West Seattle, Washington
29 Monday
TUESDAY SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS SO FAR: Seattle Public Schools 2 hours late CLOSED … Holy Rosary 2 hours late … Seattle Lutheran HS, 10:30 am start … Hope Lutheran, 2 hours late … Westside School, 10:15 am start … Explorer West Middle School 2 hours late … Highline Public Schools, 2 hours late … South Seattle College, 11 am start … Our Lady of Guadalupe, 2 hours late … Holy Family, 2 hours late … A Child Becomes Preschool, 10:15 am start
(2:45 pm photo, SDOT plow heading NB on California from Thistle)
2:04 PM: We’re starting our PM traffic/weather/etc. updates, as this was just announced:
(Added: Seacrest photo by Matthew Olson)
WEST SEATTLE WATER TAXI CANCELED: North winds are still a problem at Seacrest, so no PM service.
Other transportation notes:
METRO STILL ON SNOW ROUTES: Check yours here.
SEE WHERE SDOT’S PLOWED/DEICED: Here’s the “winter response” map.
WSB TRAFFIC-CAM PAGE: See it here.
3:57 PM: Though the snow stopped falling earlier this afternoon, the weather has new hazards ahead – the temperature remains below freezing and is expected to drop into the low 20s overnight. The city has issued this alert about preventing your pipes from freezing.
Road-wise, the city alert map mentions a few closures in West Seattle – including Ferry between California and Harbor, and Lander from Admiral to 56th.
4:14 PM: FIRST SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR TUESDAY – Seattle Public Schools is tentatively planning to open 2 hours late tomorrow, with buses on snow routes.
4:20 PM: Metro alert – the 57 that should have just left downtown is not running.
4:29 PM: New Metro alert – the 5:30 pm Route 56 to WS won’t run.
4:33 PM: Reminder that residential trash/recycling/composting pickup is delayed a day for everyone, all week – here’s the newest info from SPU.
4:46 PM: Holy Rosary School is tentatively planning to start 2 hours late Tuesday, no AM BASE, no AM preschool.
5 PM: Seattle Lutheran High School plans a 10:30 am start Tuesday. … Highline Public Schools will start 2 hours late. … Hope Lutheran will be 2 hours late … Explorer West Middle School will start at 10. (Again, check back early tomorrow morning in case there are changes.)
5:55 PM: Westside School will start at (corrected) 10:15 am Tuesday.
6:03 AM: Not related to the weather but many are asking, so – the TV helicopters over White Center are there because King County Sheriff’s Office deputies are trying to talk a domestic-violence suspect out of the Subway shop near 16th SW and SW 104th – we have updates on White Center Now.
6:46 PM: Here’s the West Seattle/Fauntleroy YMCA (WSB sponsor) current plan for Tuesday, from executive director Shalimar Gonzales:
Due to the freezing temperatures and driving conditions, we will delay our opening to 10am on Tuesday, February 5th at both West Seattle and Fauntleroy location. Below are some additional updates that may impact people’s visit to the Y:
All morning swim lessons are cancelled
Group Exercise classes will start at 11 am
WS Kids Corner will operate with limited staffing, Fauntleroy Kids Corner will be closed
7:29 PM: Be careful outside tonight, whether walking, driving, riding – multiple reports of VERY icy streets and walkways. … Also just hearing scanner traffic about police blocking all lanes at Delridge and Spokane, though we didn’t hear why.
ADDED 9:47 PM: More Tuesday school announcements:
–South Seattle College (WSB sponsor), “opening delayed until 11 am on 2/5/19. Classes starting before 11 am are canceled/offices are closed.”
–Our Lady of Guadalupe, “tentative 2-hour late start … no morning EDC or Spanish class.”
–Holy Family Bilingual School, tentatively planning 2-hour-late start, no AM preschool.
–A Child Becomes Preschool (WSB sponsor), delayed start, 10:15 am.
10:35 PM NOTE: With postseason high-school-basketball games canceled tonight, three local teams’ games have been rescheduled:
-Chief Sealth girls @ Cleveland, 7 pm Tuesday
-Chief Sealth boys @ Bainbridge, 5:45 pm Tuesday
-Winner of that game plays @ West Seattle 7 pm Wednesday
The WSHS girls are still scheduled to host Franklin at 7 pm Tuesday.
ADDED TUESDAY MORNING: Our new updated school list is in progress here.
(MONDAY SCHOOL INFO: Local closures/changes are ALL LISTED HERE)
5:53 AM: Snow continued overnight. We’re under a Winter Weather Advisory until 10 am. Here are key links/updates for starters:
Transit/other transportation (updated 8:25 am)
METRO: All buses on snow routes – info here
RIDE2: Canceled today
HIGHWAY 99 TUNNEL: Open
WATER TAXIS: Some West Seattle runs canceled (Doc Maynard is sailing, per Water Taxi Watch); all Vashon runs canceled
SDOT WINTER WEATHER MAP: See it here (shows treated/plowed routes)
SDOT TRAVELERS’ MAP: The map we regularly feature
OUR TRAFFIC CAMS PAGE: Cameras particularly relevant to WS and vicinity
Other changes (updated 9:36 am)
No residential solid-waste pickup today, per Seattle Public Utilities – full details here
West Seattle/Fauntleroy YMCA: BOTH LOCATIONS CLOSED TODAY (2nd update)
Seattle Parks – some closures; here’s the roundup
Seattle Public Library facilities that usually open at 10 will open at noon (Southwest, Admiral); added – Delridge closed
Neighborcare High Point closed
City of Seattle: Here’s the latest
King County offices/services – some closed, some late (update)
We’ll keep adding to those lists and add incident etc. info below as the morning continues.
