(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:47 AM: The morning starts with trouble on northbound I-5 downtown, a deadly crash that has left only one lane open at Mercer.

6:57 AM: While SDOT described it as a lane, traffic reporters say it’s just the shoulder at one spot. WSP says the scene of the crash, which killed a motorcycle rider, stretches across 150 feet. As noted in comments, other northbound routes (especially 99) are slowed by the spillover.

7:14 AM: Thanks to Erica for calling with the tip – a stalled vehicle is blocking one lane of the Fauntleroy end of the bridge, not too far past Fauntleroy.

7:18 AM: Just heard the dispatch on that, so police are on the way to check it out.

7:21 AM: Again, NB I-5 remains almost completely blocked on the north side of downtown. WSP now says the crash scene stretched across 400 feet.

7:33 AM: While monitoring for updates, we’ll mention two other transportation notes:

BUS BRIEFING: It was late Monday afternoon before the City Council, as the Transportation Benefit District Board, finally heard from Metro leadership. We’ll be publishing the full story when the Seattle Channel video of the meeting is available; in short, there was no specific explanation of why West Seattle routes seemed to be disproportionately affected, just a couple things we’ve heard before – that the overall cancellation rate systemwide is miniscule, and that it should all be better in October (mid-to-late) when they finish hiring, which was described as a lengthy process. (So far this morning, the cancellations tweeted by Metro are NOT on West Seattle routes.)

WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE CORRIDOR ACTION REPORT – SPECIAL MEETING: Announced even later in the day, but with three weeks’ notice – City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen will host a meeting in West Seattle about the report covered here a week ago, suggesting 27 possibilities for improving the “West Seattle Bridge-Duwamish Waterway Corridor.” 6:30 pm Monday, October 19th, at the Sisson Building (home of the Senior Center) in The Junction, California/Oregon. (Here’s our story from last night.)

7:51 AM: Via scanner, we’ve heard police just say the eastbound high bridge is now clear – but still affected by the backup from the northbound I-5 crash (where one lane is open, no ETA for investigators to clear the scene).

8:39 AM: Still just one lane at the NB I-5 scene. We’ll continue to update here past the top of the hour, even once we move to other news at the top of the home page. Meantime, even school buses are affected, the district tweeted:

8:48 AM: Mike Jensen reports via Twitter that there’s (still?) a stalled vehicle on the eastbound bridge, parallel with Nucor. So if you’re going to brave the backup anyway, Admiral/Avalon might be better than the Fauntleroy entrance to the bridge … Mike Lindblom has tweeted that the backup stretches quite a distance back on Delridge Way.

9:28 AM: Per an exchange overheard via scanner a few minutes ago, apparently 911 didn’t have word about THAT stalled vehicle. A police unit told them about it and is now handling it.

9:33 AM: I-5 northbound lanes are all open at Mercer following the motorcycle-crash investigation, but backups are still reported northbound just about everywhere – will take a while to clear.

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:51 AM: Good morning! We start with a transit alert:

WATER TAXI RUNNING LATE: King County just texted that the West Seattle Water Taxi is running about 15 minutes late due to “a vessel swap for mechanical reasons.” Water Taxi Watch shows the backup vessel Melissa Ann headed toward Seacrest right now.

7:15 AM: Metro just texted/tweeted this bus cancellation:

Metro’s general manager Kevin Desmond is to brief city councilmembers about the cancellations when they meet this afternoon as the >Transportation Benefit District Board, which is supposed to oversee how the voter-approved tax to raise money for more bus service in Seattle is spent.

7:23 AM: West Seattle Water Taxi’s back on schedule, per King County alert.

7:30 AM: From commenter NewNative: “Looks like a #56 stalled on the Seneca hill. Still there when we approached and our driver #57 sat there not knowing how to pass it. Despite a metro supervisor directing traffic.”

4:27 PM: Another cancellation just announced:

The meeting we mentioned earlier, with a briefing expected by Metro’s GM, is just now under way at City Hall; we’re monitoring via Seattle Channel online.

