West Seattle, Washington
22 Sunday
(HERE’S THE REVAMPED SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:53 AM: Good morning! No incidents reported so far in or from West Seattle.
LOOKING AHEAD TO SATURDAY: The “no parking” signs you might have noticed along California aren’t left over from Summer Fest – they’re for the West Seattle Grand Parade this Saturday, July 22nd (and the Float Dodger 5K that precedes it). California will be closed to traffic between Admiral and Edmunds. We’ll have a detailed preview later today.
9:40 AM: Reader reports shards of glass “every 200 feet or so” in Fauntleroy Way bicycle lane between Morgan and Fairmount Park. We’ve asked her to be sure SDOT is notified for cleanup, for starters (206-684-ROAD, and if you ever see a debris hazard and can’t get them that way, call 911).
(HERE’S THE REVAMPED SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:06 AM: Good morning! The high-bridge cameras are down again, so we have just the low-bridge and Highway 99 views above. A few notes: Yes, the West Seattle Summer Fest breakdown did finish very early today and the streets in The Junction are open again. … No incidents reported in or from West Seattle so far … Reminder that it’s the second week of the sidewalk project on eastbound Roxbury between 28th and 30th SW.
LOOKING AHEAD: The West Seattle Grand Parade is next Saturday (July 22nd), 11 am-1 pm or so, on California between SW Lander in Admiral and SW Edmunds in The Junction, preceded by the Float Dodger 5K along most of the same route. Streets will close relatively early in the morning, including some side streets near the start, for staging. We’ll have updates throughout the week.
8:05 AM: A texter reports a two-car crash on the eastbound bridge “cleared to the gore point on 99.” There’s no 911 or SDOT mention, so, just FYI.
8:35 AM: The M/V Sealth needs steering repairs so Washington State Ferries says the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run is down to two boats – “Cancels Fauntleroy: 8:25, 9:30, 11:15, & 12:20; Vashon: 9:00, 10:35, & 11:50. Southworth: 10:15” per Twitter.
8:50 AM: If you use the West Seattle Water Taxi and usually pair it with another transportation service to get between downtown and the dock, you might be interested in a new private shuttle that’s launching today, according to a news release we received – its downtown loop includes Colman Dock. “Seattle Connex” is starting a three-month test; details here.
1:39 PM: The Sealth is returning to service with the 1:40 pm departure from Fauntleroy, WSF announced.
(HERE’S THE REVAMPED SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:03 AM: Good morning! No traffic/transit trouble so far this morning on routes in/from West Seattle.
WEST SEATTLE SUMMER FEST CLOSURES/REROUTES: They’re all in effect as of last night – California SW is closed to vehicle traffic between Edmunds and just south of Genesee – SW Oregon is open as an east/west through route; SW Alaska is closed between 42nd and 44th. For bus reroutes, check this page of the Metro website. This will all continue throughout the weekend, until late Sunday night. The festival begins at 10 am today – go here for full details.
8:11 AM: One more reminder, for tonight: Electrical work is scheduled on the east section of the West Seattle Bridge late tonight and early tomorrow, and possibly again on Saturday. Here’s the alert we published earlier this week.
(HERE’S THE REVAMPED SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:29 AM: Good morning! No traffic/transit trouble reported in/from West Seattle so far this morning. Remember that tonight through Sunday night, festival closures/reroutes are in effect in The Junction
WEST SEATTLE SUMMER FEST: Starting at 6 pm tonight, continuing until late Sunday night, California SW in The Junction is closed to vehicles between Edmunds and Genesee (Oregon stays open as a west-east through route) for the year’s West Seattle Summer Fest. For bus reroutes, check this page of the Metro website.
4:18 PM: Fire and police are responding to what’s reported to be a 2-vehicle crash on the westbound West Seattle Bridge by the Highway 99 exit. Injuries are described as minor, but since it’s getting to be homeward-bound commute time, you should be forewarned.
4:50 PM: SDOT says the crash has cleared.
(HERE’S THE REVAMPED SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:02 AM: Good morning! No incidents reported in/from West Seattle so far this morning.
One alert for tonight:
VIADUCT ‘ROLLING SLOWDOWNS’: As per this alert, “rolling slowdowns” are planned on the Alaskan Way Viaduct 7:30-9:30 tonight, so that a commercial can be filmed.
And tomorrow night through Sunday night:
WEST SEATTLE SUMMER FEST: Starting at 6 pm Thursday, continuing until late Sunday night, California SW will be closed between Edmunds and Genesee (Oregon will stay open east-west) for the year’s biggest local festival. That means some bus reroutes, which you can see now on the Metro website.
7:46 AM: SDOT reports a crash at 32nd/Elmgrove.
Tonight (Wednesday), after the peak of evening commute, you might want to avoid The Viaduct. WSDOT explains why:
Drivers who use State Route 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct to get through downtown Seattle should expect up to thirty-minute delays on Wednesday evening, July 12.
Officers from the Seattle Police Department will perform intermittent rolling slowdowns on both directions of SR 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct between 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. The rolling slowdowns will allow crews to safely film a commercial.
