(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 AM: Good morning. The rain continues, and the National Weather Service says the first round of wind is on the way, with a High Wind Warning from 6 pm tonight to 7 am Friday.

If you are heading TOWARD West Seattle right now or soon, be forewarned that a crash has closed the southbound Battery Street Tunnel.

7:40 AM: That crash has cleared. Nothing else reported on nearby routes except general slowness. Meantime, forecasters say that while the wind warning starts at 6 pm in our area, the worst isn’t expected until late tonight. We will be on storm watch through the night and into early Friday. (Another reminder that school’s out tomorrow – long-scheduled day of no classes for Seattle Public Schools.)

7:48 AM: Texter warns of especially slow traffic on Admiral Way getting to the bridge.

7:55 AM: Could be related to that:

8:11 AM: Texter (reach us at 206-293-6302 any time) says the light on Cloverdale at Highway 509 is out, and that’s causing some backup on the 1st-to-Olson-to-Roxbury hill.

8:28 AM: Iggy reports in comments that the Route 22 bus has lost a tire, south of Morgan Junction, and is awaiting Metro maintenance. Until and unless a replacement has been brought in, could mean delays for people waiting to ride elsewhere on the route.

(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 AM: Good morning! No incidents reported right now in/from West Seattle.

Weather-wise, it’s “calm before the storm” phase – early this morning, the National Weather Service raised the alert level to a High Wind Watch, with gusts up to 55 mph possible Thursday night into Friday morning.

As for road-work alerts – the SW Admiral Way work west of California continues. We noticed restriping complete on part of the route between the Admiral District and Schmitz Park, but more ahead to the west.

FERRY MEETING: Last night at the Fauntleroy Community Association meeting, we learned that Washington State Ferries plans a series of community meetings, including one in Fauntleroy on October 27th, later this month. Full report coming up later this morning.

7:38 AM: Just spun through the live cameras (lower-right dropdown here). Still OK – the usual sluggish spots, eastbound low bridge and 99 exit lane on high bridge.

8:38 AM: Still quiet. A few more reminders:

–Sounders FC vs. Houston, 7:30 pm at CenturyLink
–No school for Seattle Public Schools students on Friday

It’s the third month of work on the lower Spokane Street Paving Project, and this weekend will bring closures and detours that SDOT and project managers want to warn you about early:

Westbound SW Spokane St at E Marginal Way and the off- ramps to Harbor Island from westbound West Seattle Freeway and from southbound SR99 will be closed this coming weekend beginning Friday evening, October 14, at 7 p.m. The roadway and off- ramps will be reopened Monday morning, October 17, by 5 a.m. The closures are needed in order to remove an abandoned RR track crossing and to perform full-depth pavement repairs on SW Spokane St.

• Motorists who are not in large trucks/commercial vehicles can detour by taking the high level West Seattle Bridge, using the Delridge Way exit, then taking the right onto Chelan Ave SW, another right onto SW Spokane St, and eastbound across the Duwamish (River) and back onto Harbor Island.

• Large trucks and commercial vehicles can take the “official signed” detour route because it is primarily intended for large trucks that are unable to use the detour described above. The signed detour will direct motorists to go south on East Marginal Way S, across the First Ave S Bridge. They will be directed to take the first exit after the bridge, looping them back onto northbound 2nd Ave S, and onto W Marginal Way SW. After passing underneath the West Seattle Bridge, they will be directed to take a left turn onto SW Spokane St, which will take them eastbound back across the Duwamish West Waterway and onto Harbor Island.

• Eastbound through traffic on SW Spokane St is advised to use alternate routes into Seattle. Eastbound SW Spokane St will be closed at 11th Ave, where motorists will be detoured up onto Harbor Island in order to turn around and continue eastbound via SW Klickitat Way and SW Manning St.

The pavement repairs are part of the SDOT project currently repaving SW Spokane St from SW Klickitat Way to East Marginal Way S.

(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)

6:59 AM: No incidents in/from West Seattle so far.

7:39 AM: Still relatively quiet. Took a spin around the live video cameras – the eastbound low bridge looks a little more sluggish than usual.