4:55 PM: And another one:

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:59 AM: Highway 99 *is* open again this morning; it reopened late last night, 12 hours after the deadly crash on the Aurora Bridge. Right now, no incidents in the outbound area (an earlier crash on the 1st Avenue S. Bridge has cleared).

BUS CANCELLATION: Tweeted by Metro:

Our followup interview scheduled for yesterday about the ongoing cancellation issue had to be postponed because the Aurora crash required the Metro ops center to focus on reroutes all afternoon and evening; we’re awaiting a new time next week.

7:25 AM: It’s not on the SFD log, so apparently no injuries, but a texter says a crash at the bottom of the Highland Park Way hill is backing up traffic. (Photo added)

Also, trouble on I-5 both ways that could back up those exiting from the east end of the West Seattle Bridge – northbound, a crash on the “collector-distributor” lanes at James St.; southbound, a crash reported at Boeing Access Road.

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:38 AM: Good morning! No incidents in the area so far. The president of China is heading from downtown Seattle this morning back to Paine Field in Snohomish County to end his two-day visit; we’ll update here when we hear the motorcade’s on the move. I-5 express lanes are already closed and regional media is expecting the “mainline” to close shortly, as the state’s traffic cams are blacked out.

Other notes:

METRO CANCELLATIONS: One for Route 55 was announced earlier this morning via Twitter and text (as were two others, for non-WS routes). This afternoon we’re getting a closer look at the system, by request – do you have a question or concern beyond the obvious? Please comment (or otherwise message us) so we can be sure to ask about it.

REMINDER – METRO CHANGES SATURDAY: Metro’s next “service change” is Saturday. Not much in it for this area but here’s the breakout we published previously.

TONIGHT – WEST SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION COALITION: 6:30 pm at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center, WSTC’s meeting will include a Port of Seattle Commission candidates’ forum as well as discussion of the city’s new West Seattle Bridge Corridor “action report” (first reported here Sunday night, briefly discussed at the City Council Transportation Committee meeting Tuesday).

REMINDER – 35TH & ROXBURY WORK NOT DONE: In case you missed our followup last night – we talked with the project manager for both, to get a status report, about midway through SDOT crews’ work on both arterials.

8:14 AM: Along with the express lanes, I-5 NB from Northgate north to SR 526 is closed for President Xi’s departure.

8:26 AM: WSDOT says the I-5 NB closure now extends south to 85th.

8:44 AM: And now it’s all reopening. P.S. Too soon for schedule/details but if you missed the recent reports, President Obama is visiting Friday, October 9th – that’s two weeks from tomorrow.

5:25 PM: We’ve been covering the Aurora Bridge crash all day at the top of the home page. Also, right now (thanks for the comment), the signal on 35th at Alaska is reported to be cycling too short to keep traffic flowing, so SB traffic is reported to be backing up. SDOT tells us engineers are or will be checking it out.

5:37 PM: Fixed, says SDOT. And our crew’s verified, no residual backup.

(WSB photo from Tuesday night, 35th/Trenton)
In the third week of work on the Roxbury and 35th SW safety projects, SDOT crews are still out, especially at night. After spotting the workers in our photo, using torches last night to install markings, we asked project manager Jim Curtin today for a progress report on what remains to be done:

There is still quite a bit of work to do out there but we hope to complete these projects within the next two weeks. Both corridors are active work zones and we appreciate reminders to the traveling public to slow down in construction zones. Here’s a quick summary of the remaining work:

-Pavement markings and signage: We still have more than 150 pavement markings and signs to install including turn arrows and bus lane legends. [top photo] These markings should help drivers adjust to the new design. We’ll also be back to complete our channelization work on SW Barton Street where we’ll be formalizing the channelization and adding left turn pockets.

See the image [above] for more details.

-Signal adjustments: We’re monitoring these corridors closely to determine if additional signal timing changes are needed. We’re currently keeping a close eye on the intersection of Roxbury and 26th Avenue SW as well as the segment of 35th Avenue SW in the vicinity of Webster and Holden.

-Radar speed signs: We will install two radar speed signs on Roxbury in November near 6th Avenue SW (facing westbound traffic) and 12th Ave SW (facing eastbound traffic). We’ll also replace the radar speed sign on 35th Ave SW and SW Brandon Street around the same time.