6:47 AM: Metro has sent two alerts about Route 37, saying the 5:48 and 6:44 trips didn’t run this morning. As noted above, all buses are on snow routes. And it’s still snowing.
6:53 AM: Just in via text – WEST SEATTLE WATER TAXI CANCELLATIONS: Because of high winds at Seacrest, the 6:50, 7:25, 8, 8:35, 9:10 runs have been canceled.
7:11 AM: We’re continuing to add to the lists above as info comes in – cancellation of residential trash (etc.) pickup for today is the latest change. Overall, in terms of getting around, remember that side streets generally are NOT plowed/treated – Michael reports the ones he’s been on are VERY icy – this is NOT the typical Seattle snow situation where the snow is followed almost immediately by warmer weather.
7:26 AM: Streets where the “closed” signs go up on days like these generally won’t show up on any official maps, so in general, beware West Seattle’s many hilly streets – for reasons like what Brian describes in this comment.
7:48 AM: Lots of reports of bus trouble this morning – see comments. And this photo’s just in from under the bridge:
7:58 AM: And a belated alert from Metro saying Route 55’s 6:31, 6:48, 7:30 trips didn’t operate.
8:41 AM: Now a Metro alert saying the 775 Water Taxi shuttle isn’t operating this morning. Update – 14 minutes later, Metro sent updates saying 773 and 775 WILL operate … If you’re even thinking about going out, please note that the wind’s blowing snow around and the temperature’s in the 20s, unlike the “typical” Seattle snow day on both fronts. Here’s a photo showing wind-fueled waves on the Alki promenade earlier (high tide was three hours ago), from Mike Livdahl:
(James Tilley sent one too – we tweeted it.) Thanks to everyone who’s sent other photos – we’ll be putting together a gallery a bit later, when we get past the commute (for those who absolutely have to) etc. period. … Just in, another update from the West Seattle/Fauntleroy YMCA (WSB sponsor) – now both locations are closed for the day.
8:58 AM: The Winter Weather Advisory has just been extended through 1 pm. Still snowing.
9:22 AM: Seattle Parks has posted its closures/changes list. See it here (also added to our list above).
11:11 AM: About 40 homes are without power since just before 11 am toward the end of Roxbury. A separate, larger outage in North Highline and North Burien south of there is going on six hours now. Updates on the SCL map … Still lightly snowing. We’re going to get a gallery going shortly but first, there are a few non-snow news stories we need to publish next. Thanks again for all the tips, reports, comments, and other info!
(SDOT MAP with travel times / WS-relevant traffic cams / Water Taxi schedule, other helpful info HERE)
5:57 AM: Good morning! Rainy, as forecast.
6:07 AM: Checking around, the weather is this morning’s only complication so far. No incidents or alerts.
6:33 AM: Still incident-free.
6:49 AM: If you noticed an SFD response at Admiral/Olga, that’s just cleared; it was described via radio communication as a trash fire in a bus shelter.
6:59 AM: That talk of possible snow showers Sunday into Monday is now the subject of an official weather advisory. … Monday morning, of course, as announced yesterday, will be the first commute with the new Highway 99 tunnel. But remember that for an additional week or so, taking NB 99 from here will require you to use the tunnel because the new exit ramp before it won’t be ready yet.
7:06 AM: Surface Spokane train alert – blocking at Colorado.
7:35 AM: If you head east of I-5, heads up about a big power outage, more than 12,000 homes/businesses in what City Light describes as “the Rainier Valley, Beacon Hill, and Bryn Mawr-Skyway areas.” Lots of signal lights out so traffic is affected.
7:48 AM: Low bridge has opened for maritime traffic … Speaking of maritime, King County Executive Dow Constantine is visiting the West Seattle Water Taxi dock to thank the commuters who’ve triple its usage during the viaduct-to-tunnel transition weeks.
8 AM: The low bridge is back open to riders, pedestrians, and drivers.
8:13 AM: From the scanner, there’s a report of a school bus hitting a parked car at 35th/Raymond. No injuries reported, so far.
8:49 AM: Went looking for that scene, couldn’t find it. So no problems on 35th. If you’re headed for SB I-5, SFD is responding to a reported collision at Michigan, not far south of here.
9:50 AM: If you have to head east on the bridge but could wait a while … be forewarned, it’s at a crawl. And that description is being generous. Entering from Fauntleroy, the backup – more like standstill – starts at Nucor. We’re in the midst of it all hoping to make it to the 10:30 am media briefing on the north end of the tunnel but probably should have given ourselves an hour and a half to get there rather than just an hour.
10:08 AM: Took 20 minutes to get from Nucor to the 4th Avenue exit. Now we attempt to get across downtown!
(SDOT MAP with travel times / WS-relevant traffic cams / Water Taxi schedule, other helpful info HERE)
5:55 AM: Good morning! No incidents/alerts in our area so far.
6:06 AM: As the Water Taxi gets going for the day, a reminder that Spirit of Kingston is filling in for Doc Maynard until early afternoon. (Water Taxi Watch shows San Juan Clipper arriving at the dock right now, with SoK to follow.)
6:16 AM: Reader reports that the high bridge is slower than usual for this point in the morning.
