West Seattle, Washington
04 Saturday
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:02 AM: Another dry day on the way, and so far, no incidents reported on the roads/paths in/from West Seattle.
3:36 PM: Per the scanner and a texter, a two-car crash at Delridge/Dakota is blocking northbound Delridge. If you have to head that way, wait a while, or find an alternative.
4:58 PM: Metro has sent an alert that buses are back to normal operation on that stretch, which indicates the scene’s been cleared. We tried to get close about half an hour ago, but NB traffic was backed up past Alaska. No medic unit was dispatched, which indicates no major injuries.
5:44 AM: We start this morning’s traffic/transit watch early, with 35th SW now reopened both ways south of Avalon Way:
It’s been about 11 hours since the 35th SW water-break in the southbound lanes just south of Avalon. NB 35th reopened half an hour ago, and SB just a few minutes ago.
Now to the regular daily cameras:
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
Otherwise, no incidents so far. Watch out for slick roads – it’s in the mid-30s, and when we left to head back to 35th/Avalon before 5 am, our windshield was a bit frosty. SDOT has crews out – one with a plow and either sand or salt was standing by alongside Taco Time.
7:08 AM: After watching reopened 35th SW for a while, we headed back to HQ. Roads seemed OK but we did see a lot of windshields – even at sea level – that will need a little attention before drivers head out. Otherwise, still no incidents.
(5:41 AM UPDATE: 35th now reopened both ways)
This is big water. On 35th south of Avalon. pic.twitter.com/iUvQG5VIx9
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) December 5, 2017
6:18 PM: Thanks to everyone who’s been messaging us about what they’re describing as gushing water on the road at 35th/Avalon on this rainless night. We are on the way over to find out more.
6:34 PM: This is BIG water gushing from southbound 35th just south of Avalon. SFD is here and closing 35th between Avalon and Alaska. Avoid the area.
6:44 PM: Firefighters have also closed the sidewalks to keep people far away – they’re worried this could lead to a big sinkhole in the street. SPU has arrived. We have a message out to find out what more they know. We also hear there’s low water pressure at some residences nearby.
More @SeattleFire here now. And we hear some residents on Avalon have liw water pressure. pic.twitter.com/CsHmEwIIMs
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) December 5, 2017
7:05 PM: This is going to go on a while. Full complement of utilities here now – Puget Sound Energy (there’s been concern about natural-gas odor around the KFC), Seattle City Light, as well as SPU. Again, 35th is blocked off between Alaska and Avalon, but before that happened, here’s video from @jetreset showing how it looked when a C Line bus went through the water (which is right by the southbound stop on 35th):
Video of the flooding from the C line pic.twitter.com/mc4QyMlY5o
— Demon Snethen (@JetReset) December 5, 2017
7:23 PM: Just talked with SPU spokesperson Andy Ryan. He says what broke is a 4-inch “service line” that belongs to the adjacent apartment building (which would be Aura) – “it’s not city infrastructure.”
The building is only a year old.
Ryan added, “We have the water main shut down between Avalon and Manning while crews look for the water shutoff valve.” Repairs might not be complete before midnight, he says.
7:43 PM: Buses have been rerouted for a while since the road remains closed (and the water’s still bubbling up on the southbound side), but here’s the official Metro reroute alert just texted/tweeted:
Transit Alert – Buses rerouted off of 35 Av SW/SW Avalon Way. Use the stops on Avalon Wy east of 35 Av or on 35 Av south of SW Alaska St.
— King County Metro🚌 (@kcmetrobus) December 5, 2017
7:55 PM: The water’s not off yet, but the volume is down. Kevin tells us water service is off to the south of here, too, near 36th/Edmunds.
8:14 PM: Water’s down to a trickle.
Water flow down to a trickle. @SeattleFire leaving, @SeattlePD staying to keep street closed pic.twitter.com/bDTtsoWRVZ
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) December 5, 2017
SFD has left, but SPD is still at the scene to keep the road closure enforced. We’ve left for a while but will keep checking on the status of the road – and we’ll start our morning traffic coverage earlier than usual with word on whether that section of road is open or not.
10:07 PM: Street’s still closed, and heavy equipment’s now at work digging:
Work still under way at water-break site, 35th SW still blocked south of Avalon. pic.twitter.com/bb1L7RYKmb
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) December 5, 2017
SDOT quotes SPD via Twitter as saying the closure will continue “until tomorrow morning.” No police left at the scene for us to ask in person – just the work crew. We’ll check the scene again in the very early hours.