While neither of these projects are complete and we’re still working on a few issues, traffic has responded quite well to the design changes. We will begin collecting vehicle and transit travel times in the near future to quantify the effects of this work.

The Roxbury plan was finalized in April (WSB coverage here); the 35th plan in July (WSB coverage here). If you have specific feedback, you can contact Jim at jim.curtin@seattle.gov.

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:35 AM: Good morning and welcome to fall, which arrived very early this morning. No incidents so far. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit continues; regional media is reporting that he won’t be leaving downtown Seattle for a full day of touring until about 10:30 am, so don’t expect any morning-commute effects on the major routes. The later edge of the evening commute might be a different story.

7:30 AM: We’ve heard from two people, including Steven in comments, about a water problem in the northbound lane of Delridge south of Juneau. It’s been reported to Seattle Public Utilities. We won’t be able to check this in person any time soon, but be aware that you might encounter a city crew in the area at some point.

10:25 AM: As expected, the presidential motorcade is on the move or about to be.

The biggest chance for disruption anywhere near our area is this evening – possibly the 6 pm hour – when President Xi will be heading from Tacoma to Seattle.

12:29 PM: The presidential motorcade’s heading back to downtown, as expected, affecting southbound I-5 north of downtown right now.

12:52 PM: Also:

2:34 PM: The motorcade is on the move again. Northbound I-5 is closed from James St. to 520.

3:17 PM: The president is arriving now at Microsoft in Redmond.

4:22 PM: And now, from Redmond to Tacoma.

4:56 PM: Next leg of the trip is projected in the 6 pm hour or thereabouts – Tacoma to downtown Seattle. As has already been advised – if you’re going to the Sounders game tonight (7 pm), go early!

6:36 PM: Reported to be headed NB on I-5 from Pierce County.

(SCROLL DOWN for updates on President Xi Jinping’s arrival/Seattle-bound travel)

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:16 AM: Good morning. It’s Tuesday. So let’s get right to Topic A:

ABOUT THAT PRESIDENTIAL VISIT: The warnings started last week, that the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping could lead to a regional traffic nightmare from his arrival this morning through his departure Thursday morning. Here’s the newest information:

–Arrival: His 747 is bound for Paine Field in Snohomish County, original estimate 9:30 am-ish per the Everett Herald, which says he’ll be welcomed there by a delegation including Gov. Inslee and Mayor Murray. (Check flight tracking here or here.)

–After that: He’s headed to Seattle. Exactly where/when hasn’t been announced. But overall – here’s a one-sheet from SPD:

–Metro bus reroutes: Listed here. As we reported last night, no West Seattle-specific routes are listed.

We’ll update with any more info we get through the day, particularly affecting I-5 and 99.

OTHER WEST SEATTLE ALERTS: On the eastbound bridge, you’ll see the new red bus-lane markings (here’s what we found out in the work zone last night) … At 9:30 am, the City Council Transportation Committee meeting includes discussion of the new West Seattle Bridge-Duwamish Waterway Corridor report (first published here Sunday night), with 27 potential action items … Also on that agenda, SDOT director Scott Kubly‘s periodic report. It previews more speed-limit cuts citywide next year:

Vision Zero Partners Meeting occurred on August 31 to discuss 2015 implementation and start developing our 2016 work plan.
 20 mph speed limit on non-arterials streets citywide
 25 mph Citywide arterial speed limit (unless otherwise signed)
 Gateway signage at all entrances to Seattle
 New red light camera installations
 Educational outreach highlighting crosswalk law

This year, some arterials are being lowered to 30 mph – including Roxbury and 35th in West Seattle, as they’re being rechannelized – and some neighborhood streets, to 20 mph (Admiral-area signage changes got a little more attention because of a signage snafu, you might recall).

8:24 AM: TV traffic tweeters are reporting that the southbound I-5 express lanes have been closed ahead of the Chinese president’s arrival, though his 747 hasn’t landed at Paine Field yet.

8:47 AM: KING’s crew at Paine Field says the landing is expected in about 15 minutes.