7:30 AM: Nothing to report, but we’ll note that WSDOT has yet to formally confirm that the tunnel will open Monday. Our next chance to talk with the project leader will be a conference call at 12:30 pm, so if there’s any news, it likely won’t be before then.
7:49 AM: Bridge and I-5 both solid red on the traffic-speeds map right now
8:30 AM: If you’re going to the Saturday viaduct/tunnel celebration, WSDOT has this roundup of helpful info.
(Added: 5:47 pm framegrab from SDOT low-bridge cam)
5:42 PM: Thanks for all the tips. The low bridge is reported to be stuck in open mode. Avoid it TFN. Buses are “backing up,” as one reader puts it; Metro says “Your operator will work with the operations center on the best way to get you and fellow riders moving again safely.”
5:52 PM: The photo is from David Christensen, who says pedestrians are crossing, but not vehicles. He says an electrician is reported to be on the way.
6:08 PM: SDOT’s live camera now shows police blocking the entrance to the low bridge.
6:12 PM: SDOT describes the problem as “a technical issue with the bridge’s arms” and says that, “By 7 pm, we’ll have a better idea of when the bridge is expecting to re-open.”
6:19 PM: SDOT reports the gates are up and the low bridge has reopened.
(Mount Rainier in this morning’s sunrise, photographed by Chris Frankovich)
Midweek highlights, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
FAMILY STORY TIME: No school for Seattle Public Schools today – so bring everybody to Southwest Library for this story time, 10:30 am. (9010 35th SW)
PRESCHOOLER STORY TIME: 10:30 am at West Seattle (Admiral) Library. (2306 42nd SW)
BABY STORY TIME: And this morning’s trifecta of story times ends with 11:30 am Baby Story Time at High Point Library. (3411 SW Raymond)
LIGHT RAIL: The Stakeholder Advisory Group working on Sound Transit‘s West Seattle/Ballard light-rail extension meets at 5 pm in ST’s board room downtown. No public-comment period, but the meeting is open for all to observe. (401 S. Jackson)
FREE GROUP RUN: Get out and run with West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) – meet at the shop at 6:15 pm. (2743 California SW)
OPEN MIC: The Skylark takes signups at 7:30 pm, with performances starting at 8:30 pm – details in our calendar listing. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
THE WHOPPERJOHNS: Live at Parliament Tavern, starting at 9 pm. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
GOT SOMETHING FOR THE CALENDAR: Email is the way to send it – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thanks!
(SDOT MAP with travel times / WS-relevant traffic cams / Water Taxi schedule, other helpful info HERE)
5:56 AM: Good morning! No school for Seattle Public Schools today, so traffic should be a bit lighter as a result.
6:10 AM: No major incidents or alerts, around the region as well as in our area, so far this morning.
6:36 AM: Still incident-free.
6;54 AM: Busy but still nothing out of the (current) ordinary.
7:13 AM: Slow on the bridge.
7:30 AM: Scanner – police are being dispatched to a reported driver/pedestrian collision at California/Findlay.
7:35 AM: The woman who was hit is not seriously injured, per first police on the scene. (And thanks to the person who just called to be sure we knew about this.)
7:40 AM: The incident was on the southbound side. We say “was” because the scene has now cleared. … Chilly morning and if you have a car parked on the street, you might have some scraping to do, we’re noting from our view of the street.
8:07 AM: Sorry we missed noting a low-bridge opening (remember that the temporary 7-10 am restrictions only apply to vessels below 5,000 gross tons), which is logged as having swung open for maritime traffic 7:32-7:50 am.
8:24 AM: Just in from Joseph, a photo of the bicyclist lineup on the low bridge just before that maritime opening ended:
(SDOT MAP with travel times / WS-relevant traffic cams / Water Taxi schedule, other helpful info HERE)
5:30 AM: Good morning! No alerts or incidents so far this Tuesday morning.
5:57 AM: Still quiet.
6:28 AM Still incident-free.
6:57 AM: All remains well.
7:26 AM: Reminder that tomorrow is likely to be lighter because Seattle Public Schools have no classes – it’s the “day between semesters.” Today has followed recent patterns; the bridge is now in full slowdown mode.
7:55 AM: From Marc via Twitter, “Too many bikes for the bike racks on the 7:25 water taxi this morning! Nice full boat! Hurrah for alternative commute options!” Bike parking has been added at Seacrest, as we’ve noted along the way, including a permanent “corral” between the lot entrance and exit.
8:05 AM: Sun’s out. Later this morning we’ll be at the next media briefing on how the #Realign99 work is going, with a look at the progress on the new NB 99 exit ramp that will take you downtown if you’re not using the tunnel.
8:29 AM: Brush-fire call under the NB I-5/Columbian Way/West Seattle Bridge interchange.
8:38 AM: Firefighters arriving in the area have clarified that it’s more like a fire near a retaining wall at I-5/Forest. … Looking ahead to Saturday, we just added more information to last night’s report about the special Saturday Water Taxi for viaduct/tunnel celebration day – no 773/775 shuttles that day.
8:57 AM: Also from the scanner, broken-down, “blocking” vehicle reported on the westbound bridge near 99.
(SDOT MAP with travel times / WS-relevant traffic cams / Water Taxi schedule, other helpful info HERE)
5:30 AM: Good morning! No incidents or alerts so far this last Monday of January.
