(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Happy day before Thanksgiving! We start with another reminder about holiday transit schedules:

*Metro will be on a Sunday schedule on Thanksgiving Day and a “reduced weekday/no UW” schedule on Friday.

*The Water Taxi does NOT run on Thursday *or* Friday.

*Sound Transit‘s express bus serving our area (560) will be on a Sunday schedule for Thanksgiving Day, normal schedule for Friday.

*Washington State Ferries‘ Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run will keep a normal schedule. WSF reminds you that lines will be longest in the westbound direction this afternoon/evening. For Fauntleroy, all the space/wait info, plus dock-area cameras, can be found here.

CITYWIDE ALERT FOR THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND: If you’re not leaving town, you still might need to know times/places for parades, runs, etc., and that’s all in the SDOT alert.

(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:35 AM: We start with a problem affecting Northbound 99 – a crash has closed the northbound side of the Battery Street Tunnel.

6:55 AM: Still closed, no ETA announced for reopening. Seattle Fire was not dispatched to the crash, which indicates no one was hurt. Here’s the traffic cam that looks southward at the northbound traffic from just before the closure point:

7:08 AM: Per scanner, the tunnel is clear and about to be reopened. A stalled car nearby, though, might still complicate matters for a bit.

7:12 AM: Officially reopened, per SDOT.

7:33 AM: Avalon is “crawling,” reports WS Since 1979 in comments, just before the eastward turn to Spokane/bridge ramp.

Heading into the heart of the commute … the SFD response to a crash on northbound I-5 at Holgate has just closed out, but there’ll be residual backup.

LOOKING AHEAD: For the extended holiday weekend – transit notes:

*Metro will be on a Sunday schedule this Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) and a “reduced weekday/no UW” schedule on Friday.

*The Water Taxi does NOT run on Thursday *or* Friday.

*Washington State Ferries‘ Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run will keep a normal schedule.

*Sound Transit‘s express bus serving our area (560) will be on a Sunday schedule for Thanksgiving Day, normal schedule for Friday.

(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
So far this morning, the rain is the biggest factor affecting everyone heading out for the day:

WEEKEND NOTES: Here’s the citywide weekend advisory from SDOT.

8:08 AM: As you can see on the top left camera, there’s a stalled vehicle on the ramp – Justina sent first word via Twitter, that it’s up the eastbound ramp “from Luna Park.”

8:22 AM: Camera shows police have now arrived behind the stalled SUV.

(WSB photo: Vehicle involved in collision, per police)
4:36 PM: Thanks to everybody who has messaged us about an emergency response at Delridge/Brandon – we’re working to find out more; avoid the area for now.

4:39 PM: This is reported to be a case of a vehicle hitting a pedestrian – a ~40-year-old man, and medics are doing CPR on him right now. Delridge will be closed for hours – the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad is on the way to investigate, as they do with all crashes that result in serious injuries or worse. Metro Route 120 is being rerouted, according to a text alert – use stops north of Brandon or south of Juneau. The victim is being taken to Harborview, per SPD.

5:01 PM: We’re at Delridge/Brandon, which is where southbound traffic is being detoured west (and where northbound traffic is being detoured to, coming from south of here). Congested, to say the least, so if you can delay your return home, or find a very alternative way to get around – do it.

(Added: Photo by Alex)
5:20 PM: Police tell us at the scene that they’ve been told the pedestrian did not survive.

6:22 PM: According to a tweet from police, Delridge has reopened.

11:01 PM: No further official information tonight about the victim or the crash circumstances; we’ll be following up tomorrow.

FRIDAY NOTE: We expect to write a separate followup later today, but in the meantime, in case you don’t read the comment section: A DESC spokesperson confirms to WSB that the victim was a Cottage Grove Commons resident. Police have yet to release further information about the crash; a commenter who identifies herself as the victim’s sister says he was in the crosswalk when hit.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON NOTE: Police have published a short update on SPD Blotter. We noted it earlier in comments but also want to note here, since our full update is still in the works – the two new pieces of information are that the victim was 52 years old, and that he was crossing at the intersection when hit.

(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:17 AM: Only thing to note so far in the commute, the lane closures on 99 north of downtown, one lane closed in both directions for emergency sewer repairs, scheduled to continue until tomorrow. And – wet roads after overnight rain.