9:08 AM: Multiple regional-news crews at Paine Field have shown the 747 touching down moments ago. With the southbound I-5 express-lane shutdown, it appears that’s the route he’ll be using to head to downtown Seattle from there, but no word yet how soon. We’ll update when we hear that’s under way.

9:49 AM: The presidential motorcade is now reported to be headed southbound toward Seattle. We’re moving on to other news atop the home page but will update here when there’s word he’s arrived and anything else major during the day.

10:30 AM: Following the arrival downtown, this from WSDOT re: I-5:

11:30 AM: Stalled vehicle reported toward the westbound inside lane(s) of the West Seattle Bridge, midspan.

4:12 PM: The presidential entourage is expected to stay in downtown Seattle for the rest of tonight, so there are no “on the move” advisories expected during the commute – but tomorrow, he has stops including Redmond and Tacoma, so expect more effects at more times.

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:49 AM: Good morning! No incidents in/from our area so far. Alerts/reminders:

THIS WEEK’S BIGGEST ALERT: First circulated by the city on Friday – word that traffic, particularly downtown, could be snarled during the visit of China’s president tomorrow through Thursday morning. As we note, though, he is flying into and out of Paine Field in Snohomish County, not Boeing Field as is often the case with VIP visits, so that means his arrival and departure will *not* have those “I-5 closed near the WS Bridge” effects.

RED PAINT FOR THE BUS LANE: Also announced late Friday by the city, the bus lane on the eastbound bridge will get red markings, as have several other non-West Seattle streets, in hopes of deterring illegal non-bus use of the lane. The painting was supposed to start last night but rain postponed it; the work will be done over three nights once it resumes, which could be tonight.

Related to that …

27 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE/DUWAMISH WATERWAY CORRIDOR TRAFFIC: The bus-lane markings are the first of 27 items on a “project list” that’s the result of a long-promised look at what could be done about bridge-and-vicinity traffic. Our report published last night is your first look at the list and accompanying report, which will be formally presented to the City Council Transportation Committee tomorrow.

9:22 AM NOTE: If you missed it in comment discussion below: Did you see a “Viaduct Closed” beacon-equipped sign flashing this morning? No, The Viaduct was *not* closed; responding to our inquiry via Twitter, SDOT says there was a “malfunction.”

In case you haven’t heard … the city is warning of a possible traffic-tastrophe when the president of China, Xi Jinping, visits next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Mayor Murray issued this alert late today, including:

Intermittent closures of freeways, regional arterials and downtown streets are expected. The flow of buses and cars in downtown Seattle and around the region will be disrupted. Travelers in Seattle are advised to plan ahead and expect traffic delays on all three days. Those who can postpone trips downtown or work from home are encouraged to do so.

He’s flying in and out of Paine Field in Snohomish County, reports The Times, not Boeing Field, so that likely means less disruption here on the south side of the city; some more-general info about his visit is on Gov. Inslee’s website.

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
No incidents reported so far in, or outbound from, West Seattle.

NEW WATER TAXI TO BE DEDICATED TODAY: The M/V Doc Maynard, which will take over the West Seattle Water Taxi run this fall, will be dedicated today at Pier 50 at 11:30 am (as first announced in August). You can catch a free ride there from Seacrest at 10:45 on the Spirit of Kingston.

REMINDER: FERRIES START FALL SCHEDULE SUNDAY: Washington State Ferries starts its fall schedule this Sunday (September 20th); for Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth, that means fewer weekend sailings.

UPDATED 7:35 AM – METRO CANCELLATIONS TODAY: 3 announced for West Seattle so far this morning:

Colleen adds in comments that a RapidRide run was cancelled, unannounced, in the 6 am hour.

WEEKEND CITYWIDE ALERTS: Here’s the SDOT list of what’s up around the city this weekend (though there’s one omission not far from here – the Fiestas Patrias parade in South Park on Saturday morning at 11).

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:37 AM: Eight days later than originally scheduled, Seattle Public Schools start classes today. West Seattle is home to 16 of them; the times when you’ll see the flashing school-zone beacons are listed here (for all schools in the district). Four school zones now have speed-enforcement cameras – Louisa Boren K-8 STEM/interim Arbor Heights Elementary on Delridge; Roxhill Elementary and Holy Family School, which has been in session for two weeks, on Roxbury; and Gatewood Elementary, on Fauntleroy Way.

