West Seattle, Washington
12 Wednesday
(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! Texter reported lower-bridge traffic stopped; SDOT says the bridge was open for marine traffic, and (update as of 6:54 am) now open to surface traffic.
WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES NOTE: The ferry Kitsap is out of service, which could increase Southworth-to-Fauntleroy traffic until the situation is remedied.
DELRIDGE/ANDOVER PROJECT BRIEFING TONIGHT: If you have questions about the project getting under way from Delridge/Andover northward – last previewed here two weeks ago – an SDOT briefing is on the agenda for tonight’s Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting, 7 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW).
(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! Traffic might still be a bit lighter today because it’s the final day of a four-day weekend for Seattle Public Schools (though many independent schools are back in session). Otherwise, transit services are back to normal. Speaking of transit:
BUS BUCKS: At its afternoon meeting today, the City Council is scheduled to vote on the plan for what extra bus service will be bought with the transit funding approved by voters last year. It’s spelled out here, including local routes 21, 21X, 55, 56, 57, 60, 120, 125, C Line. Find out even more about it at the West Seattle Transportation Coalition‘s next meeting February 26th.
8:01 AM: Still nothing unusual reported on outbound routes. So here’s a check of travel times from 35th SW just before the bridge, via the SDOT map:
1st Ave Offramp 4 min.
4th Ave Offramp 5 min.
Ballard 29 min.
Crown Hill 34 min.
Greenlake via SR-99 27 min.
I-5 NB/SB 6 min.
Lower Queen Anne 24 min.
Shoreline via SR-99 36 min.
South Lake Union 20 min.
SR-99 Offramp 4 min.
Stadiums via 1st Ave 11 min.
Stadiums via 4th Ave 9 min.
8:07 AM: Transit note – We checked out a tip about police at the bus stop by Roxhill Park across from Westwood Village. All gone by the time we arrived (and we’re not far) except for one transit officer who would say only that it was a “minor” incident, “over fast.”
12:01 PM: Via Twitter:
@westseattleblog Stalled truck on crown of WSB in right shoulder heading west. Sticking out a bit into traffic lane so use caution.
— mjs1980 (@mjs1980) February 17, 2015
(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Happy Friday! Lighter traffic around the region today, and that’s not surprising since we’re going into a holiday weekend (it’s a four-day weekend for Seattle Public Schools and those who follow its schedule). SDOT’s traffic-watchers report heavy truck traffic on northbound Marginal, north of the bridge, also not surprising since ships *are* being offloaded today but weren’t yesterday and won’t be for the next three days, as reported here.
TRANSPORTATION NEWS NOTES: One more reminder of Metro‘s three-times-a-year service change tomorrow … While it was announced in the north end, the city’s new Vision Zero street-safety plan has many changes in store for West Seattle, as mentioned in the report from our partners at The Seattle Times – we’ll be following up this morning.
7:55 AM: Michael reports via Twitter that “lower Spokane St. is a mess” too – “lots of truck traffic.” (See the lower-left camera in our quad split above.) Scanner-monitored discussion indicates that traffic officers are getting involved, if they weren’t already.
8:12 AM: SDOT reports a stall on northbound 99 just before King Street:
Stall on the Alaskan way viaduct NB before King St in left lane, expect long delays, use alt routres pic.twitter.com/cwWGBhM3gB
— seattledot (@seattledot) February 13, 2015
8:22 AM: SDOT now reports the WSDOT incident-response truck cleared the stalled pickup quickly. That gives us the chance to remind you …
PRESIDENTS DAY TRANSIT NOTES: On Monday, the West Seattle and Vashon Water Taxis will NOT be running. Metro will be on REGULAR weekday service (except for the routes affected in the “No UW” mode).
9:15 AM: Per scanner, police are directing traffic at E. Marginal/Spokane.
(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
The morning traffic/transit watch is on. And we have two notes:
REMINDER – METRO SERVICE CHANGE ON SATURDAY: It’s two phases this time – the actual “service change” for route tweaks on Saturday, the fare changes on March 1st. Details here, if you haven’t seen them yet.
