Thanks to Lesley for the tip about SW Myrtle being closed from 17th SW to 21st SW, near Sanislo Elementary. We’ve subsequently confirmed that the crumbling road is being repaved as work gets under way on the Delridge-Highland Park Neighborhood Greenway project. First, here’s the flyer about the Myrtle repaving, which is expected to continue through Friday:

That means it will be done in plenty of time for the start of school, which is two weeks from today. Meantime, here’s the flyer that has the “big picture” view of the project, which will be under construction for the next four months or so:

If you want to just cut to the heart of what this is about, here’s the explanation on the official webpage:

The greenway will run north-south, connecting White Center to the West Seattle Bridge trail. The greenway route will run generally along 17th Avenue SW in the south and 21st Avenue SW in the north. … Some of the changes will include:

*Crossing improvements at arterial intersections including striped crosswalks, curb extensions and flashing beacons
*Repaving SW Myrtle Street between 17th and 21st Avenue SW
*Speed humps and all-way stops where need, generally about one per block
*Way-finding signage and pavement markings throughout
*Spot pavement repairs to improve roadway user safety
*The greenway route was selected based on various factors, including evaluating streets for low car volumes, speeds and collisions, road grade (or steepness), and input we heard from the community.

SDOT is working with Seattle Public Utilities to design curb extensions with natural drainage systems along 17th Avenue SW, between SW Henderson Street and SW Kenyon Street.

Next phase of the project, after the SW Myrtle repaving, will be sidewalk and crossing improvements on SW Andover between 21st and 22nd; that’s scheduled to start September 1st.

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:06 AM: Good morning. No incidents on routes in our area so far.

TRANSIT ALERT: Second cancellation this morning for this route:

Transit Alert – Route 116 northbound to downtown Seattle due to leave the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal at 7:30 AM has been canceled.

— King County Metro (@kcmetrobus) August 26, 2015

The 5:40 am run also was canceled.

7:54 AM: Still no incidents, but one more note – day home game for the Mariners today, so the stadium zone will be busy at midday and mid-afternoon. The M’s play the Oakland A’s at 12:40 pm.

8:29 AM: “Happy Wed” says in comments that there’s a stalled vehicle in the right lane on the bridge just east of 35th. The 35th/Fauntleroy SDOT camera is down; nearest one is this one by Walking on Logs, not showing the stall.

6:24 PM: Covering separately – a crash reported on the westbound bridge at the Highway 99 overpass. Thanks for the tip!

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:30 AM: Good morning! No road-work alerts today. One transportation-news note to start with:

TUNNEL MACHINE’S FRONT END TO CONTINUE ITS DESCENT: According to WSDOT‘s online updates, contractor Seattle Tunnel Partners spent most of Monday slowly lifting and rotating the repaired front end of the Highway 99 tunneling machine, then starting the process of lowering it into the access pit. That process will continue this morning.

There’s also an early transit alert:

6:36 AM: Now, a Water Taxi alert – The county says the 6:15 am departure was missed because the Spirit of Kingston is having “mechanical issues,” so backup boat Melissa Ann is taking over the West Seattle-Downtown route starting with the 6:45 run from Seacrest.

1:39 PM: A brief power outage that closed the Fauntleroy ferry terminal is now over, according to WSF, and operations are returning to normal.

3:37 PM: Water Taxi trouble again – a “fueling delay” has canceled the 3:45 pm trip from Pier 50; King County DOT says service will resume with the 4 pm trip from Seacrest.

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! Uneventful commute so far, both in West Seattle and on the major outbound routes.

FERRY CHANGES: From Washington State Ferries:

Starting (today), customers are advised to prepare for at least a week of longer-than-usual wait times due to a temporary vessel downsizing on the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route. The temporary downsizing is needed to maintain a full, system-wide sailing schedule while the Tokitae and Elwha are out of service for necessary repairs and maintenance. The F/V/S route will be served by the 124-car Issaquah, 87-car Tillikum and 87-car Evergreen State.

4:52 PM: Thanks for the messages about some kind of bus delay downtown. Apparently a bus was stalled at 2nd and Columbia. SDOT says it’s cleared.