ROAD-WORK REMINDERS: With rain last night and more on the way later this morning, you might not encounter crews this morning, but remember for starters that the Roxbury and 35th SW projects are now under way, so if you’re driving Roxbury between 17th and 35th and/or 35th between Holly and Roxbury for the first time in a while because of school (or some other reason), be aware that the lane configurations have changed – primarily one lane each way with a center turn lane.

7:18 AM: If you use northbound I-5 through downtown, there might be some backup through the commute because of a lane closure at Mercer related to repairs from an early-morning crash.

7:20 AM: Crash reported at California/Charlestown and SFD is en route to check out a 17-year-old boy for possible injuries.

(Added above – photo from Bryce – thank you. The crash is in the outside northbound lane just north of Charlestown.)

7:29 AM: **Transit notes** – commenters say the first Route 57 and a Route 21 bus have been no-shows this morning. We haven’t seen any text or tweet alerts from Metro.

8:10 AM: The aforementioned left-lane closure on NB I-5 at Mercer downtown continues, with a miles-long backup reported.

9:11 AM: Texter says a broken-down vehicle is in the left lane near the crest of the high bridge, no emergency vehicles on scene, leading to trouble not just because of the blocked lane but because of vehicles diverting at the last minute.

10:35 AM: Have been in the thick of this for the past hour and a third; headed out after the last update with an hour to make it to the UW for a presentation at a student-journalism conference. Instead, by 10:20, we were still on the bridge; called to say we’d never make it, and now we’re in a parking spot downtown updating before heading back to the bridge and home base. The stall turned out to be a collision; it was cleared by about 9:50 – we only saw the police lights in the distance – but the gridlock had started at Alaska/Fauntleroy and continued eastward. I-5 in the distance was sluggish too. If you have been waiting to leave, things might be a bit better now – once we got onto 99, it was slow until the Viaduct rise, and then finally everybody was up to 30 mph.

10:41 AM: WSDOT has tweeted that the NB I-5 lane is finally open again:

11:14 AM: Just came across the bridge westbound. Eastbound is STILL jammed, from Nucor eastward. And northbound 99 doesn’t look much better than it did when we were on it last hour.

6:24 PM: Crash at Olson/Myers – don’t know about the traffic effects, but be careful in that area.

3:52 PM: With peak pm drive time approaching, you might need to know this: Northbound 4th Avenue S. is closed in the stadium zone because of a crash at Edgar Martinez Way. This is also affecting buses – Route 21, for example, is routed off 4th in the area. The crash involved a motorcyclist who has “significant injuries,” says SPD, after the rider hit a pole; all are advised to avoid 4th TFN.

4:18 PM: Another crash, this one on SB 35th just south of Trenton. A damaged pickup truck is blocking the southbound lane – no emergency vehicles on scene; drivers are using the center turn lane to get around it.

4:31 PM: We’re just back from the 35th crash scene and now hearing via the scanner that police have arrived and are calling for a tow.

6:07 PM: We went through 35th/Trenton about half an hour ago and the scene there was clear.

6:40 PM: SDOT says 4th Avenue South is now open again.

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Another no-incident morning commute so far in this area.

SCHOOLS & SCHOOL ZONES: As a result of developments yesterday, Seattle Public Schools will open tomorrow (Thursday, September 17th). So that’s when to expect school buses, families dropping off kids, people walking and biking, etc. And as noted here last night, West Seattle will have a fourth speed-enforcement camera, on Delridge Way by Louisa Boren K-8 STEM/interim Arbor Heights Elementary.

RECHANNELIZATION REMINDER: Work continued last night on Roxbury (which is being rechannelized between 35th and 17th) and 35th (between Roxbury and Willow). Other changes are planned on both in addition to the restriping.

48TH & 49TH SW: The Seattle Public Utilities sewer-repair projects are under way or getting under way – the work on 48th at Edmunds is expected to last all week; work on 49th SW in Seaview could start as soon as today.

