10:26 PM: Just getting word of a deadly motorcycle crash that Seattle Police say has closed northbound 99/Viaduct. Via Twitter, SPD says the motorcyclist “went off the Viaduct and landed on Railroad Avenue.” A section of 1st Avenue South is also closed. Looks like this is by CenturyLink Field. The Traffic Collision Investigation Squad is arriving at the scene, which suggests this will be closed for some hours as they work to find out how it happened.

2:30 AM: WSDOT has sent an e-mail alert saying northbound 99 is now open again. No update from investigators yet, but one is likely in the hours ahead.

8:55 AM: Here’s the short update on SPD Blotter, saying the rider was ejected off his Triumph motorcycle after hitting the east guardrail, adding: “Speed may have been a factor in this collision.”

THURSDAY, 10:09 PM: The Medical Examiner identifies the rider as 30-year-old Nathaniel Hammer.

(Live view from the west-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
Nothing unusual in this vicinity so far today – but the roads are wet and overall, that means slower going. Meantime, two repaving projects are scheduled to continue: 6000 block of Beach Drive, one lane alternating directions with a flagger, and Delridge repaving between Henderson and Roxbury. (Added – as noted in comments – work is not complete on Orchard west of Delridge, as an offshoot of the paving project – it’s scheduled to continue through the week, with the westbound side listed as the current focus zone.)

WEST SEATTLE TRANSIT COALITION: Our report on its launch will be up later today. If you’re on the bus and ready to read about it now, the first round of notes from its organizers are here, and our video of the meeting (better suited for listening than watching due to camera challenges) is here.

NOTE FOR TOMORROW: Thanks to Tracy for the heads-up that the annual Microsoft meeting is tomorrow (Thursday, September 26) – at KeyArena this time, but events there can cause domino-effect congestion down the line, so consider yourself forewarned.

7:45 AM UPDATE: Crash at 35th/Fauntleroy – thanks to Jana and Kristen for the tips via Twitter. Here’s a view on the live camera:

Does not appear to be a major-injury situation, judging by the 911 dispatch.

8:06 AM UPDATE: Camera view shows the crash scene has cleared.

8:15 AM NOTE: As mentioned here last night, this is an “early dismissal” day for Seattle Public Schools, so you will see school buses out and about two hours earlier than usual.

1:13 PM NOTE: More on the Microsoft meeting tomorrow – the city has issued this alert:

Tomorrow, September 26, Microsoft will hold its Annual Company Meeting at the Key Arena from 10 a.m. to approximately 4 p.m. Some 15,000 attendees, traveling via 200 buses and 4,000 private vehicles, are expected to begin arriving at 8:30 a.m. and start leaving at roughly 4 p.m. The Seattle Department of Transportation advises motorists driving in the area surrounding the Seattle Center to anticipate heavy congestion in the morning and afternoon and allow for extra travel time.

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
Traffic watch begins for Tuesday, and we have two road-work projects to mention:

6000 BLOCK OF BEACH DRIVE: Now that the slope repair is done, the long-rutted road is being ground down and repaved as promised. The city now says the work is expected to run 7 am-7 pm today and tomorrow. One lane will be kept open for traffic, alternating directions with the help of a flagger.

SOUTH DELRIDGE REPAVING: The final stage of this year-long project is now under way, restricting traffic from Henderson to Roxbury. (Follow that link to see the detour map.)

WEST SEATTLE TRANSIT COALITION TONIGHT: 6:30 pm, the launch meeting of a peninsula-wide advocacy group – location and agenda info here.

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
Happy Friday! As we keep an eye on today’s traffic, here’s the citywide roundup of potential traffic-affecting events for the next three days. Also: Starting at 7 pm tonight, northbound I-5 ramps to the West Seattle Bridge and Beacon Hill are closed all weekend.

1:28 PM: Crash on the westbound bridge, closer to WS side.

For the third time in a week, a crash is causing trouble on SW Roxbury – this time at 22nd SW, and it’s blocking westbound traffic. No serious injuries but three vehicles were involved and it’ll likely take a while to clear.