8:17 AM: First problem of the morning. Thanks to Steve for the tip – a collision between a Microsoft Connector bus and a car. An SDOT camera shows them pulled over just past the 99 exit on the eastbound bridge. No SFD callout for this, so apparently no injuries.

8:55 AM: Not resolved yet – now the camera shows a second Connector bus pulled up alongside the one on the shoulder, and an SPD car at the scene:

8:58 AM: And both buses have left, leaving the car and an SPD motorcycle on the shoulder, for now.

(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. We have a report that the light at 35th/Fauntleroy is broken – on the way to look.

Also: If you take 4th Avenue into downtown, be aware of a crash at 4th/James. Otherwise, no incidents on the major outbound routes from here.

Road work alerts:

ADMIRAL WAY: The rechannelization of SW Admiral Way west of California continues into this week. Last week, crews finished removing the old striping, but hadn’t started with the new. This means parking restrictions continue, too.

SPOKANE STREET: The project east of the low bridge continues – this week’s plan is described here, including closures/detours next weekend.

7:09 AM: SDOT says 4th/James has cleared.

7:15 AM: The SDOT live-video webcam accessible here (via lower-right “West Seattle” menu) confirms that 35th/Fauntleroy is in flashing-red mode both ways. SDOT says via Twitter that a repair crew is on the way as is SPD to help direct traffic.

7:31 AM: Still flashing at 35th/Fauntleroy. Camera now shows – for those heading westbound, into West Seattle, from the Fauntleroy end of the bridge – that the turn lane onto southbound 35th is coned off.

7:37 AM: SDOT says the signal has been fixed. By the way, if you encounter a malfunctioning signal, 206-684-ROAD is the best way to report it.

7:59 AM: Some fog out there as you head east:

2:36 PM: Thanks for the text – 206-293-6302, any time – a tree is reported to be blocking the downhill lanes on the east Admiral Way hill (north of the West Seattle Bridge).

4:45 PM: Finally got a chance to go look – all clear.

(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)

6:59 AM: Blustery Friday morning! Here are the reminders and alerts:

WEEKEND VIADUCT CLOSURE: 6 am-6 pm Saturday and Sunday, West Seattle Bridge to Battery Street Tunnel plus a Saturday closure north of the BST, and the Highway 520 bridge will be closed too.

ALERTS:

—Admiral Way Safety Project work will extend beyond today because of the weather, SDOT says, in reminding people to keep heeding the no-parking signs.

We’ll be checking on other projects, as we did yesterday.

–Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth state-ferry riders should be aware that the smaller Tillikum has replaced the Kitsap, which had to be moved to another route in a domino effect from a ferry problem on the Bainbridge run. Thanks to Gary Dawson (ferry-issues point person for the Fauntleroy Community Association) for the heads-up.

7:15 AM: SFD has a crash call at 1st Ave. S/Spokane.

(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: We’re checking on a police/fire response at 34th/Myrtle, logged as a medic call. Meanwhile, today’s alerts/reminders:

WEEKEND VIADUCT CLOSURE: 6 am-6 pm Saturday and Sunday is the schedule for Highway 99’s twice-yearly inspection. WSDOT’s alert says the Highway 520 bridge will also be closed.

ROAD-WORK ALERTS:

–Paving scheduled today and tomorrow on 39th SW between SW Oregon and Fauntleroy Way in The Junction

—Admiral Way Safety Project work is scheduled

7:06 AM: Police had cleared the 34th/Myrtle call but we caught the last SFD crew there. They told us the call involved a person in crisis, taken to Harborview. The area’s now clear.

7:40 AM: Out checking on the road work. Confirmed that Beach Drive SW repaving is done, 61st to Charlestown. On Admiral, line removal has been done between 47th and the left-turn “pocket” that will remain. Crews are working right now on the lines at the west end of the project, 62nd-63rd.

8:08 AM No crews at 39th SW yet.