ADDED 8:10 AM – NEW WATER TAXI, CLOSER LOOK: As we’ve mentioned, the new West Seattle Water Taxi, M/V Doc Maynard, has arrived in Seattle and is on test runs, prior to its dedication Friday, though it won’t be on the WS run for another month or so (it’ll be filling in on the Vashon run while its twin M/V Sally Fox goes in for maintenance). Thanks to those who’ve sent more photos – starting with this one from Mike. We hadn’t seen the skyline detail before:

Here’s a full-length look, also at Seacrest, from Lise Thivierge:

The Friday dedication is on the downtown waterfront but you can ride the current Water Taxi to and from the event as space permits, per King County’s announcement (starting with the Seacrest departure at 10:45 am).

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:19 AM: No incidents to report as the heart of Tuesday’s morning commute approaches.

SCHOOLS & SCHOOL ZONES: It’s day 5 of the Seattle Education Association strike, so Seattle Public Schools remain closed; the union says negotiators pulled an all-nighter and are still going. Independent/parochial schools remain open. School-zone beacons are still flashing in public-school zones, because, SDOT says, they’re pre-programmed, but if you get an automated-camera ticket from a strike day, SPD is not supposed to be enforcing those. (Unless it’s from the Holy Family School zone near 20th on Roxbury, where school IS in session.) **7:57 AM UPDATE** See our separate story for news of a tentative agreement.

(back to original 7:19 am report) Road-work notes:

ROXBURY/35TH: As reported here, work on both projects continued last night, so you’ll see changes in striping, for starters.

48TH & 49TH SW: The Seattle Public Utilities projects are getting under way. We added SPU’s update to yesterday’s traffic/transit report late in the day – in case you missed it:

The work on 49th Avenue SW at Edmunds was scheduled to begin the week of September 8. The contractor started light mobilization last week and began heavier construction (Monday) morning. Work on the sewer repair will take approximately one week.

* The work on 48th Ave SW between SW Juneau and SW Raymond Street will begin this week, with mobilization as early as Wednesday, and will also take approximately one week to complete.

FERRIES START FALL SCHEDULE SUNDAY: Washington State Ferries starts its fall schedule this Sunday (September 20th); for Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth, that means fewer weekend sailings.

8:39 AM: A portable classroom will be delivered to West Seattle Elementary this morning, we’ve just learned, around 11 am, on the 34th SW side.

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
No incidents in the area so far this morning. And still no school for Seattle Public Schools – this is the fourth weekday of the Seattle Education Association strike. (Non-public schools remain in session.) Road-work alerts:

SB 21ST BETWEEN ANDOVER & GENESEE: This section of 21st will be closed to through traffic for repair work as part of the Delridge-Highland Park Neighborhood Greenway project, as announced here.

ROXBURY/35TH RECHANNELIZATION: Nighttime work to restripe and remove the old stripes (via hydroblasting) is beginning – crews were seen out last night on Roxbury. Here’s the alert.

8:40 AM: Just checked out Roxbury. It is now officially rechannelized (one travel lane each way, center turn lane) from 35th to just west of 17th.

The old lane lines are mostly gone west of 22nd; still some work to do east of there.

9:04 AM: We also went again to see if the SPU sewer work on 48th/49th has begun. While we still haven’t found anything in the Seaview area, we did find crews on 49th north of Hudson, which is closed to through traffic. (This also might affect you on west-east routes – we initially went west on Hudson and had to turn into the alley because it was closed at Hudson.) We’re checking with SPU to get an update.

10:36 AM: Nothing to add to that yet but – a crash reported in the 7100 block of W. Marginal Way, blocking southbound lanes right now, per scanner traffic. No injuries reported so far.

4:49 PM: Here’s what SPU says about the road projects:

The work on 49th Avenue SW was scheduled to begin the week of September 8. The contractor started light mobilization last week and began heavier construction this morning, as you saw. Work on the sewer repair will take approximately one week.

* The other sewer repair project you mention is on 48th Ave SW. The work on 48th Ave SW between SW Juneau and SW Raymond Street will begin this week, with mobilization as early as Wednesday, and will also take approximately one week to complete.