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
Yes, it really is the last Thursday of summer – with the fall equinox coming up this Sunday. (Come to sunset watch Sunday night with Alice Enevoldsen of Alice’s Astro Info and WSB’s “Skies Over West Seattle“!) The commute knows no seasons, though – so, we’re off and running/walking/riding/driving for today …

ROAD WORK NOTE: 10 pm tonight-5 am Friday (and again all weekend), the northbound I-5 ramp to the West Seattle Bridge will be closed – full details here.

METRO TRANSIT NOTE: In case you haven’t seen it yet, Metro is out with details of the upcoming service revisions, including changes on three West Seattle routes – here’s the story we published last night.

7:34 AM UPDATE: There’s a crash at California/Oregon that’s slowing traffic – thanks to David for the tip, just before Christopher mentioned it in comments.

David sent that photo; the crash is on 911 as California/Oregon (eastbound lane) but actually appears to be a bit to the west.

8:10 AM UPDATE: SFD has cleared that crash scene, according to the 911 log; Christopher went over in the meantime and reports, “A couple of shaken-up drivers but no major injuries. The Volvo in front seemed to escape any serious damage. Just some scratched up bumper trim. The Honda in back was really crunched up and the airbag deployed. The Volvo driver told me that the Honda driver came up the hill eastbound really fast behind her and may have been blinded by the sun.”

10:24 AM: Richard tweeted about a crash on the OTHER end of The Junction, California/Dawson.

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
Nothing out of the ordinary in this morning’s commute so far. Road work reminder – SW Orchard between Delridge and Sylvan is now closed westbound, as part of the main page for the Delridge Repaving Project. Later this week, the ramp from northbound I-5 to the West Seattle Bridge will be closed overnight Thursday night-Friday morning for expansion-joint work, and then all weekend, 7 pm Friday-early Monday.

7:52 AM: And if you will find yourself driving in or near downtown late tonight/early tomorrow, two not-far-from-here closures you might want to be aware of: Up to 3 lanes of northbound I-5 are closing at Mercer, 9 pm-5 am, per WSDOT; northbound 99 will be closed from the Battery Street Tunnel northward to Valley St, 10 pm-5 am.

9:07 AM: Thanks to those who tipped us to a crash at California/Oregon; Kelly tweeted a photo:

@westseattleblog – looked like people were ok. Fire and police on scene. In front of Shadowland in Jxn. pic.twitter.com/KyZcvejWwm

— Kelly Donovan (@kdbokay) September 17, 2013

California northbound was briefly blocked at the scene, per scanner traffic, but no serious injuries reported.

4:56 PM: Thanks for the tips on a new traffic trouble spot – Roxbury is backed up westbound, from 8th SW eastward.

The signal is flashing 4-way red and police are directing traffic. It seems to involve a Metro bus – we are here trying to find out more.

5:10 PM: Light is working again but situation isn’t clear yet.

Police are talking with someone they say reported the bus (pulled over) hit her, but it doesn’t appear she is hurt.

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
7:04 AM: No problems of note reported so far in the early going. As for this week’s road work, the closure on SW Orchard between Delridge and Sylvan is scheduled to shift today to the westbound side, as explained on the main page for the Delridge Repaving Project.

7:17 AM: Per the scanner, police are checking out a car blocking eastbound Edmunds at California that might be stalled or otherwise abandoned.

7:36 AM: Steve sends a warning about “flying foam peanuts” on the eastbound bridge – apparently somebody “lost a bag of them and it has broken open, swirling around roadway.”

8:01 AM: In comments, Susan says it’s even worse than that – westbound too and higher volume.

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
Fog’s back. No out-of-the-ordinary incidents affecting routes in or from West Seattle right now. On the road-work front, SW Thistle eastbound is closed between 35th and 37th for replacement of concrete panels.

Weekend reminders: On Sunday, California SW is closed from Genesee to Edmunds in The Junction for the West Seattle Car Show, 6 am until 6 pm (unless the show participants are cleared out sooner); the show itself is 8 am-4 pm. That’s one of the events on the weekend citywide traffic roundup.

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
Cooler day expected today, though still warm. One major road-work reminder – if the SW Thistle repaving work is on schedule, it will shift to an eastbound closure today. And a weekend reminder – this Sunday, California SW will be closed in the heart of The Junction for the West Seattle Car Show, from early-morning hours until the show clears out following its 4 pm closing time.