7:39 AM: From comments – eastbound bridge backup but no obvious cause so far. (We’ve checked all the sources and no word at this point of crash, stall, etc.)

(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:59 AM: Again today, the early commute’s proceeding without problems.

7:57 AM: If you happen to be heading *back* this way on SOUTHBOUND 99 from north of downtown, that’s a mess for two reasons, a lane closure near Mercer and a car fire at Aurora/59th.

8:15 AM: Update, as pointed out in comments – the lane closure near Mercer is actually one lane in each direction on 99 at that point. It’s for an emergency sewer repair. Here’s the advisory published by Seattle Public Utilities – round-the-clock from yesterday morning through Friday.

8:49 AM: A bit of backup at northbound I-5 from the bridge because of a crash – the vehicle(s) involved have been moved to the shoulder/gore point.

10:14 AM: Texter reports a “crash/disabled vehicle on eastbound West Seattle Bridge right before gore point” and says traffic’s backing up.

(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:07 AM: So far, nothing out of the ordinary on the routes through/from West Seattle as the sun rises on our Tuesday.

7:39 AM: Even around the rest of the region (we monitor the regional traffic reports as well as local emergency-service logs, etc.), nothing much so far.

7:56 AM: If you missed the big bright sunrise about an hour ago, here’s Brian‘s view from High Point:

Sunrise, sunset, breaking news, traffic IF you’re not the driver … photos welcome at editor@westseattleblog.com.

(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Aside from some early delays on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth ferry route, traffic and transit have been more-or-less normal so far in our area this morning.

10:09 PM: If you have to head eastbound sometime soon, you might consider the low bridge – there’s a multiple-car crash on the high bridge. No injuries, though, according to what we’ve heard via the scanner, so only one fire truck is staying on the call (along with police).

10:39 PM: Drove by about 10 minutes ago. It’s right at the top of the bridge. About half a dozen SPD cars, mostly for visibility/safety so far as we could see, as the scene wasn’t fully visible from a distance. Inside lanes. Tow truck summoned.

11:11 PM: Scene was completely clear when we were on the high bridge headed the other way at the top of the hour.

(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:37 AM: Just got a call reporting a stalled vehicle on the eastbound bridge. Checking for more info.

6:57 AM: Not seeing anything more on that. Overall, the regional picture has been looking pretty good. Regional note for the weekend: Highway 520 bridge will be closed, tonight through Monday morning.

7:28 AM: From the scanner – dispatchers are sending police to check out a reported “3-car blocking” incident on the eastbound bridge, west of 99. The SDOT camera that would normally point that way is still out of service, and sun glare dominates the other one, but if you happen to see it from a bus or another *passenger* situation, updates appreciated. ***Update*** – closer to the 4th Avenue exit.

7:36 AM: Emergency personnel arriving on scene. Tweeted by SDOT:

7:42 AM: SDOT says the two left lanes are blocked there. A texter who just went through the area confirms it’s 3 vehicles.

7:51 AM: As SDOT puts it on Twitter, the crash scene has “consolidated.” Now blocking 1 lane between 1st and 4th Ave. exits. Meantime, police are investigating a car theft in High Point – the car reportedly was left running to warm up. Every year, police warn against doing that. (P.S. While car theft is reported to be up in the city, most recent WS-specific update showed a year-to-year drop. But any theft is too many.)

8:25 AM: Scanner: Police just called for a city crew to clean up a fluid spill at the crash scene.

8:42 AM: SDOT confirms the scene is clear and all lanes are open.

9:36 AM: Thanks to Tom for the photo of what’s backing up the northbound Alaskan Way Viaduct now:

(See comments for more details.)
11:13 AM NOTE: Neglected to update but that *did* clear about 45 minutes after we mentioned it.

(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Off to a better start this morning – nothing of note in our area so far but the chilly temp. Other notes:

WEST SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION COALITION: Bridges and buses were a big part of the discussion Tuesday night, and by the time we finished writing about it Wednesday night, we had yesterday morning’s woes to address, too. Here’s the story.

WEST OF THE LOW BRIDGE … Don Brubeck of West Seattle Bike Connections caught this scene on Wednesday:

He wrote, “BNSF was replacing the train crossing signal at Chelan/West Marginal/Spokane/Delridge … on the little safety island by the Chelan Cafe. Second time this year that someone has driven into it.”