Northbound SR 99 traffic will gradually slow to 10 mph starting near South Royal Brougham Way. Southbound SR 99 traffic will slow down near Western Avenue. Pilot cars will lead the slowed traffic across the viaduct until the roadway is clear, then allow traffic to accelerate back to highway speeds.
(HERE’S THE SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:06 AM: Good morning! The high-bridge cameras are still down. No incidents reported in/from West Seattle. One road-work alert continues:
ROXBURY SIDEWALK WORK: We checked on Monday and as announced, the project to build sidewalks and replace road panels along the south (eastbound) side of SW Roxbury between 28th and 30th has indeed begun.
WEST SEATTLE SUMMER FEST: We’ll be reminding you all week – Junction road closures and bus reroutes for West Seattle Summer Fest start at 6 pm Thursday and continue through late Sunday night, California between Edmunds and Genesee (with Oregon remaining open to east-west traffic) and Alaska between 42nd and 44th. The reroute alerts are now online here.
If you’ll be out late Friday night/early Saturday morning, and possibly Saturday into Sunday, you’ll want to avoid the east half of the West Seattle Bridge (aka the Spokane Street Viaduct). Here’s the alert:
Seattle City Light crews plan to improve electrical system reliability by pulling new wire over the top of the Spokane Street Viaduct near 2nd Avenue South.
To work safely, traffic will be reduced to one lane and the speed limit dropped to 25 mph in both the east and west bound directions of the Spokane Street Viaduct between 1st Avenue South and 6th Avenue South. See the work zone map below. Work will occur on Friday, July 14, and, if necessary, Saturday, July 15.
Drivers should expect slowdowns during this time.
Lane reduction details:
The nights of Friday, July 14 and Saturday, July 15 (if needed)
· Traffic will be reduced to one lane and speed limits dropped to 25 mph in both directions from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
· Washington State Patrol and extra City Light equipment will be positioned in the work zone to promote safety.
· Access to 1st Avenue South and 4th Avenue South ramps will be maintained.
Once energized, the newly installed electrical wire will improve system reliability and add capacity to the South of Downtown (SODO) area.
(HERE’S THE SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:07 AM: Good morning! First, please note that SDOT’s cameras for the “high bridge” are not working this morning, so that’s why you don’t see them above. Second: No incidents right now in/from West Seattle. Third, alerts:
FERRY ALERT: The Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run is still down to two boats, since the Issaquah was taken out of service Sunday afternoon because of mechanical trouble.
ROXBURY SIDEWALK WORK: The two-month project to build sidewalks and replace road panels along the south (eastbound) side of SW Roxbury between 28th and 30th is scheduled to start today, according to the most-recent announcement from King County Roads. We’ll be checking the area for signs of staging.
WEST SEATTLE SUMMER FEST: From Thursday night through Sunday night, California SW in The Junction, between Edmunds and Genesee, will be off-limits to motorized vehicle traffic, as will SW Alaska between 42nd and 44th, all for West Seattle Summer Fest – road closures start at 6 pm Thursday for setup and continue until late Sunday night for breakdown. Lots of fun stuff during those nights and days, too, and we’ll be publishing more previews later today and right up until it all begins. This of course means bus reroutes too – Metro hasn’t published them yet but they’ll be part of our coverage too (and if you find yourself in The Junction during the festival, looking for where to catch a bus, come see us in the Info Booth at California/Alaska because we’ll have the list).
9:29 AM: As pointed out in comments, Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth is back to all three boats.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:02 AM: Good morning! No incidents reported in/from West Seattle so far this morning.
STADIUM ZONE: Mariners host the A’s tonight at 7:10 pm.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:59 AM: Good morning! Mostly quiet on the routes through and from West Seattle – no incidents reported so far this morning.
5:30 PM: If you have yet to head this way out of downtown or points north,, don’t take southbound I-5. A crash has closed the two right lanes just before the West Seattle Bridge (including the offramp to the bridge), and according to the State Patrol, it’s a deadly crash involving a motorcycle, so the closures will likely continue for quite some time. No other details yet.
5:51 PM: WSDOT tweets that the ramp has reopened. Still a big backup, though.
6:51 PM: Commenter says the ramp is NOT open. Meantime, the State Patrol says the investigation is continuing:
Troopers are still investigating a fatal collision SB 5 @ WSF. Slow down and be patient. -Trp Yarbrough pic.twitter.com/DmuRPG74EU
— Trooper Rick Johnson (@wspd2pio) July 4, 2017
7:18 PM: WSDOT says all lanes are open. If there is any further information about the crash later from the WSP, we’ll add it here.
10:45 PM: WSP says the motorcycle rider, a 45-year-old Bellevue man, was “traveling at a high rate and in and out of traffic” and hit a car driven by a 47-year-old Seattle woman. He died at the scene. She was not hurt.
(Both “high bridge” cameras are down, according to SDOT’s website)
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:33 AM: On to the rest of the commute after the downgraded offshore fire report. No incidents in/from West Seattle as we head into the rest of the pre-holiday commute. If you want a preview of transit changes for tomorrow, see our 4th of July page.
