(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

6:56 AM: Good morning and welcome to spring 2017.

No incidents outbound from West Seattle right now, but if your commute takes you southbound TOWARD West Seattle, there’s a lane-blocking crash on Southbound I-5 just before (north of) the West Seattle Bridge.

7:26 AM: The SB I-5 crash is reported to have cleared.

9:49 AM: If you’re out at a bus stop on Delridge 11 am-1 pm, you might see the second wave of SDOT outreach on the conversion of Route 120 to RapidRide H Line in 2020. (Let us know if you do!)

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

7:42 AM: SDOT reports a stall on the Delridge onramp to the eastbound West Seattle Bridge.

WEEKEND NOTE: The Sounders FC home opener is 4 pm Sunday at The CLink (if you’re going, consider the special matchday shuttle offered by The Westy [WSB sponsor]).

HARBOR/SPOKANE/AVALON PROJECT FEEDBACK: If you missed this story on WSB Thursday – planning is officially under way for this Neighborhood Street Fund project, and SDOT is asking for feedback on the “early concept.”

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

6:57 AM: Will this morning’s commute be any better than the past two days? The next few hours will tell. No current incidents in, or on the major routes from, West Seattle. No view of the high bridge right now, though, as neither of SDOT’s cameras are working.

FAUNTLEROY BOULEVARD WALKING TOUR: If you’re on the peninsula at midday today and interested in the Fauntleroy Boulevard project, the first of two walking tours is set for noon-1:30 pm today, starting outside LA Fitness at 39th/Alaska/Fauntleroy.

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

6:48 AM: Welcome to another rainy morning. No incidents currently reported in/from West Seattle, but watch for the usual extra-water spots, because some particularly intense rain cells were part of what moved through in the past few hours.

ADVANCE ALERT: If you drive I-5 north of downtown in the very early morning, here’s an alert from City Light about intermittent stops/slowdowns while they do power-line work next week.

6:56 AM: Just in from SDOT, trouble on the eastbound bridge: “Collision on West Seattle Bridge EB partially blocking the right lane. Use caution, expect delays.” It’s currently on the top-left camera.

7:04 AM: Good news – that was cleared quickly.

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

6:49 AM: The rain has returned for your Monday morning.

No traffic incidents in/from West Seattle reported so far.

Transit reminder – it’s the first weekday since Metro’s service change on Saturday. Here’s our story on what was to take effect for this area.

8:20 AM: Speaking of buses, Sound Transit express routes including the 560 are all running late, per ST.

8:44 AM: Note for ferry riders/neighbors – the citizens committee working on “quick wins” for improving the Triangle Route (Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth) has its second-to-last scheduled meeting at 4:30 pm today at Fauntleroy Church. All welcome; agenda’s here.

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

6:21 AM: Still windy but nothing like a few hours ago. The National Weather Service says it’ll calm down by mid-morning.

As for the traffic, no incidents reported in/from West Seattle so far.

Weekend alerts: Eastbound I-90 lane closures this weekend … St. Patrick’s Day Parade (Saturday) and St. Patrick’s Day Dash (Sunday) downtown this weekend … Daylight Saving Time arrives at 2 am Sunday, when we’ll “spring forward” an hour.

8:48 AM: A three-unit medical response is headed to California/Hanford. We’re on the way to find out what happened.

9:06 AM: Police and fire all cleared the scene before our crew arrived, so obviously not major; we’re still trying to find out what the original call was, just for the record.

9:23 AM: Turns out it was a pedestrian hit by a driver, but no serious injuries. Separate story to come.

(ARBOR HEIGHTS HOUSE FIRE COVERAGE: Continuing here)

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

7:45 AM: We’re continuing to cover the aftermath of this morning’s Arbor Heights fire, which is continuing to affect transportation on SW 100th, including Metro Routes 21 and 22, because of lines run to hydrants on 100th. Meantime, here are some advance alerts of importance, for today and beyond:

ADVANCE ALERTS: Rallies/marches are planned downtown at midday today and this evening, as well as Friday afternoon/evening. See the SDOT weekly alert for full details. … Also, remember that Metro’s next service change starts Saturday; here’s our preview of West Seattle changes.

7:53 AM: Metro has just sent an alert saying Routes 21 and 22 are back to normal in Arbor Heights.

