we’re trending in these areas. … I feel like we’re really getting our arms around our workforce issues.” Cancelled sailings because of short staffing are “way down,” he emphasized.

Next up, Jenna Forty on the updated Service Contingency Plan (read it here):

“With 21 vessels … we really don’t have a margin of error.” She didn’t get into specifics of the plan, just noting that it’s meant to help ensure riders know what to expect. She also had several notes from the Legislature’s session, including securing $2 million for a “rapid response” maintenance/repair team to get ferries fixed faster.

On to the World Cup plan, addressed by Forrest Nichols:

The summer schedule calls for 18 boats, so having 20 ready means they’ll have two on standby to quickly plug in, in case of unexpected trouble, Nichols said.

Next, David Sowers updated the system-electrification program, both terminals and vessels, stressing the need to push forward with what’s ultimately a system-modernization plan:

As for the new ferries being built in Florida, the next year will be spent finishing the design for the first vessel, and steel cutting will start in August 2027, with “that first boat arriving in Puget Sound in 2030.” WSF has issued a Request for Qualifications for its first terminal electrification projects, using the design-build process, and hopes to have one slip electrified as soon as 2029.

TERMINAL PROJECTS: Nicole McIntosh presented these updates. They included projects that were under way or recently completed. Only one Fauntleroy mention, and it was brief – she said the intersection project, where the dock meets Fauntleroy Way, is now advertising for bids and still expected to start work this fall.

OTHER UPDATES: The system’s second-in-command, John Vezina, recapped the recently finalized pet policy.

He also said – without accompanying slides – that WSF had made a wrong choice of vendors for a ticketing-system update, and spent a lot of money in the process; how much, he said, they’ll be disclosing (“it’s all public record,” he said more than once), but in the meantime, they’ll be seeking a new partner. “We stopped, we’re reassessing.” (This appears to be a reference to the situation detailed in reports including this one.)

He switched gears to the state of trying to get wi-fi on boats and at terminals. They’re testing it “with T-Mobile and another partner” on M/V Chimacum for starters and will soon have a test at the Bremerton terminal too; others will follow, after an evaluation period at year’s end.

Q&A: This was the second half of the meeting, starting at 12:39 pm. (We’ve noted the Triangle Route-related questions in bold type.) First question: “Could ferry system be split into two parts, the San Juans and (everywhere else)?” Forty replied: “In short, no.”

Second question had to do with the reservation system, which doesn’t involve this area … Third question, how long will M/V Puyallup be on Bremerton route? Answer, it’s filling in while M/V Kaleetan is out for work that may not be complete until fall, but it will likely move back to Edmonds-Kingston in late June … Fourth question involved how they’re planning to ensure charging systems for vessels will work with their vessels; answer was technical … Fifth question, how will service be disrupted during Fauntleroy terminal construction? McIntosh said they’re working on that, nothing to say yet … Sixth question, canceled sailings info has disappeared from weekly updates, when will it return? They’re working on a data issue, was the reply … Sixth question comes up every time – when will the route to Sidney B.C. be restored? Nevey said the answer remains 2030 … Seventh question, classification of new vessels – SOLAS-compatible? Not likely, was the reply; WSF has only one that is, M/V Chelan … Eighth question had to do about budgeting and money that has to be spent on the electrification program and cannot be diverted elsewhere; Forty noted that the Legislature sets a lot of parameters for what WSF gets/can spend … Ninth question, what will the Triangle Route run for the World Cup time? They expect to keep three Issaquah-class ferries on the route through July … Tenth question was about electrification on a north route …

Eleventh question was about battery-fire concerns aboard an electrified boat; a regulatory process oversees everything, was the reply, and they have sensors and systems that would address that – the technology is “well established” around the world so standards for construction and installation of batteries have been refined. They don’t believe a fire “would go beyond the individual cell” as a result … Twelfth question was about a Bainbridge roundabout … Thirteenth was about fares, with a reiteration that the state Transportation Commission makes those decisions … Fourteenth was about World Cup service; WSF believes the plan outlined earlier in the meeting allows “more resources” to reduce or eliminate service disruptions … Fifteenth question had to do with verifying people’s eligibility for certain fare levels and the fact some discounted levels are not available via kiosks … Sixteenth was a Lopez Island reservations question … Seventeenth also involved the San Juan Islands … Eighteenth question, why can’t residents be prioritized for service/fares? Vezina said the Legislature sets the revenue levels that WSF must bring in – right now customers pay what amounts to 55 percent of the costs, and the other 45 percent comes from taxpayers, so fares and service have to be equal for everyone … Nineteenth question, what about integrating Good to Go with WSF? Forty said they’re looking at it, and also at possible integration with ORCA … Twentieth question, signage/announcements on the boats regarding civility “We Sail Together”; Vezina said it’s important because employees have been targeted by abusive language. Yes, it’s frustrating when something isn’t working well, but there’s no reason to do that to employees. “Showing gratitude to the people who show up each day to get you where you need to go” is appreciated, he added.