4:59 AM: Back at the scene. 35th is still closed south of Avalon. Crews still at work.
5:16 AM: Northbound traffic is now being allowed through the area. Southbound still blocked by crews.
5:41 AM: They’ve just removed the barricades on the southbound side and traffic is now going both ways.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:02 AM: Some fog in spots, and that’s about all we have of note for the outbound commute from here so far this morning.
8:24 AM: Still quiet.
(Added: WSB photo, emergency response as visible from pedestrian overpass west of crash scene)
7:36 PM: Big Seattle Fire response on the way to 35th and Fauntleroy – it’s a “heavy rescue” callout. More as we get it.
7:39 PM: The location has just been changed to the west end of the bridge, “by the statues,” report of a car on its side.
7:42 PM: Per scanner, the westbound bridge will be closed – we haven’t heard exactly where yet – though SFD has tweeted one lane remains open for now.
8:01 PM: Most SFD units have been dismissed. One person was being “assessed” for injuries per SFD; we can’t get close enough to ask in person but are taking a look from the pedestrian overpass to the west. One person who’s gone by says it’s an SUV on its side.
8:23 PM: Since no SFD medic unit transport was required, that at least means no major injuries. Per scanner, it might be a while before a tow truck is available to get the vehicle out, so if you have to use the westbound end of the westbound bridge sometime soon, be aware you might encounter a delay in that area.
ADDED SUNDAY: As noted in comments, we checked online records and the driver, a 43-year-old woman, is accused of “speed too fast for road/conditions.”
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:12 AM: Good morning. No incidents in/from West Seattle so far this Friday morning.
SATURDAY STREET CLOSURE: The West Seattle Junction Hometown Holidays Night Market and Tree Lighting will close SW Alaska between California and 42nd tomorrow, approximately 2-8 pm (the Night Market runs 3-7, the Tree Lighting in Junction Plaza Park is at 5). This means Metro reroutes, too, for the 22, 50, 128, and C Line – the reroute docs are all linked from this page.
9:20 AM: Tipster says the Admiral/California signal is blinking again. Please remember that means it’s an all-way stop! (And thanks as always for tips throughout the day/night, especially via our 24/7 hotline at 206-293-6302, text or voice.)
10:12 AM: Dave tells us an SDOT crew has just fixed the signal.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:51 AM: Good morning. No incidents reported so far in/from West Seattle.
NOTES: The school-bus strike IS over, as promised, and full service is expected today … The stadium zone will be busy tonight, with Sounders FC hosting Houston at 7:30 pm at CenturyLink Field.
7:20 AM: SDOT reports a crash at 36th and Barton.
9:04 AM: The heart of the morning commute has concluded without anything else of note. Thanks as always for 24/7 tips – traffic and other breaking news – via our hotline, 206-293-6302.
5:46 PM: Thanks for the tips on this – a multiple-vehicle crash is causing some trouble at Fauntleroy/Oregon as the evening commute home peaks. We’re told it’s on the westbound side, which is the busiest this time of night. We’re on our way to find out more. No medic unit has been dispatched – just a single SFD engine – so if anyone is hurt, it’s not major.
5:59 PM UPDATE: Right now the most serious effect is on Oregon – you can’t turn onto it from WB Fauntleroy. A tow is awaited for the vehicle that remains on scene (top photo). Police confirm no serious injuries.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:02 AM: The rain’s back. But so far, no incidents are reported in West Seattle or on the major outbound routes.
9:02 AM: Still soggy but otherwise an unremarkable commute. Thanks in advance for letting us know if you see a trouble spot at any time, day or night – 206-293-6302, text or voice when you can use your phone safely/legally.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:59 AM: Good morning! Back to work, back to school after the holiday weekend. No incidents reported so far in or from West Seattle.
7:29 PM: Caller reports a bus is broken down in the transit lane on the bridge.
7:51 AM: Eastbound lanes on the low bridge are blocked by a crash towsrd its west end. (Thsnks for the text!)
8:06 AM: SDOT says the low-bridge crash is cleared.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:33 AM: Quiet out there so far. But just in case you don’t have the day off:
*No school
*No Water Taxi
*Metro on “reduced weekday” service
*Sound Transit buses on regular schedule
*Some downtown streets closed for the Macy’s 9 am Holiday Parade (with local participants!) and 5 pm star lighting
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:58 AM: Good morning. No incidents reported in/from West Seattle so far.
