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

7:05 AM: Some are continuing their holiday weekend today, and traffic volumes are reported to be lighter than the usual weekend around the region. No incidents this morning in/from West Seattle, so far.

LOOKING AHEAD: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday bring West Seattle Summer Fest to the heart of The Junction – filling California SW between Edmunds and Genesee, SW Alaska between 44th and 42nd. Our previews resume today. Metro’s festival-related reroutes aren’t up yet but we’ll spotlight them as soon as they are.

7:15 AM – BUS CANCELLATION: Just texted and tweeted by Metro, a few minutes after the fact:

ADDED: In case you wondered – SDOT confirms to WSB that the remaining Fauntleroy Expressway work is on hold because of last Friday’s incident that left one worker dead and another hurt. So no bridge closures until further notice.

9:35 AM: Continuing the coverage we began just after 8 am in our morning traffic watch:

Two workers were rushed to Harborview Medical Center after a truck driver hit the lift they were in, working by the west end of the West Seattle Bridge.

One worker, described as a 40-year-old man, has life-threatening injuries, and that’s why the Seattle Police Traffic Collision Investigation Squad was called out.

This happened alongside the bridge, on the exit from surface Spokane Street headed up to Admiral Way, and that area is blocked off right now. This is where the Fauntleroy Expressway seismic-cushion work has been under way but we haven’t yet verified with SDOT that the crew was associated with that project. We will update this report with any further information about the investigation, the victims, and the road closure, which we’re hearing may expand to block off more of the Spokane/Manning/Admiral intersection.

10:08 AM: The turn from Avalon to cut under the bridge toward Admiral is also blocked off.

11:14 AM: We are just back from the briefing at Harborview, but as commenters point out, SPD Blotter was updated in the meantime. They confirmed to us at Harborview (where SFD had a fireworks-safety briefing pre-scheduled, and we then found out SPD and SDOT would be answering questions about this incident, so we headed there) that the crew was working on the Fauntleroy Expressway project, and that the truck we had photographed on Admiral Way (above) was the one involved. SDOT spokesperson Rick Sheridan told us at the briefing that it’s too soon to say if this will delay the completion of the bridge work, which has been under way since May. More to come, including video of the briefing.

12:10 PM: Harborview spokesperson Susan Gregg confirms what a commenter had reported earlier – that the man who fell the furthest has died.

1:18 PM: We’re just back from checking on what’s still closed off. TCIS was clearing the Avalon/Harbor intersection while we were there, but the scene itself, westbound lower Spokane to Admiral, was still closed. We’ll check back at midafternoon.

2:52 PM: Per both scanner and Twitter, the scene has fully 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)

6:57 AM: Good morning and happy Friday. No incidents in or from West Seattle, so far. Here’s what you need to know as the holiday weekend arrives:

NEXT BRIDGE CLOSURE, TUESDAY NIGHT: The Fauntleroy Expressway seismic-safety work is done for the week, and because of Monday’s holiday, the next overnight closure of the west end of the West Seattle Bridge isn’t scheduled until Tuesday night-Wednesday morning.

HOLIDAY TRANSIT CHANGES: They’re in our one-page West Seattle 4th of July guide.

MONDAY PARADE: Later this morning, we’re publishing an update on Monday’s 4th of July Kids’ Parade in North Admiral. If you’re not participating or watching, main thing to remember in terms of traffic is that the parade crosses California SW at Atlantic while en route to the endpoint at Hamilton Viewpoint Park, and police stop traffic at that point. Metro Route 128 will be rerouted, too.

CITYWIDE ALERTS: Here’s the SDOT roundup for the holiday weekend, including the M’s schedule at Safeco.

8:01 AM: We’re hearing a dispatch for an emergency response on or near the West Seattle Bridge – the medical response is being sent to the Nucor vicinity, possibly a construction worker falling from a lift; we haven’t yet heard what they’ve found, but if you’re seeing a response in the area, that’s what’s going on.

8:09 AM: According to the scanner, a construction worker fell at least 30 feet from a lift and is being rushed to the hospital – there is reported to be a second victim on the ramp to Admiral from lower Spokane St. We’re still not clear on how this happened nor how it is affecting traffic but are headed to the scene to try to find out.

8:13 AM: Per scanner, a truck hit the lift, causing the fall. The victim is reported to be 40 years old and has multiple injuries. We will likely break this out to a separate report shortly but for now it appears westbound lower Spokane to Admiral is where the traffic effects are. Police are investigating.

