West Seattle, Washington
17 Friday
Delridge Arco has dropped a couple more cents, to $2.93/regular; however, both of the Fauntleroy/Alaska stations have popped back up over three bucks, while remaining below the statewide average.
Or at least you would have to assume that’s why yet another station — 35th/Avalon 7-11, in this case — just swapped out its manual priceboard for something electronic:
… to this: “Thou shalt not blaze through a four-way stop without giving all due respect to everyone else at/in the intersection.”
6-8 pm @ Southwest Library – all are welcome at the next meeting of SWS, which describes itself as “a newly-formed group of West Seattle citizens who want to make a difference locally, working within our neighborhood to become more self-reliant while using fewer natural resources.”
First – flagging on Alki today, because of some utility work across from Duke’s:
Second – checked out the Morgan/Sylvan shutdown; on the west, as our photo shows, it’s closed just a block east of 35th; on the other side, it’s not closed till the cemetery.
Third – posters are popping up all around WS to heighten the alert about the I-5 Project From Hell coming up in August. We even got a ping from a WSDOT person recently asking if we’d discussed it here; they promise all sorts of online resources to help people cope, but note that it’s going to hit us pretty hard since it’ll be happening right where we all pour out onto I-5.
Delridge Arco is back in the low-price lead (photo below), with a bonus mystery price:
Don’t forget — as of tomorrow morning, a major east-west West Seattle route is scheduled to close, and stay closed, for three months. All along 35th (and elsewhere), the signs were in place and waiting as of late today (albeit facing backward, till morning):
The route, if you’re not already aware, is Morgan/Sylvan between 35th and Delridge. The designated detour/alternative is Holden. If you find yourself needing to call someone with questions, there’s a “construction information hotline” in this city news release about the project.
Remember, it’s closed till about 11 this morning for RFTC. We’re off to be part of it.
Vintage Seattle today is featuring a century-old ad touting the joys of moving to WS — even “graded streets,” brags the ad! (Ah, if the ad-writer could see what’s happening with some of those streets now. FIVE YEARS?????)
Just drove through Fauntleroy/Alaska and spotted both stations suddenly down below $3 for regular — $2.99 at 76, $2.98 at Shell (that’s more than a dime since our last driveby a few hours earlier). Will check the previous low-price leader, Admiral/Cali Chev, in a bit (sightings, anyone?).
OK, so it’s $2.99 diesel at Admiral/Cali Chevron, but that’s still below three bucks. And regular isn’t far behind — now down to $3.05 (left photo). At least two other WS stations are down to $3.09 for regular — Cali/Andover Exxon and Delridge Arco, where (right photo) the guy with the thankless job of fixing 12 sets of numbers with every price change was busy again, just moments ago. How low will it all go? Maybe not much lower, if you believe the national reports. But on the other hand, it’s worth noting that suddenly West Seattle gas prices are significantly below the Seattle average.
This just in from the Seattle Department of Transportation:
Work on California between SW Genesee and SW Spokane Street has been completed except pavement striping, to be done within the next three weeks.
Final paving of California Avenue SW between Spokane Street and SW Admiral Way is tentatively scheduled for the last week of June.
The contractor plans to begin work on SW Admiral Way between 41st Ave SW and SW Olga Street the first week of July.
The entire project is scheduled for completion in mid-August. Normal work hours for the contractor on California Avenue SW are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
During the peak periods (6-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m.) at least one lane of traffic in each direction on California Avenue SW will remain open. At other times, traffic on California may be restricted to one lane with the use of flaggers. Turns to and from side streets to California Avenue SW may be restricted. Detours may be necessary at times. On-street parking is not allowed in the construction area.
The Times reminds us that today is the 29th anniversary of the notorious incident (detailed nicely at HistoryLink.org) that paved the way for the high bridge: the day Rolf Neslund (whose subsequent murder is featured in a book by Ann Rule) crashed a freighter into the bridge’s predecessor. That finally closed years of squabbling over whether to build a better bridge; the current high bridge opened in 1984. So next time you’re stuck in morning bridge traffic (recent photo below) … remember, it might be worse if not for Rolf …
One week before Sylvan/Morgan closes to through-traffic between 35th and Delridge for three months of construction-related utility/road work, there’s an “open house” tonight where you can find out the latest on detours, local access, and also more on what’s up with the ongoing High Point-area development: 4:30-6 tonight, High Point Library.
As noted in a comment on our last WSGPW post, Admiral/Cali Chev has plunged further, now down to $3.09/regular. And Delridge (by Home Depot) Arco is no longer the second-lowest; it’s still $3.15, but Exxon at Cali/Andover is down to $3.11, and Charlestown/Cali 7-11 has posted $3.12. Note the key word “posted.” A WSB reader e-mailed to say he filled up with one of the higher grades at that 7-11 tonight before noticing the pump price was higher than the sign price. Prices have been changing so fast – check before you pump.
Many of us on the south end of West Seattle use the South Park Bridge from time to time. So we wanted to mention that it will be closed all day tomorrow — 7 am to 7 pm — for what the county describes as “electrical repairs to the draw span.”
That’s what they used to call it when we were much, much younger – gas stations in something of a price-cutting competition. Right now the WS deathmatch seems to be between Admiral/Cali Chevron and Delridge Arco. But at least as of minutes ago, Delridge hasn’t dropped all the way down to match Admiral/Cali’s $3.13 — Arco’s two cents above that. Meantime, here’s a bigger price photo than usual, just ’cause we like the composition.
In our spot checks within the past 12 hours, Delridge Arco (left) is now matching Admiral/Cali Chevron at $3.17, the lowest posted WS price for regular that we’ve seen. Several others are close – Charlestown/Cali 7-11 is down to $3.18, and the Fauntleroy/Alaska stations were below $3.20 when last we looked.
You are, if you expect the ravaged roadway of Sylvan/Orchard (east of High Point and home to the sign at left) to be all good as new once the upcoming closure is through. Nope, just a short stretch, reiterates the project spokesperson in today’s Herald.
New paving alert just out from the city for tomorrow and Friday, 9 am-4 pm each day, in the vicinity of West Marginal/Chelan.
At least two WS gas stations are down below $3.20 this morning: Admiral/Cali Chevron (left) at $3.17/regular, and Delridge Arco, which had a worker out changing the signs (all four of them; tough job to have to switch numbers on up to twelve displays every time there’s a price change!) to $3.19/regular as of about half an hour ago.
There is a problem with people making illegal U-turns on Harbor Island near the “low bridge,” according to the P-I traffic troubleshooting column. (We had trouble placing the location so here’s a better map.) If this is something you do regularly, you’ll want to know that the city says, in the P-I column, it’ll be changing the curbing again soon to try to stop the U-turners.
… so fast, we can barely keep up. Now the lowest posted price we’re seeing (but not by much) is Fauntleroy/Alaska Shell, $3.24/gallon.
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