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
Sunny morning, and we’re still facing a sizzling forecast – with the day’s high expected to go into the upper 80s. Today’s road-work reminders:

*SW Thistle is closed westbound between 35th and 37th for repaving work. Here’s the Metro reroute alert: “Route 22 heading toward the Alaska Junction will travel instead via 35th Av SW, SW Rose St and 37th Av SW to its regular route, using all posted and temporary stops along the revised routing. Heading toward Shorewood, Route 22 will travel instead via 37th Av SW, SW Rose St and 35th Av SW to its regular route.”

*SW Orchard is closed eastbound between Sylvan and Delridge as part of the Delridge Way Repaving Project.

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
7:08 AM: More fog this morning, but it looks to be mostly on the water – the Vashon Water Taxi, for example, is running late. Also, one road-work project is scheduled to start today: Repaving on SW Thistle between 35th and 37th, closing the westbound lanes today and tomorrow, the eastbound lanes Thursday and Friday.

9:39 AM UPDATE: Problem reported on northbound I-5 before the I-90 exit – take 99 if you can.

2:30 PM NOTE: WSDOT has just gone public with a long list of closures planned this weekend. None in the immediate West Seattle area – but many involve I-5, so check it out:

Northbound I-5

9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, to 4:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 16 – Two of four left lanes on northbound I-5 will be closed between Olive Way and Lakeview Boulevard for expansion joint replacement.

11:59 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, to 4:30 a.m. Saturday – Three of four lanes on northbound I-5 will be closed between Mercer Street and Lakeview Boulevard while crews place a protective concrete barrier around the work zone.

5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, and 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15 – WSDOT bridge maintenance crews will extend the double-left lane closures on northbound I-5 from Lakeview Boulevard to the north end of the Ship Canal Bridge for bridge deck repair work.

11:59 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15, to 4:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 16 – Three of four lanes on northbound I-5 will be closed between Mercer Street and Lakeview Boulevard to remove barrier and restore all four travel lanes.

SR 520

11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, to 9 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 15 – All lanes of SR 520 from I-405 to Montlake Boulevard will be closed. Eastside Transit and HOV Project crews will use the closure to implement westbound traffic lane shifts from 108th Avenue Northeast to Evergreen Point Road, while other workers continue pouring concrete foundations for the new West Connection Bridge.

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
Monday begins with fog (on the water, too; we’re hearing foghorns from the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth ferry route off to our west). This will also be a big week of road work:

*SW Orchard eastbound between Sylvan and Delridge, all week as part of the Delridge Way Repaving Project

*42nd/Morgan repaving work, begun last week, is scheduled to continue

*Tomorrow through Friday, road work is scheduled on SW Thistle between 35th and 37th

Also of note this week, particularly if you are a transit rider – two neighborhood groups’ meetings this week will include early discussions of an in-formation West Seattle Transit Coalition: tonight, 6:30 pm at Delridge Library, the North Delridge Neighborhood Council; tomorrow, 6:15 pm at Southwest Library, the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council. Public welcome at both.

A major route between west and east West Seattle will be partly closed for road work four days next week, according to SDOT:

Seattle Department of Transportation crews will replace concrete panels on Southwest Thistle Street between 35th Avenue Southwest and 37th Avenue Southwest next week. The street will be closed to westbound traffic from Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 8 a.m. until Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 5 p.m. Then the street will be closed to eastbound traffic from 8 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12 until 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13.

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
6:03 AM: The downpour started before midnight – which means a potentially problematic morning commute. We’ll keep very close watch on this one. And an alert for tonight, assuming the weather doesn’t cancel the expansion-joint work – the ramp from northbound I-5 to the West Seattle Bridge is scheduled to close all weekend again, along with two adjacent ramps, 7 pm tonight until early Monday morning.

7:15 AM: WSDOT says that overall, the commute’s slow but “no massive backups” anywhere.

7:29 AM: If you’re bicycling this morning, the bike/truck Safety Fair is still on at Terminal 25 (East Marginal just north of Spokane) so far as we know, scheduled until 8:30 am.