5:35 AM: If you’re waiting for the C Line, you might have a bit of a delay. Per radio communication, a bus is stopped at California/Fauntleroy awaiting police to assist with an “intoxicated male” who is refusing to disembark.
5:41 AM: Situation resolved before police arrived.
6 AM: Bridge getting busy but flowing relatively well.
6:13 AM: Still incident-free. Even regionally, fairly quiet. Check these three West Seattle road-work notes if you haven’t already.
6:20 AM: East Marginal Way and Alaska (map), 2-car crash, with SFD medics en route.
6:30 AM: That’s cleared. Meantime, it’s bridge-slowdown time.
6:55 AM: Still nothing unusual; the high bridge is the only West Seattle arterial mapping in yellow or red right now.
7:10 AM: If you’re heading for I-5 NB into downtown, note there’s a lane blocked by a stalled van in the Seneca/Yesler vicinity.
7:15 AM: That’s cleared. New problem – south of the bridge, crash reported at 4th Ave. S./Dawson (map).
7:28 AM: For those reporting trouble with Ride2, Metro just tweeted this:
Good news for Ride2 #WestSeattle. Customers can update their #Ride2 Transit app & see improved Pick Up and ETA time info. Your feedback helped us work with our vendor on these & upcoming improvements. Thanks for riding to & from Alaska Junction & the Water Taxi!⛴
🚧#Realign99🚧— King County Metro🚏🚎⛴ (@kcmetrobus) January 28, 2019
7:51 AM: Bridge full. Sun’s out.
8:10 AM: Low bridge might not be the best way to go right now – SDOT has turned the camera eastward from the east end of the bridge and it’s looking sluggish.
8:30 AM: Still looking reasonable out there.
8:46 AM: Thanks to the reader who reported this on the east side of the challenging-even-without-road-work Holden/Highland Park Way intersection, photo included:
8:58 AM: Headed out to start covering the day’s news. If you see/hear something big, our 24/7 hotline is 206-293-6302 (when you can call/text safely/legally – after you get where you’re going, if you’re not a passenger – thanks!).
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.
With sunny weather forecast for Monday, here are three projects – not related to #Realign99 (we’ll have a preview later for Week 3 of that!) – that you should know about:
8TH SW: Thanks to the reader who forwarded this notice for 8th SW between Roxbury and Cambridge [map]:
SW JUNEAU: As announced by SDOT at week’s end, curb-ramp work at 35th and Juneau will start “as soon as” tomorrow, with Juneau to be closed between 35th and 36th [map].
SW GENESEE: Also from the “as soon as (tomorrow)” file, as reported here last week, the eastbound lane of SW Genesee between 26th and 30th [map] will be closed for Sound Transit light-rail-research soil sampling.
WSB reader photo
2:28 PM: You’re going to want to avoid I-5 in the West Seattle Bridge vicinity for a while. There’s a big vehicle fire. The bridge exit to NB I-5 is closed. One texter says it’s a “tour bus.” More to come.
2:37 PM: Added a reader photo. SB I-5 is getting by but avoiding the area in its entirety remains your best bet.
2:55 PM: Per scanner, fire is “tapped” (out) and SFD is working to make it possible for a NB I-5 lane to be opened “as soon as possible.” No reports of injuries.
3:10 PM: One lane of NB I-5 is now open.
3:33 PM: Readers report SODO surface streets are jammed as a result.
3:50 PM: 2 lanes are open now but the backup remains major.
4:14 PM: We’ll keep this going as a PM traffic update given the residual problems from the bus fire. Note for Water Taxi riders: Question on Twitter leads us to note that the Spirit of Kingston seems to be running in place of Doc Maynard right now. We’re checking to see if that’s a TFN thing.
5:28 PM: I-5 update:
#Seattle update: We still have some work to do before we reopen the right lane of northbound I-5 at the W. Seattle Bridge. Crews have to complete this cleanup and will need one of our sweeper trucks to do so. It's on the way. pic.twitter.com/hz5gjesVGT
— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) January 26, 2019
5:55 PM: All lanes now open again.
6:06 PM: If you’re headed up via the south, note there’s a crash at Highland Park Way/Holden (thanks, MrsL).
6:12 PM: Metro says the Route 57 scheduled to head back this way about 15 minutes ago didn’t run.
(WSB file photo of 35th/Dawson, where the long-awaited signal isn’t expected until fall)
Just received from SDOT, updates on three intersections that are getting safety improvements as part of 35th Avenue SW Phase 2 (first reported here last spring) :
35th Ave SW/SW Juneau St
As soon as Monday, January 28, we will sawcut all 4 corners of the intersection, then begin drainage work on the west side of 35th Ave SW/SW Juneau St intersection, followed by installation of curb ramps. To complete work on the west side of the intersection safely and efficiently, SW Juneau St will be closed to through traffic from 35th Ave SW to 36th Ave SW. Once the west side is complete, crews will move to the east side of the intersection and follow a similar procedure.
We anticipate delivering the construction notification later today to residents near the 35th Ave SW/SW Juneau St intersection.
35th Ave SW/SW Dawson St
Last week, we completed utility potholing in the sidewalk and planter strip area to help determine the location of future signal poles at this intersection. To reach underground utilities, crews removed some concrete/asphalt in planting strips near the 35th Ave SW/SW Dawson St intersection. They then backfilled holes with pea gravel and replaced loose concrete/asphalt over the top and sectioned off the area with cones. This site will remain as-is until work to add new curb ramps, repair pavement begins as soon as February. Actual signal installation will occur this fall once we receive the necessary equipment.