(City cameras appear to be down – see other state cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
6:40 AM: Good morning. We start with word of a crash at Delridge/Oregon – a texter tells us Delridge is closed southbound at Genesee. More…

6:45 AM: SB has just reopened, per scanner. City Light was checking out a utility pole because of the crash.

6:52 AM: Reminder that Seattle Public Schools are NOT in session; it’s the third day of the Seattle Education Association‘s strike. Instead of picketing, teachers have service projects today, most of which the community’s invited to join – see our list here.

SCHOOL-ZONE BEACONS/CAMERAS: Some (if not all) have been flashing despite school not being in session. If anyone receives a ticket from a camera in Seattle Public Schools areas – Roxhill and Gatewood (the new camera near STEM/temp Arbor Heights on Delridge would be starting with warnings only) – SDOT tells us, “Our understanding is that the Seattle Police Department will not issue citations based on camera data for the public schools which are not yet open; however, citations will be given for speeding in the case of Holy Family School, which is open and operating.” We’re still checking on the issue of why the beacons are flashing at all. (added) To that last point, SDOT’s Marybeth Turner says, “The beacons are programmed. To have some working and some not would take custom programming. We’re looking into that.”

ADDED 7:25 AM – TODAY’S ROAD-WORK ALERTS: As published here last night, SDOT says microsurfacing work scheduled to be completed in Arbor Heights/Arroyos areas yesterday was not, so it’s happening today instead. … 35th SW paving work between Cambridge and Barton, which DID begin on Thursday, is scheduled to continue today … As of our check yesterday morning, the SPU sewer projects on 48th and 49th SW had not started; we’re checking again today.

(Four WS-relevant views – more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:32 AM: Good morning. Again this morning, so far, no incidents.

SCHOOLS: This is day two of the Seattle Public Schools strike, so no students at those campuses, but all independent/parochial schools are now back in session as of yesterday.

Road-work reminders:

35TH SW PAVING STARTING TODAY: As part of preparation for SDOT‘s 35th and Roxbury rechannelization work, 35th SW is scheduled to be repaved between SW Cambridge and SW Barton starting today – here’s the announcement.

ARBOR HEIGHTS MICROSURFACING: Continues today – see the map and announcement here.

48TH AND 49TH SW CLOSURE: Seattle Public Utilities is closing 49th SW between Edmunds and Alaska for sewer repairs. And starting today, it’s also scheduled to work on 48th SW between Juneau and Raymond, closing that stretch to through traffic during the work hours, with “local access … with the assistance of a traffic flagger.” Work will take up to five days, 7 am-5 pm.

Following up on bus cancellations:

APOLOGY CARDS: Via Twitter, in the wake of a wave of cancellations, on north West Seattle routes in particular, recently. Let us know if you see these:

We published a followup yesterday, with Metro’s general manager giving his explanation to City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who plans a hearing later this month on Metro’s first three months since the infusion of city money that among other things led to a Metro promise that the routes hit hardest recently would become more reliable, not less.

ADDED 8:09 AM: Thanks – we’ve heard from several riders who have indeed seen the cards. Meantime, thanks to NorDel, who points out in comments that the Mariners have a day game today, hosting the Texas Rangers at 12:40 pm.

8:57 AM – ROAD WORK UPDATE: Just went to the three locations mentioned above. The repaving work on 35th SW between Cambridge and Barton is indeed getting started – trucks were staging when we went through about half an hour ago. However, no sign of work at the 48th or 49th locations, so we’ll be checking with SPU.

7:31 PM: SDOT says it didn’t finish the microsurfacing today after all, and will do more work tomorrow.

(Four WS-relevant views – more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning. No incidents so far, but we do have road-work alerts:

ARBOR HEIGHTS MICROSURFACING: Starts today – see the map and announcement here.

49TH SW CLOSURE: Seattle Public Utilities is closing 49th SW between Edmunds and Alaska for sewer repairs.