Twenty-first question was about San Juans service … Twenty-second question had to do with legally required loading procedures … and the meeting wrapped at 1:15 pm. You can get the link for the 6 pm meeting here; that same page will eventually have video from the meetings.

Two Washington State Ferries notes:

TICKETING TROUBLE: According to the WSF alerts/bulletins page, “Vehicle reservations, Wave2Go ticketing and terminal ticket sales and redemptions are offline due to a systemwide outage. … Please allow extra time for payment processing at your departure point.” No ETA for a fix. (6:45 PM: Working now, as of early evening, reports WSF.)

ONLINE MEETINGS TOMORROW: Two chances for updates and Q&A with WSF senior management tomorrow (Tuesday, May 26) during the periodic systemwide community meetings – both to be held online, noon and 6 pm. You can go here to get the link for participation in either meeting (or both, though they say the presentations will be identical).

Two “People Streets/Public Spaces“ projects are planned in West Seattle – same ones mentioned here briefly after SDOT released a list of levy-funded 2026 projects – and drop-in informational events are planned at both in the next several days:

At 18th/Delridge, 9:30 am-11:30 am tomorrow (Saturday, May 16):

(Neighbors first mentioned this in a comment discussion after the recent shooting at an encampment on the city-owned land in the vicinity.)

The second one is 2:30-5:30 pm Tuesday (May 19) at The Good Society (California/Lander):

The stretch of Lander alongside Lafayette Elementary has history as a “school street,” which is what the flyer is alluding to by noting “past efforts.”

When WSDOT announced Monday that it would close the northbound 1st Avenue South Bridge all weekend again, starting this Friday night, though one area bridge – the West Seattle low bridge – already had an all-weekend closure planned, we asked SDOT if the latter was still on. We had already asked what time the low-bridge closure would start, as the original announcement was just “May 16-17.” Here’s the statement we got this afternoon with answers to both questions:

The Spokane St Swing Bridge (also know as the West Seattle Low Bridge) will be closed to all vehicles starting at 7 a.m. Saturday, May 16 and reopen by the morning of Monday, May 18. People on bicycles and walking will still be able to use the bridge, although there may be more bridge openings than usual due to the maintenance work.

We have been working closely with WSDOT to coordinate around their planned construction on the First Ave S Bridge. The work on Spokane St Swing Bridge will continue as planned because it is not a detour route for the First Ave S Bridge and the West Seattle High-Rise Bridge has enough capacity to carry the increased traffic volumes of people affected by both closures.

SDOT says it’s closing the low bridge to drivers so it can “replace the tail lock cylinder, motor, and hydraulic pump.”

(Google Maps image, looking north on 63rd from Admiral)

With all the traffic-calming features installed in the Alki area so far, including speed bumps across 60th, 61st, and 62nd, residents have asked why not 63rd too, given its use as a straightaway south of Alki Avenue. We asked SDOT again recently and got an answer today: It will get some too, though not any time soon. That answer came in connection with a package of other traffic calming, according to our response from SDOT spokesperson Ethan Bergerson:

We’ve been focused on traffic calming in the Alki neighborhood and recently installed speed cushions on 60th Ave SW, 61st Ave SW, and 62nd Ave SW to help reduce speeding on nearby north-south streets.

We’re planning to extend similar treatments to 63rd Ave SW between SW Admiral Way and Alki Ave SW, with installation anticipated as early as next year.

Separately, additional traffic calming improvements are under consideration along Alki Ave SW between 58th Ave SW and 63rd Ave SW through the District Project Fund. These could include speed cushions, raised centerlines to encourage slower turns, and intersection visibility upgrades. These proposals are not yet finalized and will ultimately be decided by the City Council.

We also asked about the status of the flashing beacons at 63rd/Beach Drive, where the poles have been up, waiting the lights, for months now, and Bergerson says it could be months more: “We are still awaiting equipment and will move forward with installation once materials arrive, which we expect in the coming months.”

SIDE NOTE: District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka and his staff released a sheaf of updates on other transportation projects this afternoon; we’ll have a report on those later toight.