This schedule is subject to change depending on weather conditions and contractor availability.
35th Ave SW/SW Kenyon St
We expect to begin similar work to install accessible curb ramps and make drainage and pavement repairs at 35th Ave SW/SW Kenyon St as early as February 2019.
If you have questions, the project inbox is NeighborhoodImprovements2018@seattle.gov.
P.S. SDOT also notes, “Folks may also notice our Pothole Rangers next week working the length of 35th Ave SW from White Center to Spokane St.” (You can report potholes online here.)
(SDOT MAP with travel times / WS-relevant traffic cams / Water Taxi schedule, other helpful info HERE)
5:30 AM: Good morning! No incidents or alerts in our area so far.
5:45 AM: As previewed last night, this morning brings a “pop-up” edition of Bike Everywhere Day, including a “station” under the West Seattle Bridge, 6:30-9 am. … Weather’s dry this morning and looking that way for much of the final week ahead of Highway 99-less-ness.
6 AM: Things are picking up but still no incidents.
6:03 AM: Surface Spokane train alert:
If your commute takes you on Lower Spokane St, a train is blocking the roadway between East Marginal and 1st Ave S. The estimated clearance time per @BNSFRailway is 10 – 20 mins. #SeattleSqueeze pic.twitter.com/eWxSVhAQ61
— SDOT Traffic (@SDOTtraffic) January 25, 2019
6:13 AM: Train’s clear, per SDOT.
6:32 AM: High bridge is officially in morning-backup mode. And there’s a bit of trouble on NB I-5 north of the West Seattle Bridge, disabled vehicle blocking part of a lane by Dearborn.
6:55 AM: Courtesy of Seattle Council staff, the mentioned-earlier bicycle station under the bridge:
Among those expected to stop before morning’s end, Councilmember Lorena González, riding from her home in The Junction.
7:02 AM: Late bus alert for the south end, just sent by Metro: “Route 113 to Seattle due to leave Shorewood at 6:59 AM will operate more than 30 minutes late this morning.”
7:36 AM: Busy but quiet.
7:55 AM: City-provided photo from Councilmember González’s stop at the WSBC-and-friends station under the bridge:
Bikes crossing the low bridge are counted here. (Added: Here’s a pic tweeted by González, showing the counter.)
8:01 AM: Aside from the high bridge, no West Seattle arterials in red (jam mode) on the city map right now. Just off the peninsula, 1st Ave. S. shows slower than 4th.
8:09 AM: Texter reports (THANK YOU!) that the low bridge was just open for a few minutes – but it’s not showing on Twitter (though this webcam framegrab verifies), so we’re asking SDOT if there’s a problem.
8:29 AM: Crash on the NB 1st Avenue S. Bridge, blocking one lane.
8:45 AM: That incident has cleared.
9:16 AM: Train blockage on lower Spokane Street per SDOT: “… blocked with a stopped train between E Marginal Way and 1st Ave S.”
7:05 PM: Thanks for the tip. A crash on the eastbound bridge, by the 1st Avenue exit, is blocking two lanes. If you have to head that way – wait a while!
7:27 PM: All clear, says SDOT.
(SDOT MAP with travel times / WS-relevant traffic cams / Water Taxi schedule, other helpful info HERE)
5:30 AM: Good morning! Traffic watch is on for your Thursday.
5:36 AM: WSDOT reports a crash blocking the two left lanes on the NB First Avenue S. Bridge.
5:46 AM: This is about when the high bridge starts to get busy. Note it’s another wet morning.
6:02 AM: Tow and Incident Response are at the 1st Ave. S. Bridge scene – but now there’s an SFD medical callout, so that scene isn’t going to clear immediately.
6:25 AM: The first 1st Ave. S. Bridge scene is clear – the second one, further south, has not.
6:29 AM: A texter says this is backing this up all the way to Roxbury.
6:50 AM: Checking out the (high) West Seattle Bridge, as has been the case by this point in the morning, it’s filling up.
7:09 AM: Via RBWS, in comments: “2 car accident on Fauntleroy expressway in right lane before the Nucor plant. Drivers are standing around talking. Starting to back up toward 35th.”
7:19 AM: SDOT says that cleared quickly.
7:29 AM: The Fauntleroy curve is now backed up. Meantime, a South Park alert – in case you’re going that way to get around residual 509 backups – crash reported at 14th Ave. S./S. Henderson.
7:44 AM: Travel speeds via the city map show Delridge is particularly slow going right now just north of Genesee.
8:04 AM: Brenda tweeted, “On Upper bridge just saw unmarked police car pull into bus lane and put on his lights. All the bus lane violators immediately merged into lanes. No tickets but effective.”
8:17 AM: No new issues. Two notes for today:
-Our daily progress-report media briefing is back to a late-morning conference call, if anyone has questions.
-Tonight, King County Executive Dow Constantine is the scheduled guest at the West Seattle Transportation Coalition‘s monthly meeting, talking transit and more. All welcome. 6:30 pm at Neighborhood House High Point (6400 Sylvan Way).
8:42 AM: New trouble on the northbound 1st Avenue South Bridge – one lane blocked.
8:55 AM: WSDOT says that’s now clear.
9:22 AM: Still watching for incidents, but otherwise it’s off to the rest of the day’s news. If you see something, our 24/7 hotline is 206-293-6302 – text or voice – when you can use your phone safely/legally (after you get to where you’re going, if you’re not a passenger) – thanks!