(Photo by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand, added 9:30 am)
8:02 AM: If you’ve watched TV news this morning, you’ve likely seen a big sinkhole mistakenly reported as being in the Burien area – it’s just south of South Park, vicinity of S. 96th/8th S. Not a major route, but affecting truck traffic, says KING 5, which reported that the sinkhole is in a spot that had been repaired months ago, and then was weakened by the overnight deluge.

9:30 AM: Went over to check out the road sinkhole. The county has no idea when it’ll be fixed, but S. 96th is blocked in that spot TFN.

12:03 PM: Just in case you’d heard about this closure on 99 north of downtown – we’re passing along word that SDOT says, never mind:

The Seattle Department of Transportation announces the cancellation of the Sept. 6-7 closure of northbound SR 99 and Mercer Street due to impacts from rainy weather and availability of materials. A full closure of northbound SR 99 and Mercer Street is tentatively rescheduled for mid-September. Further information including closure dates will be provided as the work is confirmed.

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
6:14 AM: Today, most schools will be settled down to their routines. But the rain is back as of this writing – and we’re hearing thunder, too – so drive carefully! (The flood-watch alert kicks in at noon.) Two road-work notes: The eastbound SW Orchard closure between Sylvan and Delridge continues; see the detour map and details here. And the intersection of Morgan and 42nd is closed.

10:15 AM: Southbound Battery Street Tunnel is closed because of a crash.

1:30 PM: From SDOT:

This afternoon, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., there’ll be a “Tell Scott Walker Not in Our State” protest in downtown Seattle.  The protest is being held against the visiting Wisconsin Governor’s stance on labor relations and advocates for workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively. The organizers of the event expect an estimated 1,000 participants.  Seattle Police will be on hand to monitor the activities. 
 
The march will close Sixth Avenue between Union and Pike streets adjacent to the Sheraton Hotel.  The approach to the nearby entrance for the northbound I-5 on-ramp at Sixth Avenue and University Street could be impacted, as well as adjoining streets including Fifth and Fourth avenues when traffic begins diverting off of Sixth. The Seattle Department of Transportation advises motorists to plan ahead to avoid this potential disruption to the afternoon commute.

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
Yes, school is ON – if you missed the coverage last night, Seattle Public Schools teachers ratified new contracts. SPS schools start classes today, as do most secular independent schools; parochial schools started yesterday. Some staggered schedules, though – half-days, late starts, etc. But in general – watch out for buses, bicycles, pedestrians, dropoff drivers, anywhere there’s a school.

Meantime, it’s day 2 of the eastbound SW Orchard closure between Sylvan and Delridge; see the detour map and details here, and keep in mind that it may be slower going on Delridge itself in the area as a result.

LOOKING AHEAD: Reminder of the bike and truck safety fair at Terminal 25 this Friday morning, starting at 6:30 am – details on West Seattle Bike Connections‘ website.

10:20 PM UPDATE: The King County Water Taxi sends a reminder: “The West Seattle route will be on an extended service schedule (tonight) for the Sounders vs. Chivas USA soccer match.”

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
It’s not just back-from-holiday-weekend day, it’s also the first of the two biggest back-to-school days – today, the parochial schools reopen; tomorrow, other independent schools, as well as the public schools. That means it’s time to be extra-safe and mindful of school zones again, starting today – here’s a map of the major schools that are back in session:

Also important to note: Today is the scheduled start of partial closures on SW Orchard between Delridge and Sylvan, as part of the Delridge Way Repaving Project – for two weeks, it’ll be closed eastbound; see the detour map and details here.

4:03 PM UPDATE: Crash reported on southbound 99 right by the bridge exit. Here’s some of the backup (not that southbound 99 isn’t megabusy this time of the afternoon anyway):

We’ll keep an eye on this.

9:14 PM: Thanks to Andrea for the tip – she says southbound 35th SW is blocked right now at Raymond in the High Point area because of a crash. Per scanner, tow trucks are already being requested, so this might be cleared before too long, but if you’re heading that way, you might consider staying off 35th for now.

9:36 PM: 35th is reported to be reopening now.