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page; SDOT’s West Seattle Bridge cameras are down as of 7 am so we don’t have them so far this morning)

7:02 AM: Good morning! No incidents in/from West Seattle so far this morning. Roads are damp and temperatures are in the 40s.

7:12 AM: Looking ahead to next weekend, two notes: WSDOT is planning on another one of those major lane closures on eastbound I-90 just east of I-5, with details here; and Daylight Saving Time starts at 2 am Sunday (this is the time to “spring forward” one hour).

ADDED: Just for the record – Kevin tweeted this during the morning commute:

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

7:42 AM: The trouble this morning has all been outside the city so far. But as we write this, a Seattle Fire medical-aid response is headed for 28th SW/SW Roxbury, so be careful through that area.

7:57 AM: Trouble on I-5 northbound downtown – a big “heavy rescue” response at Mercer. WSDOT says it’s in the left lanes. Per scanner, it’s a car on its side.

8:05 AM: Now another West Seattle incident – crash at 16th SW/SW Myrtle.

8:31 AM The NB I-5 incident is reported to be blocking all but one lane.

9:04 AM: More lanes have opened, and SFD has just cleared the crash scene. But the I-5 NB backup has stretched south of the West Seattle Bridge.

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

7:06 AM: Good morning and happy Friday! No incidents in or from West Seattle so far this morning.

VIADUCT WEEKEND REMINDER: Remember that the Alaskan Way Viaduct is scheduled for inspection closure 6 am-6 pm Saturday and Sunday, with additional closures on 99 north of The Viaduct on Sunday morning and early afternoon because of the Hot Chocolate 15K and a Battery Street Tunnel walk. If the Viaduct closure ends early (as it does sometimes during inspection closures), we’ll have the update here on WSB.

WEATHER REMINDER: A Special Weather Statement is still in effect, warning that cold, showery conditions could drop some snow in the metro area almost any time, anywhere, Saturday-Monday.

7:38 AM: If you are headed back this way – there’s an incident on southbound 99 at the exit to the westbound West Seattle Bridge. Thanks for the tip; SDOT is on this, too:

7:44 AM: And if you’re coming in from the south, headed northbound, we just heard an SPD dispatch for trouble on the East Marginal Way section of NB 99 (that’s south of the WS Bridge).

8:05 AM NB 99 has a crash partly blocking the transit lane at Lander.

8:33 AM: SDOT says that’s cleared.

8:42 AM: By the way, here’s the SDOT roundup for the weekend – besides the Viaduct closure, some big events elsewhere in the city.

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

6:52 AM: Good morning! No incidents reported in our area, or on the major outbound routes, so far this morning.

VIADUCT CLOSURE REMINDER: Saturday 6 am-6 pm, Sunday 6 am-6 pm. The second day also has event closures scheduled in and north of the Battery Street Tunnel. Full details here.

9:10 AM: Late-commute trouble in two spots – a left-center-lane stall on northbound I-5 near Seneca, and a jackknifed semi that will be closing 15th/Spokane on Beacon Hill, not far from the east end of the West Seattle Bridge – police are figuring out how to deal with a semitruck full of hay.

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

7:02 AM: Welcome to March! And warmer weather – 10 degrees above freezing right now. No incidents to report so far, in/from West Seattle.

REMINDER: The Alaskan Way Viaduct is scheduled for closures 6 am-6 pm Saturday and Sunday for its annual inspection. Full details here, including concurrently scheduled closures on 99 north of the Battery Street Tunnel.

7:37 AM: Stuck-truck trouble in Fauntleroy, at 45th/Director – thanks for the tip/photo:

Our tipster says the truck was trying to head east on SW Director toward the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse.

8:23 AM: If you use lower Spokane Street east of West Seattle, note that SFD is sending a midsize response to Colorado and Spokane, which is west of 1st Avenue. No details on the call, just a heads-up.

(WSDOT traffic cam closest to the truck wreck – refresh page for newest view)

10:50 AM: We’ve been covering this in morning-traffic watch, but it’s a bigger problem now and so we’re breaking it out here: I-5 is CLOSED in both directions north of the West Seattle Bridge because of a tanker-truck crash in the collector-distributor lanes near I-90. The truck went on its side, trapping its driver for a while; he is out now and does not have major injuries, but the truck is reported to have some kind of a leak, and that’s why the shutdown is happening. So avoid I-5 TFN, whether you’re headed southbound or northbound. This is backing up the eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct, too.

(SDOT traffic cam looking east over east end of WS Bridge – refresh page for newest view)
Updates to come.