10:31 AM: SFD response for a natural-gas leak at 14th/Roxbury. Not sure how/if it’s affecting traffic, but heads up.
(SDOT MAP with travel times / WS-relevant traffic cams / Water Taxi schedule, other helpful info HERE)
5:30 AM: Good morning! Nothing major so far.
BUS LANE ENFORCEMENT TODAY: We brought this issue up during Tuesday’s media conference call with transportation/transit agencies. SDOT’s Dawn Schellenberg later told us, “We checked in with SPD and they confirmed [today] an officer will be posted at the beginning of the 4th Ave/Spokane off-ramp where it begins to loop off of mainline, and also one down the loop ramp approximately midway to prevent reentries into the bus lane.”
5:42 AM: Early train activity – SDOT and Metro have both tweeted alerts about East Marginal/Spokane.
5:53 AM: Camera still shows that blockage, so if you’re eastbound, we’d advise high bridge if possible rather than surface.
6:15 AM: High bridge is starting to fill up.
6:27 AM: Train has finally cleared on lower Spokane Street.
6:36 AM: Trouble on NB I-5 just north of the West Seattle Bridge, by I-90. One lane blocked. Meantime, after a rainy night, it’s just misting right now.
6:49 AM: I-5 problem is cleared. Spokane Street cam shows the train arm down again – so if you are planning to take lower Spokane, be forewarned, busy morning at the railroad crossings.
7:09 AM: No new problems – just busy. Meantime, the Tacoma crash mentioned by AdmiralDon in comments has just cleared, if you have to head that far.
7:27 AM: Thanks for the commute reports in comments! Monitoring regional traffic watch, “better than yesterday” seems to be a common sentiment … so far. … AbBr tweeted about a stall just past the Fauntleroy entrance to the high bridge. Haven’t seen it on a camera but – heads-up in case it hasn’t cleared yet.
7:45 AM: LOW BRIDGE ALERT – it’s closed to surface traffic as of a minute ago. Also, another mention of a stalled/pulled-over vehicle on the eastbound high bridge.
8:02 AM: Low bridge has reopened.
8:05 AM: If you’re Beacon Hill-bound at the east end of the bridge, SDOT reports a Columbian Way/Spokane blocking situation. … If you’re noticing the SFD response headed for South Park, there’s a medical emergency (not a fire) aboard a barge along S. Riverside.
8:30 AM: The Incident Response Team has arrived to deal with the stall. Also – the rain has intensified. Bridge still packed both ways.
8:50 AM: No change as top of the hour approaches. … Today’s progress report will be focused on an afternoon media briefing about how transit’s going, so if you have questions on that front (Metro/Water Taxi/Ride2 in particular), please let us know!
9:39 AM: Belated report as we just had to cross the bridge ourselves. Bus and car pulled over just at the merge point. Looked like collision aftermath. SPD was there. Also noted them in the 4th exit ramp bus lane. Now heading back to WS!
10:51 AM: Back from downtown errands; took a surface route back and experienced some of the things we’ve written about, such as traffic revisions at certain intersections – no right turn allowed on Dearborn from 5th to get to 4th, so we had to head to 6th, where right turns to Royal Brougham were prohibited. Finally got back to 4th from Spokane (no left from westbound, so we had to deploy the “u-turn route,” just short of a train track that was in use). 4th was clear from Spokane to Michigan to the 1st Ave. S. Bridge to Highland Park Way. (By the way, here’s that bus-involved crash we mentioned last hour.)
(SDOT MAP with travel times / WS-relevant traffic cams / Water Taxi schedule, other helpful info HERE)
5:30 AM: Good morning! Welcome to the first non-holiday commute of the second post-Viaduct week. Traffic/transportation authorities hope those whose changes made last week a success keep it up this week. No trouble reported in our area so far.
5:40 AM: The high bridge is busy but flowing.
6 AM: East end of the eastbound high bridge – the backup to I-5 has begun (screengrab here for the record). WSDOT notes that northbound I-5 is busier all the way from south King County.
6:15 AM: Commuting via the West Seattle Water Taxi? Runs to downtown start now. The expanded (two-boat) schedule continues all the way until the spring/summer schedule change at the end of March.
6:24 AM: And now the traffic extends to the midspan (screengrab).
6:38 AM: Seems busier all around. Check out the headlights looking south onto NB 35th SW from Fauntleroy. LOW BRIDGE ALERT: Closed to surface traffic as of a couple minutes ago.
6:50 AM: Low bridge has just reopened, verified by tweet and video camera. Noticed via the latter, a steady stream of bicycles headed east immediately.
6:57 AM: Continuing our moment-in-time screengrabs, here’s the backup on the Fauntleroy-end curve (this camera was down for a long time, until last week).
7:02 AM: Surface-traffic alert from SDOT, first one of this kind that we’ve seen post-Viaduct:
HEADS UP! Heavy truck traffic on E Marginal Way from S Spokane St to Terminal 46 @PortofSeattle. @SeattlePD providing assistance. Drivers and bicyclists using this route as an alternate for #SeattleSqueeze should anticipate delays and use caution. pic.twitter.com/stPk1TzWMW
— SDOT Traffic (@SDOTtraffic) January 22, 2019
7:11 AM: Commenters report Admiral and Delridge are backed up. Also got a text from Al that, to be specific, Admiral’s backed up the hill to 37th.