Two road reminders:

HIGHWAY 99 CLOSURE: From the Battery Street Tunnel north to Valley Street, 99 is closed both ways all weekend, for realignment onto newly built roadway. The Viaduct is open but if you’re heading northbound, you’ll have to exit at Western (as shown in the “live” webcam image above); if you want to use it southbound to West Seattle, you’ll have to get onto it (or back onto it) south of the tunnel.

ALKI BEACH 5K TOMORROW: Alki and Harbor Avenues will be off-limits to vehicles for about three hours Sunday morning before and during the Alki Beach 5K, a benefit for breast-cancer patients.

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:48 AM: It’s been a quiet commute, regionally as well as locally. So, the weekend reminders:

HIGHWAY 99 CLOSURE STARTS TONIGHT: From late tonight until very early Monday (we’ll update if it ends sooner), between the Battery Street Tunnel and Valley St. in lower Queen Anne, Highway 99/Aurora Avenue will be closed so crews can realign it onto a newly built section of road – details and maps here.

ALKI BEACH 5K & OTHER WEEKEND EVENTS: Sunday morning, Alki and Harbor Avenues close for a few hours for the 9 am walk/run to raise money for Northwest Hope and Healing. It’s one of the events spotlighted in SDOT’s citywide weekend roundup.

ADDED 10:31 AM: In case anyone else was wondering – a commenter asked about missed 56/57 buses this morning; we asked Metro via Twitter, and here’s the response:

12:04 PM: A car is reported to have hit a power pole and brought it down in the 5400 block of W. Marginal Way SW. Two people were in the car; no major injuries reported so far.

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:23 AM: No incidents in, or headed out of, West Seattle, but showery weather is back and slowing things down in some areas. One big reminder:

HIGHWAY 99 CLOSURE: WSDOT is closing Highway 99 in both directions between the Battery Street Tunnel and Valley St. in lower Queen Anne from Friday night to early Monday, to move traffic onto a new section of road – details and maps here. The Alaskan Way Viaduct will remain open, but if you’re heading north, for example, you’ll have to exit at Western.

ADDED 7:42 AM – ‘TRAFFIC THROWBACK THURSDAY’ PHOTO: From the Seattle Municipal Archives, an August 1962 view of the then-under-construction Fauntleroy approach to the West Seattle Bridge:

Click the image for a larger view. The archives have a wide variety of related images, including this gathering labeled as groundbreaking at 34th/Fauntleroy just under a year earlier, in September 1961.

8:32 AM: Problem on northbound I-5 downtown:

4:25 PM: Just in case you’ll be on 99 south of the Aurora Bridge this pm:

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:04 AM: Good morning! Nothing reported currently on routes in or from West Seattle and vicinity.

REMINDER – 2 WEEKEND CLOSURES: Highway 99 closes both ways from the Battery Street Tunnel north to Valley St. in lower Queen Anne next weekend, Friday night (August 21) to early Monday (August 24) – details and maps here. … On Sunday morning, Alki/Harbor Avenues will close for the Alki Beach 5K (9 am start, but parking restrictions start earlier that morning).

7:46 AM: If you’re headed toward Beacon Hill, note that SDOT is tracking a crash at Spokane/Columbian. No SFD callout so far, so apparently no injuries.

9:13 AM: “Late” commuters beware. Stalled vehicle on Northbound 99 just north of the stadiums – thanks to the texter (206-293-6302 any time!) who just reported it (saying it has “cones around it”) and the commenter – it has just now been mentioned on the scanner, too.

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning!

ROAD WORK ALERT FOR TODAY: The Seattle Public Utilities project near Westwood is scheduled to continue today, to “pave 22nd Avenue SW between SW Barton Place and SW Barton Street from 7:30 am until as late as 6 pm. This work will require intermittent lane restrictions on SW Barton Place where it intersects 22nd Avenue SW [map], and on SW Barton Street between 21st Avenue SW and 23rd Avenue SW.”