HOLIDAY 4-DAY WEEKEND ALERTS: Before you check out for the holiday, here are the alerts for the days ahead:
–No Water Taxi on Thursday/Friday
–Metro buses on Sunday schedule for Thanksgiving Day, “reduced weekday” schedule Friday
–Sound Transit buses are on Sunday schedule for Thanksgiving Day, weekday schedule Friday
–My Macy’s Holiday Parade on Friday morning will close some downtown streets (and will include some West Seattleites!)
3:37 PM: Thanks for the texts – another crash on the eastbound West Seattle Bridge. From the cameras, it appears to be right before the exit to 99 – that’s where SFD crews are arriving. So if you have to head outbound, wait a bit – we’ll update.
4:16 PM: SDOT says it’s now cleared.
4:32 PM: And now there’s a dispatch for a crash on the westbound west end of the bridge. Out of camera range, it appears.
4:43 PM: SFD says no one is hurt so it’s clearing this scene, and that the vehicles involved have cleared to the side of the bridge “by the zone 5 sign.”
(SDOT camera image from @seattledot tweet)
10:12 AM: Thanks for the texts – SDOT also verifies a crash on the eastbound bridge that is currently blocking three lanes, so if you’re heading that way, find another route. No injuries reported so far, apparently, as SFD has not been dispatched. One texter says their Metro bus stopped to take passengers transferred from another bus because of this.
10:15 AM: Now blocking just the left lane.
11:05 AM: SDOT reports the bridge is now clear.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:57 AM: One incident in the area so far – 1st Avenue South is closed south of the West Seattle Bridge, to Hudson, because of a crash at 1st/Andover [map] that killed a bicyclist.
7:05 AM: Traffic Collision Investigation Squad detectives are investigating that crash so the closure could last hours.
Further south, there’s also now an emergency response to a 3-vehicle crash toward the north end of the northbound 1st Avenue S. Bridge.
7:29 AM: WSDOT says two lanes on the 1st Ave. S. Bridge have reopened, but the HOV lane remains blocked.
8:06 AM: Per scanner, southbound 1st Avenue S. will be reopening south of the West Seattle Bridge; northbound will remain blocked as the investigation continues.
8:36 AM: Northbound I-5 trouble downtown – a crash response at the Convention Center.
Meantime, one transit note – no Metro alerts about cancellations in this area (so far) today, but we did ask yesterday about the multiple recent Route 56 alerts, and this story published last night is the result.
8:51 AM: A reminder from SDOT:
Reminder: 1st Ave S is closed to NB traffic from S Hudson St to S Spokane St due to a crash investigation. SB is open. pic.twitter.com/Zo4mlYM4AU
— seattledot (@seattledot) November 21, 2017
9:04 AM: 1st Avenue S. is now clear.
9:22 AM: Thanks again for sharing info when you see a problem your West Seattle neighbors should know about – if/when you can safely/legally use your phone, text or call our 24/7 hotline, 206-293-6302 – thank you!
10:20 AM: SPD now has published an SPD Blotter update that says the bicyclist who was killed by a hit-run driver was a 61-year-old man. No description of the vehicle yet.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7 AM: Good morning and welcome to Thanksgiving week, off to a rainy start.
Ferry note this morning: The Sealth (90 cars) has replaced the Chelan (124 cars) on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route.
Also – Seattle Public Schools elementary and K-8 schools have no classes today through Wednesday, in addition to the districtwide Thursday-Friday holiday, because of conferences.
And a stadium-zone note: The Seahawks play at home tonight, 5:30 pm vs. Atlanta.
8:14 AM: Another canceled Route 56 bus – Metro just sent an alert that the 7:32 am 56 didn’t run.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:02 AM: No incidents in/from West Seattle, but we do have a transit alert just received:
Transit Alert – Route 56 to downtown Seattle due to leave Alki at 7:19 AM will not operate this morning.
— King County Metro🚌 (@kcmetrobus) November 17, 2017
8:29 AM: Still quiet. If you’re going to be out late tonight/early tomorrow, you might want to know about this: Starting at 10 tonight, NB I-5 will be down to one lane at Seneca Street, reopening by 6 am. The offramp to Seneca will be closed starting at 11:15 pm, and should also be open again by 6 am Saturday.
9 AM: Texter says the California/Admiral stoplight is flashing red again.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:52 AM: Good morning! No incidents in or from West Seattle so far. Only one West Seattle Bridge camera this morning – the other is down.