7:22 AM: Consensus seems to be that this is the day some people started going back to old routines. Regional transportation/transit agencies are resuming the daily media conference calls so we’ll see what the take is then. Meantime, plenty of commute to get through.
7:31 AM: Getting to Delridge – tough too. Amy tweets that the Andover approach is backed up to 28th SW. Meantime, that truck backup near the port is likely the reason for a surface Spokane backup east of the low bridge.
7:46 AM: Though we don’t have a crew at the Water Taxi dock this morning, we’re watching the boats via MarineTraffic.com and all appears to be well. Jennifer sent this photo, captioned “Beautiful morning commute!”
7:52 AM: Texter reports it took “one hour travel time from top of Admiral Way by viewpoint to the lower bridge.”
7:57 AM: Aid response (low-level medical) call to 4th and Spokane. Heard this mentioned on scanner as truck/bicycle collision. It’s not visible on the SDOT cam for that intersection.
8:05 AM: Still a bridge jam – here’s a screengrab from the Walking on Logs curve.
8:30 AM: Doesn’t look any better out there.
8:35 AM: Toward the east end of the Roxbury corridor, SDOT reports a “blocking vehicle at Olson/Cambridge.”
8:55 AM: Top of the hour nears and it’s still jammed on the bridge.
9:04 AM: 1st Avenue South Bridge closed to surface traffic at the top of the hour. (added) Back open at 9:08.
9:21 AM: Thanks for all the firsthand reports in comments and via Twitter! (And text/voice if you can call safely and legally – as a passenger or after you get to where you’re going – 206-293-6302.)
(SDOT MAP with travel times / WS-relevant traffic cams / Water Taxi schedule, other helpful info HERE)
5:30 AM: Good morning! Schools and most government facilities are closed; Metro‘s on reduced-weekday service; Sound Transit has some changes; both the West Seattle and Vashon Water Taxis ARE operating.
6 AM: Still relatively quiet, regionally too.
6:20 AM: No news is good news! Here’s the WSDOT wrap on week one of Viaduct-less commuting.
6:45 AM: West Seattle Bridge still flowing. I-5’s picked up.
7:06 AM: East end of the eastbound bridge has slowed but the westbound’s still well below usual.
7:30 AM: Forecast – mostly cloudy today, no rain expected until Tuesday morning.
8:05 AM: Still uneventful. Even the official SDOT description of West Seattle Bridge traffic is “light.”
8:30 AM: Watching the live-video bridge cams, it looks like a weekend out there. By the way, there’s another no-school day next week – Wednesday, January 30th, it’s the “day between semesters” for Seattle Public Schools.
8:55 AM: Wrapping up a quiet holiday commute. We’ll as always cover any breaking traffic news during the day/night, and will be back on AM watch at 5:30 Tuesday. Tips always appreciated at 206-293-6302 (our 24/7 hotline, text or voice) – thank you!
9:14 PM: Saturday night callout for one of SDOT’s Incident Response Team: They’re cleaning up after a crash at Harbor/Avalon/Spokane. This may block north-to-eastbound access to the bridge onramp (and lower Spokane) from Avalon for a while longer, so if you have to head out, consider another way. No serious injuries reported – SFD has cleared the scene and no medic unit was dispatched.
10:10 PM: Scene’s not clear yet, but the SDOT live cam shows traffic is now getting through onto eastbound lower Spokane and the bridge onramp.
10:19 PM: Clear now, reports SDOT.
(SDOT MAP with travel times / WS-relevant traffic cams / Water Taxi schedule, other helpful info HERE)
5:30 AM: Good morning! So far the problems are NOT in our area.
5:45 AM – LOOKING AHEAD: Reminders while things are quiet – Monday is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. School’s out, and most government offices/facilities are closed. Metro plans “reduced weekday” service.
5:48 AM: SDOT reports “Rail crossing delays at 2nd Ave and S Spokane St, blocking all EB and WB lanes.” (This is the first such alert we’ve seen – following the Wednesday train trouble.)
6:11 AM: Monitoring police radio, there are various train-related problems including a track-crossing arm STUCK DOWN ON WESTBOUND SIDE of Spokane St. around 2nd. Needs repair. That won’t be soon. Also word of a train on tracks at 6th/Spokane. Overall, just avoid surface Spokane for now!
6:20 AM: Arm problem may be fixed but train traffic hasn’t passed. … Our crew is off to the Water Taxi dock to see how things are going there this Friday morning. Weather-wise, a lot like Thursday so far.
6:40 AM: Bridge is busy as has been the case every day this first post-Viaduct week. (Here’s the point-in-time screengrab.)
6:46 AM: Train traffic on lower Spokane has cleared again.
6:55 AM: And … another train. … At the Water Taxi dock, they tell us it’s been a “light morning,” at least compared to earlier in the week. 75 passengers on the most-recent sailing.
7:10 AM: 59 on the sailing after that. And YET MORE trouble on lower Spokane, this time at 11th/Spokane just off the low bridge a crash – we took this from the city webcam:
(Fully blocking there, as of a few minutes later.)
7:20 AM: We have clarified with King County – there IS Water Taxi service (West Seattle AND Vashon) on Monday even though King Day would otherwise be a holiday.
7:35 AM: The crash east of the low bridge is still blocking. … Water Taxi volume’s up a bit – 110 is the latest sailing’s count.
Again, there IS WT service on Monday.