EARLY WARNING – HIGHWAY 99 LANE CLOSURES NORTH OF DOWNTOWN: If you drive or ride on Highway 99 north of downtown, longterm lane closures (two to three months) in both directions will probably affect you. They won’t start before next month but WSDOT wants to make sure you hear about them now.
7:09 AM: So far, so good on the major roadways this morning.
7:38 AM: Travel-time check from the city map:
5th Ave SW @ SW Snoqualmie St to …
1st Ave offramp 8 min.
4th Ave offramp 10 min.
Ballard 32 min.
Crown Hill 37 min.
Green Lake via SR-99 32 min.
I-5 NB/SB 10 min.
Lower Queen Anne 27 min.
Shoreline via SR-99 40 min.
South Lake Union 25 min.
SR-99 Off Ramp 11 min.
Stadiums via 1st Ave 14 min.
Stadiums via 4th Ave 14 min.
(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:54 AM: Nothing unusual on West Seattle’s main/outbound routes so far this morning.
7:54 AM CHECK-IN: Slow but still incident-free. Spot check of travel times from the SDOT map (same system that feeds the overhead signs):
35th Ave SW @ SW Snoqualmie St to …
1st Ave Off Ramp 11 min.
4th Ave Off Ramp 12 min.
Ballard 40 min.
Crown Hill 47 min.
Green Lake via SR-99 37 min.
I-5 NB/SB 16 min.
Lower Queen Anne 33 min.
Shoreline via SR-99 44 min.
South Lake Union 29 min.
Stadiums via 1st Ave 20 min.
Stadiums via 4th Ave 17 min.
(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
The week is off to a showery start. Some notes while we watch the roads:
METRO SERVICE CHANGE NEXT SATURDAY: Two West Seattle routes have non-WS changes taking effect when Metro’s next “service change” happens on Saturday (February 14th). Full details in the story we published over the weekend. (Clarification: While the “service change” announcement includes the new fares – 25-cent increase for most, plus launch of the new ORCA LIFT fare – they don’t take effect until March 1st.)
HIGHWAY 99 PROJECT UPDATE: WSDOT will brief the City Council again this morning on the Highway 99 project, during the council’s 9:30 am session. Here’s the WSDOT slide deck that’s linked from the agenda, with some general updates, but perhaps of more interest is another slide deck, this one from SDOT, with information on how the city is independently monitoring the settlement situation, and toplines on plans in place in case the Viaduct has to be shut down at any point.
9:10 AM: Some breakdown woes on 99 this morning, per commenters (thank you!). These don’t always turn up on the 911 log or traffic tweets, so – when you can report safely/legally – tips are always appreciated.
8:53 PM: SDOT says the Delridge offramp from the westbound West Seattle Bridge is closed because of a crash. Reader tip (accompanying photos including the one added above) says it seems like a spinout. More as we get it.
10:18 PM: SDOT just tweeted that the ramp has reopened.
Yikes! Tanker truck on its side. 2 lanes of SB I-5 are blocked, and the ramp from EB WSB to SB I-5. Use alt routes. pic.twitter.com/g8ulqVtXyK
— seattledot (@seattledot) February 7, 2015
8:42 PM: A tanker truck is on its side on southbound I-5 just south of the West Seattle Bridge, so the offramp is closed. Updates as we get them.
9:29 PM: From the State Patrol:
No injuries. A passenger car was also involved. That driver was arrested for DUI. Expect lane closures for several hours.
— Trooper Chris Webb (@wspd2pio) February 7, 2015
If you want to check the eastbound-bridge-to-southbound-I-5 ramp status between our updates, use the city’s travelers-info map, and choose, on the lower right, live video/SODO/6th & Spokane.
12:49 AM: Still closed – no estimate for reopening, WSDOT says.
ADDED EARLY SATURDAY: Per WSDOT’s tweet, the ramp (and all I-5 lanes) reopened just before 1:30 am.
(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Another rainy commute. No specific incidents or alerts in or from West Seattle so far, though.