When last we brought you an update on the SW Roxbury sidewalk-building-and-road-panel-replacing project coming up on the eastbound side of the road between 28th and 30th, it was set to start next Wednesday. Today, King County Roads sent an update – the start date is now July 10th (one week from Monday). It’s still expected to wrap up before school starts in early September.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:25 AM: Good morning! No incidents in/from West Seattle as we look ahead toward what for some will be a four-day holiday weekend. (Transit information about Tuesday, July 4th, is on our special holiday page, by the way.)
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:29 AM: A stalled vehicle on the eastbound West Seattle Bridge has just cleared. No incidents otherwise.
7:36 AM: A fire response in the 7100 block of California SW – we advise diverting to 35th SW instead.
8:05 AM: Or divert to Fauntleroy. California is still blocked between Myrtle and Orchard.
Meantime, the 8:15 am Vashon Water Taxi is cancelled because of mechanical trouble.
8:46 AM: California is till blocked as of a few minutes ago, per commenter KMWS in our fire coverage. Photo added above showing SPD helping divert SB traffic at SW Myrtle.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:25 AM: Good morning! One crash just reported in the area – at 4th Ave. S. and Spokane. No details yet.
7:43 AM: Seattle Fire’s response to that scene has closed out. Meantime, from SDOT, a SODO reminder – the Mariners play a day game, 12:40 pm vs. the Phillies.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:06 AM: Good morning. No incidents reported so far in West Seattle or on the major outbound routes in the area.
8:05 AM A crash is reported on SB Highway 99 just before the West Seattle Bridge exit.
8:50 AM: This was actually a stalled vehicle and it’s been cleared from the travel lanes.
Since so many people use the 4th Avenue South route to get between downtown and the West Seattle Bridge, here’s a heads-up about a closure next weekend:
The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) advises travelers that crews will be closing Fourth Ave S between S Washington and Jefferson streets from Friday, June 30 through Monday, July 3. This closure is needed to complete work as part of the Yesler Bridge Rehabilitation Project.
From 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., Friday, June 30 through Monday, July 3, travelers can expect:
• Fourth Ave S to be closed to all traffic between S Washington and Jefferson streets
• Noise and construction activity
• Detours for pedestrians, bicycles, vehicles, and buses
SDOT would like to thank the public for its patience while this work is completed.
The Yesler Bridge Rehabilitation Project will improve the safety and reliability of the Yesler Bridge while preserving its historical elements. For more information, please visit the Yesler Bridge Rehabilitation Project webpage.
4:17 PM: Thanks for the tips and photos. Police and SDOT are at the spot where you head to the eastbound West Seattle Bridge from Avalon – a semi-truck is stuck. Police tell us it could take up to an hour more to clear.
4:25 PM: And … the intersection is clear, according to Twitter and scanner traffic. Sorry to have missed early word on this one. Harbor SW was also blocked for a bit while the damaged trailer was moved to the tow yard just north of the intersection.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:02 AM: Good morning. No incidents reported in or from West Seattle. If you see trouble, let us know when you can do so safely (when you get to where you’re going, unless you’re a passenger) – text or call 206-293-6302.
LAST DAY OF SCHOOL: Seattle Public Schools‘ last day of classes is today, with one-hour early dismissal.
7:14 AM: Emergency crews have been dispatched to a “heavy rescue” on the westbound bridge at Delridge. No other details yet.
7:18 AM: The camera shows a pickup truck across all lanes of the westbound bridge just west of the Admiral exit. So you won’t be able to get to Fauntleroy from the westbound bridge, TFN. The eastbound side from Fauntleroy is also affected, down to one lane.
7:32 AM: SFD has left the bridge-crash scene just as SDOT arrived to clean up what was described on scanner as a fuel spill and debris.
Tow truck and @seattledot cleanup crew just arrived at bridge crash scene pic.twitter.com/5Y83gT41xZ
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) June 26, 2017
As our video of the SDOT feed shows, tow truck has arrived too. We haven’t heard yet about injuries, if any.
7:44 AM: The SDOT crew, by the way, also is there for the jersey barrier, which is the major reason why this is affecting the eastbound side too. Again, this is all from/to the Fauntleroy end, so if you are getting onto the EB bridge from some point further east, this won’t affect you – aside from heavier volumes from people detouring.
8:05 AM: All eastbound lanes from Fauntleroy are open again.
8:14 AM: Progress in getting the wrecked truck hooked up and towed, too, as you can see on the top-left “live” camera on this page.
8:40 AM: SDOT reports that the westbound bridge is open again.
(“Live” look at the crash scene. Refresh page for newest view)
12:43 PM: Thanks for the tip! SDOT verifies a crash midspan on the westbound West Seattle Bridge is blocking two lanes. Apparently no injuries, as there’s no SFD dispatch so far.
1:04 PM: SDOT just corrected its report to say, “Disabled vehicle on the West Seattle Bridge is blocking two right WB lanes on the mid span. Car lost a tire over the side.”
2:15 PM: It’s cleared, SDOT says, but beware of residual backup.
| Comments Off on TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Wednesday watch