8:27 AM: Couple other things sighted: Hudson is blocked just west of Fauntleroy, while a crew digs up the road. And 40th SW is blocked between Alaska and Edmunds – looks like a portable crane has arrived to take down The Whittaker’s remaining tower crane (we’ll update when we have verified that).

9:18 AM: As Justin pointed out in comments, and as we have since verified at the scene, this is indeed crane removal, which could continue into tomorrow.

(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)

6:59 AM: Good morning! We start again with alerts and reminders:

WEEKEND VIADUCT CLOSURE REMINDER: Highway 99’s twice-yearly inspection is planned for 6 am-6 pm Saturday and Sunday, and WSDOT’s alert points out the Highway 520 bridge will be closed too, which means I-5 will likely have some challenges through downtown.

ROAD-WORK ALERTS:

–Beach Drive SW, south of 61st SW: Last scheduled day of paving.

–Tomorrow and Friday, paving is planned on 39th SW between SW Oregon and Fauntleroy Way.

—Surface Spokane work east of the low bridge continues.

7:23 AM: Thanks to Gina for also reminding us that this is the rescheduled start date for SDOT’s Admiral Way Safety Project, though, as noted in the rescheduling announcement last week, it’s weather-dependent, so that could slide.

9:22 AM: Another crash at Olson/Cambridge, same general area as Sunday. (Thanks for the text alert!)

(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)

6:34 AM: Welcome to a rainy Tuesday. Trouble right now on southbound I-5 just south of the West Seattle Bridge – a crash blocking two lanes and partly blocking the ramp from the bridge to 5 – so if you use that route, you might want to wait a while before leaving.

Meantime, alerts and reminders:

WEEKEND VIADUCT CLOSURE REMINDER: We’re mentioning this daily so no one’s taken by surprise. The Alaskan Way Viaduct – really, Highway 99 between the West Seattle Bridge and Battery Street Tunnel – is scheduled for closure Saturday and Sunday (October 8-9), 6 am-6 pm each day, for its twice-yearly inspection. These often end early; we’ll be updating all weekend. ALSO: The Highway 520 floating bridge will be closed all weekend too. Here’s what WSDOT says about both closures.

ROAD-WORK ALERTS: Here’s what you need to know:

–Beach Drive SW, south of 61st SW: Today is the second of three scheduled days for repaving between Orleans and Charlestown.

–On Thursday and Friday, paving crews will move on to 39th SW between SW Oregon and Fauntleroy Way.

–The Spokane St. paving project east of the low bridge continues; here’s what’s being done now.

FERRY NOTE: The Kitsap is back on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run today, so capacity is back to normal.

7:20 AM: SPD/SFD are responding to a crash reported at 16th SW/SW Cambridge. Meantime, the SB I-5 crash has cleared.

7:54 AM: If you’re heading this way instead of outbound: Crash reported on westbound West Seattle Bridge @ Delridge.

8:36 AM: The SFD response to that incident has closed.

8:45 AM: And the crash has cleared, per SDOT.

(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)

6:58 AM: Good morning. No incidents in/from West Seattle right now.

ROAD-WORK ALERTS: The Spokane St. project east of the low bridge continues – here’s the newest information … As noted here last night, SDOT crews are scheduled to be working on Beach Drive SW south of 61st SW the next three days.

VIADUCT CLOSURE NEXT WEEKEND: Reminder that the Alaskan Way Viaduct’s twice-yearly inspection/maintenance closure is set for next weekend, Saturday-Sunday, October 8-9, 6 am-6 pm both days (and if it ends early, as often happens, we’ll let you know ASAP here).

FERRY NOTE: One vessel on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run is being downsized, with the Tillikum being brought in to replace the Kitsap.

7:42 AM: We mentioned in our weekend preview of the Viaduct closure that WSDOT expected tunneling might pass the halfway mark this weekend. Just announced – it did (full announcement here). The current estimate for the tunnel to open is early 2019.