REMINDER – WEEKEND CLOSURES: First, you might see northbound Alaskan Way Viaduct backups while Highway 99 closes both ways from the Battery Street Tunnel north to Valley St. in lower Queen Anne next weekend, Friday night (August 21) to early Monday (August 24) – details and maps here. Here in West Seattle, Alki/Harbor Avenues will be closed next Sunday morning (August 23) for the Alki Beach 5K (9 am start, but the closure will kick in sooner, and watch for the no-parking signs, too).

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:21 AM: Good morning! We start with today’s alerts:

SW ORCHARD PAVING: Today’s the day Seattle Public Utilities‘ ongoing project at Orchard/Delridge expects to start repaving work, which means lane closures starting as early as 7:30 am on the westbound side.

BEACH DRIVE/LINCOLN PARK BICYCLIST ALERT: We’ve been sharing traffic alerts related to the Murray CSO Control Project for a long time – and there’s a new one this morning, specifically for bicycle riders using the south end of Beach Drive and the connecting Lincoln Park trail:

King County wants you to know about uneven road conditions along the 7000 block of Beach Dr. SW, just north of the trail into Lincoln Park. Due to a King County sewer project the road next to Lowman Beach Park could have loose gravel, pavement cuts, uneven surfaces, and steel plates on it for the next three months. To protect public safety, a number of vehicle and pedestrian restrictions are now in effect. Flaggers directing traffic around the site will ask bicyclists to walk their bikes through the area during work hours. Car access is limited to local and emergency access only. Pedestrians are being directed to the western sidewalk around the work area. This work is part of a King County project to build an underground storage tank that will keep sewage and stormwater out of Puget Sound during storms. Thank you for your patience during construction – and stay safe! For more information, please contact the 24-hour construction hotline: 206-205-9186.

And our almost-every-week Traffic Throwback Thursday feature:

ALONG CHARLESTOWN: Before that big blue water tank, Charlestown/40th was home to a collection of storage tanks. The photo, dated 1923, is from the Seattle Municipal Archives. Click it to open the page with a full-size view.

8:18 AM: From SDOT, a bridge alert:

8:37 AM: SDOT says that stall has now “cleared the roadway.”

8:48 AM: Next traffic alert that might affect the outbound commute – a crash on northbound I-5 at Seneca.

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Welcome to Wednesday. We start with a two-part road-work alert related to ongoing utility projects:

2 UPCOMING PAVING PROJECTS: One rescheduled, one newly announced:

Seattle Public Utilities is continuing sewer improvements at two different sites in the Delridge neighborhood: near Delridge Way SW and SW Orchard Street and on SW Barton Place and SW Barton Street.

As previously announced, SPU’s contractor will grind, pave, and stripe SW Orchard Street. This work is now expected to occur between Thursday, August 13 and Wednesday, August 19. The work will require the closure of the westbound lane on SW Orchard Street (east of Delridge Way SW). The westbound lane will be closed between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. and will be opened to traffic during non-work hours. During the closure, all westbound traffic will be diverted to the eastbound lane with the assistance of a traffic flagger.

In addition, SPU’s contractor will pave 22nd Avenue SW between SW Barton Place and SW Barton Street on August 17-18, from 7:30 a.m. until as late as 6 p.m. This work will require intermittent lane restrictions on SW Barton Place where it intersects 22nd Avenue SW, and on SW Barton Street between 21st Avenue SW and 23rd Avenue SW. During the work, flaggers will be at both sites to maintain two-way traffic.

And some transit news:

WATER TAXI RIDER? In case you missed it … here’s our update on the new West Seattle water taxi, M/V Doc Maynard, expected to go into service this fall.

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:40 AM: Good morning! Another more-or-less-quiet commute so far. Might be 90 degrees one more time today. One road-work alert:

BEACH DRIVE PAVING: SDOT plans to resume repaving Beach Drive in the 61st SW vicinity today – here’s the alert on that.

Looking ahead to later this month:

99 CLOSURE NORTH OF THE BATTERY ST. TUNNEL: From Friday night, August 21st, through Monday morning, August 24th, Highway 99 will be closed both ways from the BSTunnel to Valley St. (lower Queen Anne), so if you’re heading NB that weekend, you’ll have to exit at Western – details here.