11:06 AM: This is also affecting I-90, both the eastbound access and westbound exiting in the stadium zones, so if you’re headed here from the eastside, be aware of that too. WSDOT says the tanker truck is full of butane.

11:25 AM: The photo above is from the Washington State Patrol. Per scanner, whether there’s a leak or not is now in question, but they do need to offload the cargo before the truck can be righted, and SFD says that could take a few hours. Also note, apparently I-5 northbound traffic from south of here is being diverted onto the West Seattle Bridge, so you could see some confused people trying to figure out how to get to where they’re going.

11:41 AM: Handy summary from WSDOT:

12:17 PM: No major change in this situation so far – both directions of I-5 are still closed. But there’s a new problem we’re covering separately – a mechanical problem on the dock has Washington State Ferries out of service to and from Fauntleroy TFN.

12:45 PM: Good news – the Fauntleroy terminal is back in service. Still no estimate on how much longer the I-5 closure will last.

12:53 PM: Add to the closures because of the tanker crash – “Northbound Airport Way S now closed at S Lander St. due to the incident on I-5,” per SDOT. The offloading truck, meantime, is reported to be on its way.

1:09 PM: New update from WSDOT:

2:06 PM: Per scanner, they’re getting close to starting the offloading of the tanker that went onto its side. Once that happens, we’ll launch a separate afternoon update.

2:45 PM: And the transfer has begun; so has our afternoon report, here.

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

6:30 AM: Good morning! It’s been busy already. First, as reported here, 2,000+ homes/businesses from Puget Ridge to White Center lost power for at least an hour starting around 4:30. Right now, the last remaining pocket is in the Greenbridge area of WC, southwest of 8th/Roxbury. Weather also is a factor this morning – some of the higher areas have seen snow/sleet/mix showers, though nothing major is expected.

Reminders: Seattle Public Schools are back in session today after the weeklong mid-winter break … The Alaskan Way Viaduct has inspection closures next weekend (March 4-5).

Otherwise – no incidents reported currently, in or from West Seattle.

6:47 AM: We went out to make sure the 8th/Roxbury light is working (it IS) and encountered a serious snow shower.

In Greenbridge, some’s on the road and sidewalks. Be extra-careful!

7:11 AM: We’ve just been through Arbor Heights and Sunrise Heights. Bit of snow on the ground in spots but roads are just damp.

7:19 AM Some traffic disruption on 35th at Graham – tower crane is arriving at Upton Flats. More on that later.

7:33 AM Now in South Admiral. Slush on sidewalks, some on streets.

8 AM: Alki sea level – nothing. But as commenters point out, suburbs have been hit too. So allow yourself extra time if you have yet to head out.

8:30 AM: Another shower is moving through – slushy rain back at HQ, where we’re about 300 feet up, east of Lincoln Park. No snow on the ground here. The National Weather Service promises this won’t be an all-day thing:

10:23 AM: If you are headed back this way from downtown or points north, avoid SB I-5. There’s a rescue response right now involving a tanker truck that’s reported to be on its side in the I-5/I-90 area. The driver, a 60-year-old man, is reported to be OK, but trapped in the truck, so they’re working to get him out.

10:44 AM: Authorities were seeking to close I-5 both ways because of this, after detecting a leak, but we have not seen formal confirmation of that yet from WSDOT. Nonetheless, we’d advise avoiding I-5 through downtown, either way, TFN. The driver, meantime, is reported to have been rescued from the truck.

11:48 AM: We’re covering the aforementioned situation separately here. Meantime, a crash is causing some trouble at Admiral/Spokane beneath the bridge:

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Cameras are operated by SDOT; this morning, neither West Seattle Bridge deck camera is working)

6:52 AM: No traffic incidents or transit advisories in/from West Seattle so far. Weather could be a factor this morning as this Special Weather Statement suggests snow showers – as seen midmorning yesterday – are a possibility again.

It’s the last day of midwinter break for Seattle Public Schools, so remember that all schools will be in session on Monday.

Traffic alert for Saturday morning: WSDOT plans to close the two right lanes on the NB side of the 1st Avenue Bridge for repair work 6:30-11:30 am tomorrow.

Traffic alert for next weekend: WSDOT has announced that the next Alaskan Way Viaduct inspection closure is set for March 4-5, with some extra closures both days on Highway 99 north of the Battery Street Tunnel.