8:27 AM: While down on Beach Drive checking on the whale-sighting report, we passed the SDOT crews. Clearly a big tear-up-and-replace paving project. A separate ongoing utility project just north of 61st, on the south end of Constellation Park, continues too, so please be careful in the area (please don’t be like the driver who, when we slowed for the road crew, revved up, sped up to pass us, only to realize in half a block that s/he was in danger of mowing down workers in two work zones).

1:23 PM: Be careful out there – several problems so far today on area roads, and right now the biggest one is on the Olson Place hill [map], where police are on the scene of a multiple-vehicle crash and it’s affecting traffic to/from Highway 509 and up the hill toward Myers Way. We’ll be heading over for an update.

1:59 PM UPDATE: If you get off 509 at Myers/Cloverdale, once you get up the hill you’ll be diverted southbound onto Myers. You won’t be able to get down from Roxbury to 509. SPD is directing traffic. Just added a texted photo – thank you!

3 PM: Olson Place has just reopened. The white powder currently on the road surface was applied by SDOT.

P.S. We don’t have any details about the crash itself but no medic unit was ever dispatched, which usually means no serious injuries.

1:06 AM: Just reminding you that the overnight closure of the west end of the West Seattle Bridge is under way, so jersey barriers damaged in recent crashes can be replaced. Detours are listed in the original announcement. SDOT says this could last until 9 am.

6:38 AM: We’re seeing eastbound traffic via the 35th/Fauntleroy webcam, so the closure is over in that direction. The westbound side is still closed (work crews are visible on the “bridge deck” camera).

6:56 AM: And the westbound side has just reopened – we’re seeing regular traffic via the webcam.

(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. No incidents in/from West Seattle right now.

One big reminder for tonight:

BRIDGE CLOSURE: The west end of the West Seattle Bridge will be closed starting right before midnight so that SDOT crews can replace 18 jersey barriers damaged in crashes. SDOT says it should be open again by 9 am Saturday:

The West Seattle Bridge (WSB) will be closed to through traffic in both directions between 35th Ave SW and the Harbor Avenue/Avalon Way exit. Crews will begin closing lanes at 11:30 p.m. Friday with full closure by midnight. A detour will be in place for eastbound and westbound travelers on the WSB. The detour for eastbound traffic is via SW Avalon Way, SW Spokane St and back onto the WSB. The detour for westbound traffic is via the Harbor Avenue/Avalon Way exit to SW Avalon Way to Fauntleroy Way SW.

WEEKEND CITYWIDE ALERTS: Here’s SDOT’s roundup of major happenings around the city this weekend, including the Mariners’ regular-season-ending home series and tonight’s UW-Stanford game at Husky Stadium.

7:20 AM: Road-work notes:

35TH SW NORTH OF ALASKA: The pavement repairs in the northbound lanes between Alaska and Avalon should be done by this afternoon, SDOT told us yesterday.

ADMIRAL WAY WORK DELAYED TO NEXT WEEK: SDOT now says the work west of California won’t start until next Wednesday.

VIADUCT CLOSURE OCTOBER 8-9: The SDOT website still lists next weekend, 6 am-6 pm Saturday and Sunday, October 8th and 9th, for the next Alaskan Way Viaduct maintenance/inspection closure. WSDOT hasn’t announced it yet, though, so we’re checking with them this morning. (UPDATE: Yes, it IS on, WSDOT confirms, for NEXT weekend. Details will be out on Monday.)

7:52 AM – BEAUTY SHOT: Still no traffic trouble so we’re sharing a beautiful sunrise view from the Water Taxi dock at Seacrest this morning, just shared by Rahel O’Mara:

The Water Taxi remains on its 7-day-a-week schedule for one more month – the 5-day-a-week schedule starts on Monday, October 31st.

11:40 AM: Thanks to the person who texted that unannounced road-repair work is under way on the bridge deck, eastbound around 1st Avenue South – that is apparently backing up the high-rise in a big way. We’re asking SDOT if there’s any ETA on completion.