8:22 AM: If you take East Marginal Way S. toward downtown – be forewarned, two of the three northbound lanes are blocked by a crash at S. Orcas.

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:46 AM: Damp roads are the commute headline so far this morning – be careful. No new road-work alerts for today.

9:13 AM UPDATE: And now, at least where we are, the sun’s out.

ADVANCE ALERT FOR TUESDAY: SDOT plans to continue repaving a section of Beach Drive tomorrow – details here.

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Again this morning, nothing out of the ordinary in the commute. One road-work alert:

BEACH DRIVE PAVING: As noted here last night, SDOT is starting the paving project between Spokane and Orleans today, one day later than first announced – details here.

THIS WEEKEND: No road-closing special events in West Seattle, but here’s the citywide alert list from SDOT.

While the repaving work in the 1300 to 1700 blocks of Alki Avenue SW has wrapped up (we drove through this evening to verify, about eight hours after taking the photo above), the Beach Drive work that was supposed to start has instead slid back a bit. SDOT says it’ll start tomorrow:

Seattle Department of Transportation crews will pave Beach Drive Southwest between Southwest Spokane Street and Southwest Orleans Street, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, on Friday, Aug. 7 and again on Tuesday, Aug. 11. During this time, the street will be closed to through traffic but open for local access. People may enter and exit driveways, but they may need to wait at times for up to 15 minutes. On-street parking will be restricted in the work area. Due to equipment issues, the schedule for this paving project has been changed from its original schedule for Aug.6-Aug.7.

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
We start the morning with a new road-work alert:

SW ORCHARD AT DELRIDGE, STARTING TOMORROW: From Seattle Public Utilities:

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is continuing sewer improvements near Delridge Way SW and SW Orchard Street. Work hours are 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Between Thursday, August 6 and Tuesday, August 11, SPU crews will grind, pave, and stripe SW Orchard Street. This work will require the closure of the westbound lane on SW Orchard Street (east of Delridge Way SW). The westbound lane will be opened to traffic during non-work hours. During the closure, all westbound traffic will be diverted to the eastbound lane with the assistance of a traffic flagger.

Another ongoing utility-related project:

MURRAY CSO CONTROL PROJECT WORK BY LOWMAN BEACH: If you use Beach Drive in the area, keep this alert in mind.

And scheduled to continue today:

ALKI AVENUE PAVING: Lane closures are expected between 7 am and 7 pm for the SDOT paving project announced for Alki SW between the 1300 and 1700 blocks.

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Quiet commute so far.

METRO SURVEY: Less than a week left to answer the survey to help Metro shape its long-range plans – find it here.

ALKI AVENUE PAVING: Today’s the day SDOT says paving work will start on a stretch of Alki Avenue – we’ve confirmed since the announcement that the nonexistent streets referred to in the announcement translate to, between the 1300 and 1700 blocks.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: How will the city fix the policies, or lack of them, that play into slow clearing of incidents such as the fish-truck crash (9 hours) and West Marginal crash (5 hours)? 90 changes are recommended – from more traffic cameras to free towing on chokepoint roadways. Here’s our full report.

12:24 PM: 2-car crash reported on the eastbound bridge at 4th Avenue South. SFD closed out of the scene fairly quickly so we don’t know how serious it is – no cameras in that area.

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:08 AM: If you take 4th Avenue South into downtown, note that a crash at Massachusetts, just south of the stadium zone, is closing part of the northbound roadway. No other problems right now on the outbound routes from here.

VASHON FERRY-DOCK WORK: Cheryl reminds us that the big earthquake-safety project at the main Vashon Island ferry dock got under way at the end of last week, and that means big changes for traffic (and waiting) in the area. Before you go to or through Vashon, read about the project here. The work is expected to continue into December.

7:51 AM: The 4th Avenue situation isn’t cleared up yet, according to this SDOT tweet:

11:16 PM: What was a ‘heavy rescue’ callout is being scaled back as Seattle Fire crews arrive at the scene of a crash on the eastbound high bridge. No major injuries reported so far.

11:45 PM: Just passed the scene, headed westbound from an errand. It’s in the left eastbound lane just before the 99 overpass. A tow truck is on scene, so this should clear soon.