8:49 AM: SFD has clarified that the two people who were hurt and taken to the hospital are both workers. One has life-threatening injuries. The other is seriously hurt, per SFD. The major incident-investigation squad TCIS has responded so the ramp to Admiral – again, this is the ramp from surface Spokane, not from the bridge itself – will likely be closed for hours.

9:35 AM: We’re continuing our coverage of the lift/truck incident in this just-published story.

(WSB photo from last week)

A few updates on the Fauntleroy Expressway seismic-safety-cushion-re-replacement project, which has been closing the west end of the West Seattle Bridge five nights a week for most of the past month and a half: Project spokesperson Paul Elliott says the eastbound Spokane St. onramp closure announced for 7 pm tonight apparently is NOT happening after all – the work was done last night, he learned. So unless something else changes at the last minute, tonight will be a “regular” 9 pm-5 am closure of the west end of the bridge, both ways.

Good news is – they are almost done re-replacing the cushions. A few more tasks remain before the bridge closures are done with, according to Elliott, but they’re close. And because of the holiday, tonight is the last closure until next Tuesday night (July 5th). We should get a project status update post-holiday.

(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)

7:18 AM: Good morning. WSDOT says traffic is lighter than usual around the region, so it seems the holiday has started early for some. No major problems so far. Remember that tonight’s closure of the west end of the West Seattle Bridge will be preceded by a closure of the Spokane St. ramp to the eastbound bridge at 7 pm, and SDOT says the bridge closure itself won’t start until that’s done.

SODO TONIGHT: Mariners’ home stand continues with a 7:10 pm game vs. Baltimore.

4TH OF JULY INFO: Transit plans for the holiday are part of our annual Independence Day guide, which you can see here.

5:08 PM: SDOT now says the ramp closure is NOT happening tonight – the bridge closure should be on a “normal” schedule. That update and more, here.

(Screengrab from SDOT video feed)

6:07 PM: SDOT reports two eastbound lanes are blocked on the high bridge by a crash. Seattle Fire is responding too.

6:25 PM: This is actually just west of the 4th Avenue exit, according to the live feed on the SDOT Travelers’ Information page. The SFD response “closed” fairly quickly, so apparently no major injuries.

6:50 PM: SDOT tweet and video feed both confirm the crash scene is cleared. (Thanks again to the tipsters who checked in to make sure we’d heard.)

(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! No incidents reported in/from West Seattle so far.

PAVING PROJECTS: Two notes – first, the SW 106th work in Arbor Heights is scheduled to continue today. Second, we discovered last night thanks to reader Marty2 that the paving on 8th the next two days is apparently in South Park on 8th S., NOT Highland Park on 8th SW as announced by SDOT.

BRIDGE CLOSURE: The Fauntleroy Expressway work continues, with the west end of the bridge again scheduled for closure 9 pm-5 am. (And remember that TOMORROW night – Thursday, June 30th – it will start with a 7 pm closure of the eastbound onramp from Spokane St.)

IN SODO: Mariners’ home stand continues; they’re hosting Pittsburgh again tonight at 7:10 pm.

9:13 AM: Tipster reports a “fender-bender” blocking eastbound Admiral Way between California and 42nd.

9:18 AM: If you’re seeing crane activity in the 4800 block of California, it’s for installations of a communications antenna atop the building at 4815. Thanks to Carrie for that tip.

(Screengrab from SDOT video feed)

9:03 PM: If you’re heading westbound, beware – not only is the west end of the West Seattle Bridge closing for the nightly Fauntleroy Expressway work, but the right lane before the Delridge exit is also blocked because of a crash. Thanks to the tipster who alerted us. If you are heading westbound any time soon – you might consider waiting a while.

9:23 PM: The scene has cleared, per the live-video feed on the SDOT travelers’ map.

(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)

6:50 AM: We start with a transit alert, just texted and tweeted by Metro, no advance warning for those affected:

Otherwise, no incidents reported in/from West Seattle.

ANOTHER BRIDGE CLOSURE TONIGHT: Fauntleroy Expressway bridge closures continue tonight, 9 pm-5 am; also note SDOT‘s announcement that Thursday night’s closure will be preceded by a “brief” (possibly up to two hours) closure of the Spokane onramp to the eastbound West Seattle Bridge. SDOT says the bridge closures will end soon, though no date yet – if you drive through the work zone under the bridge, you’ll note they’re now working almost at the west end of the elevated section, northwest of the Luna Park business district.

PAVING IN ARBOR HEIGHTS: Today is the first of two days SDOT says it will be repaving SW 106th between 35th and 39th.