7:10 AM: SFD is responding to a crash reported on the northbound 1st Avenue South bridge by the Michigan exit.
7:12 AM: Just in from Metro:
Transit Alert – Route 56 to downtown Seattle due to leave Alki at 7:19 AM will not operate this morning.
— King County Metro🚌 (@kcmetrobus) November 16, 2017
7:26 AM: SFD has closed out of the 1st Ave. S. Bridge incident.
8:28 AM: Thanks for the text (206-293-6302 any time) – trouble on the eastbound bridge, just verified by SDOT, which tweets: “Stalled vehicle on West Seattle Bridge EB at Delridge Way SW blocking center lane.”
8:50 AM: Turns out that was fairly short-lived – all clear now.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:59 AM: Good morning. No incidents reported in/from West Seattle so far on this damp morning but this might be the only area in the region without trouble.
Meantime, Susan reports via Twitter that truck backups have returned to the westbound bridge this week.
LIGHT RAIL: Interested in the plan for light rail to come to West Seattle in 2030? Tonight’s the night the Junction Neighborhood Organization hosts a Sound Transit presentation about it, 6:30 pm at the Senior Center/Sisson Building (4217 SW Oregon).
7:37 AM: Sharon reports in a comment below that the chronic flooding of the Delridge onramp to the bridge is back.
7:53 AM: Metro just sent an alert saying the 56 scheduled a few minutes ago did not operate.
8:16 AM: Regional traffic-watchers have described this commute as “a slog.” As Judy noted in comments, the last stretch of Harbor Avenue headed for the bridge is included in that this morning – the SDOT map currently verifies that by showing the road in red. No incidents reported, but we know there are chronic flooding problems on that stretch too.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:03 AM: Good morning. The Seattle City Light map shows most West Seattleites affected by outages have their power back – but not all; a pocket of 400+ customers is shown as still out in the Delridge area just north of Orchard/Sylvan, and there are still smaller pockets elsewhere. Please let us know, when you can do so safely, if you see a stoplight that’s not working or a tree/pole/etc. still blocking a road or path. First report in is from Al, who says a streetlight’s downed on the Harbor Avenue trail across from 7-11.
And of course any major hazard should be reported to authorities first if you’re not sure they know – 911 before business hours, then 206-684-ROAD for SDOT.
6:42 AM: Scanner confirms what the outage map suggests – the signal at Roxbury/Olson/4th is still out, so plan on extra time getting through that area (and stop all ways when signals aren’t working).
7:15 AM: Per e-mail, on 36th SW between Andover and Dakota, the downed streetlight shown in last night’s coverage is still down across the sidewalk. … On 41st SW between Manning and Hinds, a tree is still down across the street, Terri tells us this morning.
8:18 AM: Still incident-free. As for the outages, City Light warns that as it takes on the smaller outages – which is what’s left in West Seattle, between 1 and 411 customers – its pace of repairs will slow (160+ outages remain citywide, affecting 6,300+ customers).
11:41 AM: Police are investigating after the driver of a Ford F-150 pickup truck is reported to have hit other vehicles, ending with a crash on Highland Park Way. We have heard the location described as being near West Marginal and being near Othello – and more officers are being summoned for traffic control, so avoid the hill if you can. At least one person is reported to have been injured.
12:16 PM: Adding photo. This is on the uphill (southbound) side, near SW Othello.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:35 AM: As predicted, the wind has kicked up. No incidents reported so far. One transit alert:
Transit Alert – Route 116 to downtown Seattle due to leave the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal at 7:30 AM will not operate this morning.
— King County Metro🚌 (@kcmetrobus) November 13, 2017
Please let us know about any weather/traffic trouble you see (including power outages), when you can do so safely – text/call 206-293-6302. Thank you.
7 AM: Still no incidents/outages – one person reports a Comcast outage in Belvidere, no way to know if it’s weather-related but they want to remind you to report cable outages too so repair crews will be dispatched quicker. Meantime, the wind advisory is in effect through 7 tonight.
8:05 AM: At least where we are, the wind has quieted somewhat, for now. Still no local incidents reported.
8:23 AM: This is apparently just a break in the wind – the NWS has upped the alert to a High Wind Warning, with possible gusts to 60 mph, in effect through 9 tonight.
9:52 AM: Crash reported, three vehicles, with at least one person hurt, on NB Highway 99 at Yesler.
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