2:44 PM: If you’re headed southbound on I-5, note that the ramp to the westbound West Seattle Bridge is blocked right now:

Our photo from early this morning looks south toward where the pavement is torn up across both lanes of northbound 35th SW just north of Alaska, as WSB readers first started pointing out during Wednesday’s afternoon/evening commute, when encountering the resulting bottleneck without warning. After publishing an item about it last night, we contacted SDOT this morning to ask about it, as promised, and to find out how long the work will last. The reply, from SDOT spokesperson Sue Romero:

There was a lapse in timing of communicating on this specific project, therefore the work began without notification. In response to complaints from the public about the street, our crews are removing and replacing some concrete panels on 35th between SW Snoqualmie and SW Alaska. The work should be completed tomorrow and all lanes open by Friday afternoon.

So be forewarned, the lane closures will be continuing for the pm commute today – that caused some backup off the westbound bridge yesterday, coupled with a stalled vehicle by the last curve.

(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)

6:58 AM: One lane is reported blocked by a crash on the NB 1st Avenue South Bridge. And as promised, we’re off to check on the two lanes of NB 35th SW south of Avalon where torn-up pavement caused traffic trouble yesterday afternoon.

7:20 AM: Just checked. Yes, two lanes of 35th are still closed with torn-up pavement between Alaska and Avalon. This will be a bottleneck, albeit a relatively short one.

7:34 AM: The 1st Ave. S. Bridge crash has cleared.

10:53 AM: SDOT says the pavement work will continue into tomorrow. Separate update ahead.

Several people have pointed out the traffic snarl caused by a section of northbound 35th Avenue SW being torn up between Avalon and Alaska, near West Seattle Stadium. There was no advance warning of, nor alert about, this, so we don’t know (yet) exactly what’s being done here nor whether it’s related to the almost-complete mixed-use project nearby. But unless a crew returns sometime tonight, this could still be in place tomorrow morning, so this is a heads-up that you might want to avoid the area while outbound, if you can.

We’ll check on it by 7 am for an update in our morning traffic coverage, so check for an update on whether it’s fixed by then.

(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)

7:25 AM: No incidents to report so far this morning, in West Seattle or on the major outbound routes from here.

TODAY’S ALERTS
*Seattle Public Schools get out two hours early today
*Work on the Admiral Way Safety Project starts today
*SODO alert: Sounders FC game @ 7:30 pm (vs. Chicago)

WEEKEND REMINDER:
*West Seattle Bridge west-end closure 12-9 am Saturday to replace damaged jersey barriers

8:02 AM: Trouble on northbound I-5 – a medic response in the Convention Center area. Left two lanes are blocked, according to WSDOT.

8:16 AM: That scene is reported to be almost fully blocked. And you know how morning NB I-5 backups compound quickly. So if you’re heading out soon, we’d advise not trying to get onto NB I-5 for a while.

8:47 AM: The NB I-5 crash scene is now down to one lane blocked. The backup, of course, will take a while to ease.

10:33 AM NOTE: We checked the Admiral Way project zone a bit earlier this morning – no signs of crews yet – we’ll check back later.

(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)

6:58 AM: No incidents to report so far this morning.

THIS WEEK’S ALERTS
*Spokane St. project continues east of the low bridge
*Work on the Admiral Way Safety Project starts tomorrow
*Seattle Public Schools get out two hours early tomorrow
*West Seattle Bridge west-end closure 12-9 am Saturday to replace damaged jersey barriers

7:42 AM: Crash reported at West Marginal S & Holden, which is the entrance to the NB 1st Ave S. Bridge.

7:48 AM: SDOT reports a crash in the bus lane on the EB West Seattle Bridge.

8:07 AM: Update on the W Marginal/Holden crash – WSDOT now shows it on SB 99 south of the 1st Ave S Bridge, not NB.

8:44 AM: SDOT says the West Seattle Bridge crash has cleared.

(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)

6:54 AM: Good morning! No incidents reported so far in or from West Seattle.

THIS WEEK’S ALERTS
*Spokane St. project continues east of the low bridge
*South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) starts the fall quarter today
*Seattle Public Schools will be out two hours early on Wednesday
*West Seattle Bridge west-end closure next Saturday morning for jersey-barrier replacement

8:05 AM: Still no incidents to report.