On Thursday night – what would be this week’s last night of work on the Fauntleroy Expressway seismic-cushion-re-replacement project – you might need to know about this extra early on-ramp closure just announced by SDOT:

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) advises travelers in West Seattle that the on-ramp from surface Spokane Street onto the eastbound direction of the Fauntleroy Expressway (adjacent to the Nucor plant) will be closed for a short time on Thursday evening, June 30, beginning at 7 p.m. in order for the contractor to replace its bearing pads. During the short closure, motorists seeking to use this on-ramp will instead be detoured to the nearby Delridge on-ramp.

It is expected that the surface street Spokane on-ramp will be reopened by 9 p.m. The mainline Expressway closure Thursday evening will NOT begin until the on-ramp has been reopened.

The Fauntleroy Expressway Bearing Pad Replacement Project began with its first weeknight closure of the Expressway in mid-May and is nearing its completion.

We have a question out to SDOT to ask just how “near” it is to being done.

10 PM NOTE: Very near, we’re told. The SDOT spokesperson to whom we spoke said they’re not ready to settle on a date for the end of the bridge closures, but it’s not far away, certainly sooner than the “end of July” date you’ve seen on the lighted signboards.

(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)

6:45 AM: Good morning. It’s the first weekday of summer break for Seattle Public Schools. Also, one week until the Fourth of July holiday. Traffic notes:

BRIDGE CLOSURES CONTINUE: Again tonight, 9 pm-5 am, the west end of the West Seattle Bridge will be closed as the Fauntleroy Expressway earthquake-safety-cushion re-replacements continue.

MARINERS OFF TONIGHT: No stadium activity in SODO tonight, but the M’s play Pittsburgh at home tomorrow, 7:10 pm.

ARBOR HEIGHTS PAVING TOMORROW: As announced by SDOT last week, paving is planned on SW 106th between 35th and 39th, tomorrow and Wednesday.

9:47 PM: Not only is it the time of night when the west end of the West Seattle Bridge is closing for Fauntleroy Expressway work – there’s also a westbound crash right now, too:

If you have to head this way any time soon – wait, or think about an alternate route. Thanks to Evin for first word of this via Twitter.

UPDATE: From SDOT:

(WSB photo)

3:31 PM: A two-vehicle crash at 35th and Avalon is tying things up right now at that busy intersection. At the scene, our crew was told one person is hurt and going to the hospital via private ambulance. Avoid the area.

3:39 PM: Per scanner, “all eastbound lanes on Avalon are clear” at the crash scene.

3:47 PM: Tow truck is reported to be on scene now – lanes will be blocked temporarily until it’s done.

4:04 PM: SDOT cameras show the scene is clear.

(Scroll down for the latest)

3:10 PM: President Obama is due to land at Sea-Tac Airport shortly, and once his motorcade is on the move, that’ll mean rolling slowdowns between there and downtown Seattle. West Seattle Bridge access to I-5 is usually temporarily closed too.

3:15 PM: Just heard an estimate that Air Force One is “about 20 minutes out.” According to Seattle Times political reporter Jim Brunner via Twitter, the greeting party at Sea-Tac includes County Executive Dow Constantine, Mayor Ed Murray, and Governor Jay Inslee.

3:33 PM: As shown on KING‘s live stream, Air Force One has landed at Sea-Tac.

3:50 PM: The live stream now shows the motorcade on the move away from the tarmac. I-5 ramps are reported to be closed, so if you’re heading eastbound, this will affect the West Seattle Bridge for a bit. Again, the President is headed downtown, for a dinner fundraiser, and then out of downtown for a private-residence fundraiser after 8 pm, and then will be staying overnight downtown, until leaving by 9:45 am Saturday.

4:07 PM: According to the view of the east end of the eastbound West Seattle Bridge via SDOT video feed, I-5 northbound is open again, as is the ramp to it (moving slowly, but that’s fairly usual), and the President is arriving downtown.

We’ll update this report if there are any alerts to share later.

7:20 PM: Just a note – the “secret” location for the President’s second stop tonight has finally been made public. The Times says it’s a residence in Medina (scroll to the 6:15 pm update). So sometime after 8 pm, when the President leaves the downtown Seattle fundraiser, he’ll be headed to the Eastside and back downtown, until heading to Sea-Tac and flying back out Saturday morning.

8 AM SATURDAY: The President is still expected to be departing within the next hour and a half or so, so if you’re headed eastbound, heads-up for bridge ramp closures when the motorcade heads to Sea-Tac from downtown.

9:06 AM SATURDAY: Scanner indicates I-5 ramps are closing.

9:19 AM SATURDAY: Motorcade reported to be on the move.

9:26 AM SATURDAY: Ramp closures over.