NORTH DELRIDGE PROJECT: On Thursday, we found out more from SDOT about the upcoming work at Delridge/Andover and northward, including the plan to start week after next.
8:22 AM: A little trouble on northbound 99 in the Battery Street Tunnel:
Officers blocking right lane of SR 99 NB in Battery St Tunnel for disabled vehicle. Tow truck is on the way. pic.twitter.com/EfoY8RpjZ9
— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) February 6, 2015
8:53 AM: The BSTunnel situation is reported to be cleared, but there’s a new problem on northbound 99 – a crash, with injuries, reported near the stadium zone. That’s all we’ve heard (via scanner) so far.
A reader question last week resulted in this short story about work starting soon on pedestrian and drainage improvements along the north end of Delridge Way. SDOT promised more information – and now we have it:
Beginning Monday, February 16, SDOT will begin construction to build curb ramps at the intersection of Delridge Way SW and SW Andover Street, widen the sidewalk along the east side of Delridge Way SW and install storm drainage improvements. This project will help improve safety and access for all roadway users in the neighborhood.
Crews have set up construction barriers near the work area to facilitate the installation of new Seattle City Light poles. Leading up to construction, you will see increased pre-construction activities, construction equipment and crews, and placement of temporary “No Parking” signs.
Below is information regarding the construction schedule and impacts that will take place in the project area. Please note that this schedule is dependent on weather and may change.
2/16 – 3/6 Construction will start at the intersection of SW Andover Street and Delridge Way SW as crews remove existing asphalt and install new storm drainage and curb ramps. You can expect curb lane restrictions, parking restrictions, transit stop relocations, pedestrian and bicycle detours around the work area.
3/9 – 3/27 Work begins north of SW Andover Street to extend the sidewalk, rebuild the 23rd Avenue SW/Delridge Way SW intersection, and install storm drainage. You can expect temporary driveway and parking restrictions, lane restrictions, and pedestrian detours around the work area. Access to the West Seattle Bridge Trail will occasionally be restricted; bicyclists and pedestrians may detour around construction activity via 23rd Avenue SW or use an alternate route. At times, 23rd Avenue SW at Delridge Way SW will be closed to through traffic. Local access will be maintained. We will provide additional advance notification before driveway access is restricted.
More information on the project background, funding and schedule can be found at the project webpage at seattle.gov/transportation/DelridgeImprovements.htm. Construction information will be posted here as it becomes available.
As for construction itself, during this work you can expect:
· Temporary driveway closures of up to 7 days; advance notice will be provided
· Closure of 23rd Avenue SW at Delridge Way SW
· Parking and lane restrictions near the work area
· Construction during normal work hours, between 7 AM and 6 PM, with possible weekend work
· Noise, dust and vibration associated with concrete removal and paving
· Impacts to bus stops
· Restricted access to the West Seattle Bridge Trail (see note above)
· Pedestrian and bicycle detoursWe expect construction will be complete in April 2015, depending on weather.
(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
The big commute news so far this morning is the rain, which means slow going – be safe.
METRO SURVEY: Among the transportation stories reported in the past day – Metro’s on the road to a long-range plan, and as part of it, invites you to take an online survey. The link’s in our story.
(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:58 AM: Good morning!
As we start today’s commute watch, there’s word of trouble in the bus lane on northbound 99, just tweeted by Kevin:
FYI @wsdot @kcmetrobus @westseattleblog refuse truck stalled in right bus lane on NB 99 into downtown #Seattle pic.twitter.com/4H0WIa1sax
— Kevin Freitas (@kevinfreitas) February 4, 2015
7:06 AM: The truck has moved on, according to SDOT, and the lane is open again.
7:35 AM: A note from Lisa calls our attention to a power outage on western Charlestown Hill. Does not appear to be in an area with any traffic lights, according to the City Light outage map (which blames “equipment failure” and projects the power will be back soon), but you might encounter repair crews in that area.
8:30 AM: From Helga in comments: “E Marginal backup from Atlantic to Spokane for the 3rd day in a row.”