7:50 AM: Still working to clear the crash east of the low bridge. SDOT’s Incident Response Team is there. Screengrab:
7:55 AM: SDOT tweets that “the westbound lane and one eastbound lane” have reopened there.
8:28 AM: Busy but no new problems. Later this morning, we’ll get a #Realign99 construction update in the south work zone. Also looking ahead – if you’re heading off-peninsula tomorrow, note that this year’s Womxn’s March will be happening (details in this city roundup).
8:55 AM: No new problems. We’re continuing to monitor and will update here if anything new does transpire before 10 am.
(SDOT MAP with travel times / WS-relevant traffic cams / Water Taxi schedule, other helpful info HERE)
4:09 PM: We’re watching the pm commute again.
4:21 PM: WSDOT reports heavy volumes on both directions of I-5 through the region. The West Seattle Bridge is still sluggish eastbound (that’s a most-of-the-day thing now).
4:39 PM: Some trouble for those headed back this way from the Eastside – WSDOT reports a crash partly blocking the westbound I-90 exit to SB I-5.
4:57 PM: It’s raining – this morning’s real rain was mostly pre-commute, but this time it’s happening right in the heart of the travel time. Be safe.
5:08 PM: SDOT reports a crash at 16th/Roxbury.
5:37 PM: In comments, Jen reports “Semi blocking right WB lane under the upper bridge right before Avalon exit.”
6:21 PM: We’ve been listening to scanner traffic with a crash involving a Metro bus and wires down off SB 509 at 128th in Burien, and now a texter has mentioned it. Just an FYI if you’re headed in that direction – we haven’t seen any indication how/whether it’s affecting highway traffic.
6:28 PM: Just heard from a caller that this is affecting people trying to get onto SB 509 there. And Burien Police just tweeted:
Our units are currently at S. 128 St. at SR 509 for a collision involving a truck and a Metro bus. So far, injuries appear minor and aid is treating on scene. A power box was damaged and power is out in the immediate area. Please use alternate routes if possible.
— Burien Police (@BurienPD) January 18, 2019
6:47 PM: We weren’t on today’s media conference call due to a conflicting story interview (unrelated) but tomorrow we’re planning to cover a #Realign99 construction-zone tour and briefing. Any unanswered questions about how that’s going, let us know – thanks!
7:24 PM: A King County Sheriff’s Office photo from the 509/128th crash:
KCSO also says that “the driver of the white pickup truck is under arrest on suspicion of DUI.” He also was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
Also: Today’s project update and other notes from WSDOT, including the morning West Seattle Water Taxi tally – under 1,000 for the first time this week but still triple last year’s ridership.
(SDOT MAP with travel times / WS-relevant traffic cams / Water Taxi schedule, other helpful info HERE)
5:30 AM: Good morning! The change in the weather has arrived – but it’s not raining hard outside, just misting – so far. No incidents reported in our area.
5:55 AM: As with the previous three mornings, the bridge looks busier earlier.
6:13 AM: And even busier now. (Here’s a screengrab for the record.)
6:20 AM: Our crew, heading shortly for Water Taxi watch for the fourth day, reports it’s NOT raining right now. Warmer than recent mornings – 46 degrees.
6:40 AM: If you commute regionally and rely on WSDOT travel times – they’ve been coping with an outage but are now back, here.
6:50 AM: First report in from our crew at the West Seattle Water Taxi dock – rough couht ~70 on the boat that’s about to take off.
7:11 AM: Still nothing out of the ordinary to report. (added) Covered waiting area at Water Taxi dock still not needed, since the rain has yet to resume:
7:28 AM: By our count, about 150 on the Water Taxi that’s just taking off.
7:39 AM: Water Taxi usage is down this morning. Fewer triple-digit runs by our count; 79 on this one. Back on land watch, no train or low-bridge trouble this morning, unlike yesterday … so far.
7:58 AM: Just tweeted by BNSF, whose only tweet during yesterday’s 45+-minute blockage was to tell pedestrians to get off the tracks:
Rail traffic is moving normally in #Seattle this morning. Yesterday’s delay in SoDo was due to unusual circumstances and we regret the inconvenience during #SeattleSqueeze. We hope you’ll have a great day today! #Viadoom #Realign99
— BNSF Railway (@BNSFRailway) January 17, 2019
8:06 AM: Low bridge busy eastbound right now. Here’s a moment-in-time screengrab. No maritime openings logged so far this morning.
8:19 AM: One last Water Taxi count on our watch before our crew oves on – 77 for the 8:15-ish run. Remember that the extra service is here for two months, all the way until the 7-day-a-week schedule kicks in at the end of March, so lots of time to try it if you haven’t yet but could.
9:02 AM: Morning four of “Viadoom” hasn’t seemed very doomy. This tweet seems to corroborate:
Just want to give a shoutout, @westseattleblog from the @SeattlePD officers guiding busses in the rain to the @kcmetrobus drivers sitting in traffic, everyone has had such a positive and helpful attitude that has made #Viadoom so much more pleasant 👏🏼 #thanks
— Tessa Wuertz (@tessa_wuertz) January 17, 2019
We’re moving on to other news atop the page – so much to catch up on – but will continue to update here if any notable morning situations arise, plus we’ll be on PM watch again, with the weather projected to get wetter/breezier by then.
10:02 AM: Low bridge closed to surface traffic a few minutes ago, for the first time this morning. (Update: The closure lasted 11 minutes.)
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