(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)

6:48 AM: Good morning! No incidents in/from West Seattle right now. Today’s big traffic lookahead:

PRESIDENTIAL VISIT: President Obama is due in this pm from the Bay Area to headline a political fundraising dinner at the Convention Center downtown, and is staying overnight. The Boeing Field advisory kicks in at 3:15 pm today and lasts until 9:45 am Saturday, so his arrival/departure will be somewhere in that window. His motorcade usually uses I-5, and when it’s about to pass, the ramps from the West Seattle Bridge are usually closed, so watch for updates here.

7 AM: Just texted and tweeted by Metro, a West Seattle bus cancellation:

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL: We should also note that Seattle Public Schools‘ last day of classes is today, with one-hour early dismissal.

8:09 AM – PRESIDENTIAL VISIT UPDATE: Found the official schedule on the White House website. 3:20 pm arrival projected; 6:55 speech at the dinner fundraiser; then at 8:25 pm, he’s due to speak at a “private residence” fundraiser, and after that it’ll be back to downtown Seattle for an overnight stay – the downtown security zone is detailed by SPD here. He’s supposed to depart by 9:45 am Saturday, as mentioned earlier.

3:18 PM: We’ve launched a separate update now that the President is on the way – find it here.

In case you’re on the move this early morning, no more bridge detours until Sunday night – the final closure of the week on the west end of the West Seattle Bridge ended early. When we crossed back westward at 12:20 am after a short trip downtown, we noticed the closure was ending, and double-verified via cameras once we got back to HQ.

(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)

6:05 AM: Trouble on northbound I-5 north of the West Seattle Bridge – a crash at Yesler is blocking two lanes and backing up 5 in a big way. There’s also trouble on SB 5 in the same area, if you happen to be heading this way instead of outbound.

TRAFFIC-AFFECTING PREVIEWS: The Fauntleroy Expressway work continues on its Sunday-Thursday schedule, so 9 pm-5 am tonight would be the last scheduled session for the week, closing the west end of the bridge overnight … Paving work is scheduled to continue on 26th SW, southbound between Barton and Cambridge, just south of Westwood Village … President Obama visits Seattle Friday pm, leaving Saturday, specific times not yet announced.

6:50 AM: The NB I-5 crash has been cleared. But now there’s a crash on southbound 99 before the exit to the West Seattle Bridge.

9:22 AM: A WSDOT e-mail alert says that crash scene finally cleared a short time ago.

(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)

6:16 AM: Good morning – quiet commute so far. What you need to know:

BRIDGE ‘BUMP’: The Fauntleroy Expressway end of the West Seattle Bridge will have a “bump” today and some subsequent days because of how the work has changed; it’ll also be closed again tonight, 9 pm-5 am.

26TH SW WORK: One block of southbound 26th SW is closed, between Barton and Cambridge, while SDOT finishes the pavement-repair work that started back in April.

PRESIDENT ON FRIDAY: President Obama returns to Seattle for a fundraising dinner at the Convention Center downtown on Friday night. This report says he’ll be staying overnight and leaving Saturday.

For the past month-plus, the Fauntleroy Expressway seismic-cushion re-replacement work has happened in overnight hours, with no residual effects the next day. Starting tomorrow, SDOT just announced tonight, you will notice a bump toward the west end of the bridge, some days – here’s why:

Contractors replacing the bearing pads on the Fauntleroy Expressway are well over halfway to finishing their work, but are now working where the bridge turns in or out of West Seattle (west of SW Avalon Way) where setting the jacks used to raise the bridge is more challenging and a slower process.

Having worked from east to west, crews up to this point have been able to set the jacks from a flat paved surface below. As the bridge crosses over Avalon, crews are forced to work from the dirt hillside below, a more challenging work environment.

Until now, crews have generally been able to replace the bearing pads on both sides of the expansion joints each night, such that motorists notice no difference when they drive the segment the next day. The work at each expansion joint now expected to take two nights, there will be a several-inch differential on one side of the roadway at the joint until the bearing pad replacement on the other side of the roadway is completed the next night.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

• The contractor will place a temporary asphalt patch to smooth the transition for motorists. However, drivers are cautioned to expect the bump and encouraged to adjust their speed accordingly. Additional signage will be placed to alert motorists of the bump condition.

• The situation will become evident tomorrow morning, June 22, when motorists will first encounter the above described asphalt wedge. This evening crews will complete work on one side of the Expressway at the turn, but won’t complete the other side until Wednesday evening. The wedge will be in place in the interim. This condition will be repeated over the next few weeks as the crews move to other expansion joints.

• Motorists should also expect some short temporary daytime lane closures tomorrow and on subsequent days as crews may need to make sure the asphalt patch remains in good condition.