8:38 AM: Traffic reporter Tracy Taylor @ KING 5 found a camera for it:
to join in with the @westseattleblog looks like its another tough day with port traffic.. pic.twitter.com/pzdiMcKajz
— King5TracyT (@King5TracyT) February 4, 2015
(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Several of the traffic cams showing conditions through/from West Seattle are down this morning, but no trouble spots are reported right now anyway.
ORCA LIFT: Next month is when Metro fares go up and the new low-income fare kicks in. You can check eligibility now – this announcement from the county explains how.
8:05 AM NOTE: This morning SDOT has announced it’s planning a “hackathon” for community help with commute-tackling tools – details here.
TONIGHT: West Seattle Bike Connections meets, 6:30 pm at HomeStreet Bank (WSB sponsor) in The Junction, with the notorious 5-way intersection on the agenda.
3:08 PM NOTE: Desiree sends word that Harbor Island is hard to get to/navigate because of truck backups that apparently are starting along East Marginal. We haven’t found any additional information about this yet.
(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! No alerts for today, but one transit-related note – if you use the streetcar downtown, fare changes are in the works, with a public meeting tonight and other ways to comment – all the info’s here.
6:51 AM: Just got a call reporting a stalled vehicle on the eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct, left lane. Meantime, fairly heavy rain.
7:04 AM: No further updates; traffic appears to be moving fairly normally, on the high-rise too.
February brings a new phase of work at the Murray Combined Sewer Overflow Control Project across from Lowman Beach Park. The county’s announcement:
King County contractors recently finished the base of the underground storage tank, completing the last large concrete pour for the project. Crews are now preparing for smaller concrete pours to construct the outer wall of the tank.
Concrete pours for the outer wall are weather dependent and will occur on Thursdays in February and March. In order to keep the project on schedule, the contractor will be working on some Saturdays. Work hours on Saturdays are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Up to 20 trucks a day will deliver concrete to the site on pour days— about as many trucks as were previously on site each hour for the tank-base pours. Pours will occur between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Work will continue past 6 p.m. if necessary to complete the pour. One concrete pump truck on the east side of the 7000 block of Beach Dr. SW will pump concrete into the hole. Local and emergency access to Beach Drive SW and Lincoln Park Way SW will be maintained at all times. Expect traffic delays and congestion on pour days.
The county will have flaggers assisting with traffic. Questions/concerns? The project’s 24-hour hotline is 206-205-9186.
1:18 PM: Thanks to Janna for the heads-up: A crash on southbound I-5 just past the West Seattle Bridge is slowing down not only I-5 itself, but also the ramp from the bridge. If you are heading south, consider alternatives. P.S. If you want to check the status before leaving, the city’s Travelers’ Information Map has live video – go here, click “live traffic video” from the lower right, choose “Greater Duwamish” on the dropdown, and then choose the 4th/Spokane view.
1:41 PM UPDATE: The live-video feed shows the offramp and freeway moving at what looks like normal pace now.
(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:03 AM: Traffic’s OK so far, according to every place we’ve been watching, but fog is a factor, as you can see on the cameras right now. One more reminder – no classes at Seattle Public Schools today for the “day between semesters.”
7:46 AM: We’re heading for the bridge because of a story downtown. On Fauntleroy Way, the fog shows up just north of Morgan Junction. (minutes later) Fog’s still thick, heading onto the bridge, where the daily backup isn’t starting until just past the Admiral/Avalon onramp.
7:54 AM: Even the 4th Avenue offramp is all but empty.
(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:04 AM: Good morning! So far, so good. Reminder that this is the last day of the week for Seattle Public Schools, which are closed for the “day between semesters” tomorrow (Friday).
8:01 AM: Still quiet. The calm before the Super Bowl. Speaking of which, we’ll be updating the WSB list of West Seattle Super Bowl-related notes later today – anything to add? editor@westseattleblog.com – thank you!