48TH SW CLOSURE STARTING TOMORROW: Another project announced by SPU starts tomorrow:

Beginning September 10, Seattle Public Utilities will repair sewer lines on 48th Avenue SW between SW Juneau Street and SW Raymond Street. This work will require closing 48th Avenue SW to through traffic. Local access will be available with the assistance of a traffic flagger. Work may take up to five days to complete with hours from 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM. The lanes will remain closed for the duration of work hours, and will be opened to traffic after non-work hours. Metro bus 37 will run as normal.

35TH SW PAVING STARTING TOMORROW: Preparation for SDOT‘s 35th and Roxbury rechannelization work continues, and starting tomorrow, 35th will be repaved between SW Cambridge and SW Barton – here’s that announcement.

Also, though Seattle Public Schools are NOT opening today because of the Seattle Education Association strike announced last night – with picketing planned at all SPS campuses 8:30 am-3 pm today – some independent schools do start the year today:

BACK TO SCHOOL: This is the first day at the new Westside School campus (34th SW & SW 104th) as well as Explorer West Middle School (10015 28th SW) and West Seattle Montessori (11215 15th SW); all three are WSB sponsors.

Last Friday, we showed you the start of preparation work for SW Roxbury rechannelization and other changes. SDOT had said it would be staging for and working on the 35th SW changes – as announced in July (presentation above) – concurrently, and has just sent this update:

Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) crews will begin re-paving 35th Avenue SW between SW Cambridge and SW Barton streets Thursday, September 10. This work will occur from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. and is expected to take one week.

In addition, SDOT crews will begin re-channeling SW Roxbury Street and 35th Avenue SW after the repaving work has begun. Work will occur from 7 p.m. until 5 a.m. for about two to three weeks, weather permitting. Crews will also modify traffic signals and signal detection systems.

What to expect:

• Re-paving on 35th Avenue SW between SW Cambridge and SW Barton streets

• Re-channelization on:
• SW Roxbury Street between 17th Avenue SW and 35th Avenue SW
• 35th Avenue SW between SW Roxbury Street and SW Morgan Street
• SW Barton Street between 34th Avenue SW and 36th Avenue SW

Paving and signal work will occur between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., and channelization work between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. Expect periodic lane closures in construction areas and temporary parking restrictions. Moderate construction noise is expected when the existing pavement markings are removed.

This work is part of the 35th Avenue SW and SW Roxbury Street Road Safety Corridor Project, which aims to make streets safer and more accessible for everyone. The projects are expected to be completed by mid-October. SDOT appreciates the public’s patience while this work is being completed.

We note that the SDOT announcement today mentions “Roxbury to Morgan” for 35th, while it was “Roxbury to Willow” when announced in mid-July, so we’re following up on that.

Meantime, you can see the Roxbury plan in our coverage of the announcement last April.

3:24 PM NOTE: Project manager Jim Curtin confirms the rechannelization remains Roxbury to **Willow,** not Morgan.

(Four WS-relevant views – main bridge cameras weren’t working as of early morning – more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning. Here’s what you need to know as the holiday-shortened week begins:

ROAD WORK TODAY: Seattle Public Utilities’ closure of 49th SW between Edmunds and Alaska could start as early as today.

REMINDER FOR TOMORROW: The rescheduled microsurfacing work in Arbor Heights is scheduled to start Wednesday – see the map and announcement we published last week.

BACK TO SCHOOL: In addition to the parochial schools that have already started their year, independent Tilden School (California SW & SW Dakota; WSB sponsor) starts back today (easing in with a half-day, dismissal at noon). The rest of the independent schools start back tomorrow. That as you likely know is also supposed to be Seattle Public Schools‘ first day of classes, but might see the start of a strike instead.

EXTENDED WATER-TAXI SERVICE TONIGHT … because of the Mariners game.

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:11 AM: No incidents in the area so far. But here’s one West Seattle bus cancellation announced by Metro so far this morning:

LABOR DAY TRANSIT REMINDERS: On Monday (September 7th), Metro will be on a Sunday schedule. So will the West Seattle Water Taxi run, and the Washington State Ferries Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route. Sound Transit Route 560 will be on its “weekend” schedule.

8:05 AM: Trouble on northbound I-5 downtown – if you are headed out, you might consider an alternate route:

The SFD real-time 911 log lists this as a medic response.