12:58 PM: Just a reminder that we often have traffic-related notes on Twitter that don’t appear here on the site – sometimes they’re short-lived, or we didn’t get back in front of the laptop in time, or they’re more observations than anything else. Today, we mentioned 35th/Juneau utility work we happened onto, around 9 am, and then something else we didn’t expect – an SPD motorcycle officer doing traffic-enforcement work near WSB HQ. Between 9:40 am and 11:20 am, we saw the officer take off nine times to cite drivers who ran a stop sign at the California/Thistle 4-way stop – specifically, they all had driven through the westbound Thistle to northbound California turn without stopping. Over the years, many drivers who fail to stop there, and don’t even seem to bother looking all ways before proceeding, have almost broadsided us, and I’m sure some of our neighbors. If the prospect of injuring/killing someone doesn’t make you think twice about ignoring a stop sign or stop light – ANY place you find one – maybe the triple-digit fine will?
(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:50 AM: Good morning! The Wednesday commute watch is on.
8:19 AM: Still no incidents. So we’ll note transportation-news links from the past 24 hours or so … First, if you heard about the proposal in the Legislature to kill the Highway 99 project, KING reports the bill itself is basically DOA … Speaking of the tunnel, if you want to review the fine print about the state and its contractor disagreeing on who’s responsible for extra costs because of soil conditions, WSDOT includes the memo in this update … Here’s our recap of the West Seattle Transportation Coalition‘s first 2015 meeting, including discussion of the city’s responses to WSTC’s 5 most-pressing issues.
9:24 AM: Six minutes after tweeting first word of a problem on the low bridge, SDOT says it’s already fixed.
UPDATE: The gate to the ped/bike path on the Lower Spokane St Bridge has been repaired, bridge now open to bike/ped traffic
— seattledot (@seattledot) January 28, 2015
(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:00 AM: Routine morning so far on the routes through/from West Seattle. This week’s only traffic alert remains for Highway 99 north of downtown, late-night/early-early-morning lane closures all week. Also, it’s a short week for Seattle Public Schools – no classes on Friday for “the day between semesters.”
7:08 AM: Just getting word of a car/motorcycle crash on the eastbound bridge, Spokane St. Viaduct section, (update) between 1st and 4th Ave. exits. Someone who just went past the scene says the rider was sitting up.
(Added: Image from SDOT Twitter feed)
7:15 AM: From the scanner – left lane(s) are blocked at the scene; the rider is believed to have an ankle injury and will be taken to the hospital by private ambulance.
7:36 AM: One left lane still blocked but most of the emergency response is wrapped up so probably not for much longer.
8:06 AM: Tow crew on scene now, per SDOT.
8:12 AM: Now cleared.
EVENING COMMUTE NOTE: Several have mentioned slowness during the evening southbound commute. Metro summarized it this way around 6:21 pm: “Transit service to West Seattle is experiencing significant delays due to various traffic issues in downtown Seattle and on the West Seattle bridge. Some buses are traveling via 1st Av S instead of the Viaduct. No stops are being missed.”
(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:44 AM: The fog that moved in late last night has lifted, at least in this area, so visibility is no longer a problem between here and downtown. No West Seattle traffic alerts for today, but if you use Highway 99 north of downtown in the late night/early morning hours, note lane closures are planned for the rest of the week.
7:02 AM: Fog’s moving back in, here in the Gatewood/Upper Fauntleroy area. So be aware of potentially changing conditions.
10:17 AM: Just got a text alert about a gravel truck spill on SW Oregon near 39th – rocks on the road. “Bit of a mess,” writes the texter. We hope someone has already reported this to SDOT – the hotline for road hazards is 206-684-ROAD.
(WSB photo)
2:03 PM: Thanks to Bradi for the tip: A semi-truck that’s in trouble on SW Roxbury near 31st is blocking most of the road, she says. We’re off to check.
2:58 PM UPDATE: Adding a photo taken while the truck was blocking most of the road. We just went through a second time and noted the truck just got going again and was slowly headed from Roxbury southbound onto 35th. Traffic is back to normal on Roxbury.
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