7:39 AM: If you’re headed for northbound I-5, there’s a bit of trouble just north of the West Seattle Bridge, blocking the right-center lane before I-90, per WSDOT.

8:48 AM: That cleared fairly fast, and no added trouble’s been reported in our vicinity (or the main outbound routes) since. The low bridge is now closed for vessel traffic, though, per @sdotbridges.

(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:49 AM: There’s a crash at the crest of the eastbound high bridge – thanks to those who messaged us about it. SFD cleared it fairly quickly (no injuries, apparently), but the top-left camera shot above indicates it’s blocking the left lane right now, and that police are still on the scene.

7:06 AM: Discussion monitored via scanner suggests police are having trouble finding a tow truck that can respond any sooner than an hour or two. They’re still trying. (The topic of routinely stationing tow trucks near the bridge – as was done for a while years ago – had just come up at last night’s West Seattle Transportation Coalition meeting; our story on that and other WSTC topics is in the works.)

7:33 AM: Lane still blocked, still awaiting tow truck (we haven’t heard anything more on an ETA – the crash itself happened around 6:20 am). And now SDOT warns via Twitter that the “low bridge” will be closing to vehicles in a few minutes. (Also a topic last night, with Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who has led previous unsuccessful efforts to get the Coast Guard to exempt the bridge from rush-hour openings, saying he agrees it’s time to revisit the situation.) If you haven’t seen the regional news, many areas – but NOT the city – are dealing with the aftermath of an overnight windstorm, especially SE King County, which is tying up many resources.

(Traffic-cam images we grabbed/tweeted at 7:40 am during high-bridge problem and low-bridge vessel opening)
7:48 AM: Vehicles are moving across the low bridge again.

8:01 AM: Hard to tell if any progress is being made, because the only working camera on the high rise is impeded by sun glare (as you can see at top left). But there’s now a problem BEFORE the bridge – outbound C Line bus has a medical emergency at Avalon/Charlestown in the Luna Park business district; everyone’s been taken off the bus, and we’re told, some are getting onto another.

8:08 AM: The crash scene is finally clear. Backups of course will last a while.

8:29 AM: New problem, per Jessica on Twitter: Right before the I-5 ramps, at the eastbound edge of the bridge, a “fender-bender” just happened. She says, “People (are) getting out of their cars; likely to back up.”

8:40 AM: And back on the peninsula, Sage notes that Delridge is backed up all the way to Brandon. Meantime, people headed for the 1st Avenue South Bridge should take note, WSDOT has tweeted “On SR 509 northbound just north of S Cloverdale St, there is a collision blocking the right center lane.”

9:12 AM: Surface problem not far away – East Marginal/1st, from the scanner, some debris on the road that need to be cleaned up, and part of the intersection is being blocked off until that happens.

(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
As we start the morning, here’s what might affect how you get around on this Veterans Day:

*Metro is on a reduced-weekday/no-UW schedule
*No Water Taxi service on either route
*Sound Transit: Regular schedule
*Washington State Ferries: Regular schedule
*Schools are closed today (as are other government-run facilities including libraries)
*In Seattle neighborhoods with street parking, it’s free today

WEST SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION COALITION TONIGHT: The holiday is NOT pre-empting a full slate of community meetings, including the WSTC, 6:30 pm at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center (6400 Sylvan Way SW) – see the agenda here.

7:25 AM: As noted in comments, some Battery St. Tunnel trouble, but no official word on its current status….

3:48 PM: SDOT says the low bridge is closed right now because of “police activity.”

3:52 PM: And it’s now open again.

4:04 PM: According to Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Wilske, the incident involved someone threatening suicide. He says, “The officers successfully talked him down.” (Every time we mention suicide, we also want to be sure you know about the 24/7 resource in our area, the Crisis Clinic hotline – 206-461-3222.)

(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
So far, a relatively average commute here and regionally, according to all the sources we’ve checked. (Two of the cameras we regularly show are down, by the way.)

VETERANS DAY TOMORROW: Tuesday’s holiday means, among other things, no school and some transit changes, including “reduced weekday” service for Metro and no Water Taxi service.

SPEAKING OF THE WATER TAXI … its first-ever “strategic plan” is out. Eastside service? New West Seattle terminal? Tax increase? See what it says.

SOUNDERS TONIGHT: We should mention that Sounders FC plays Dallas at C Link, 7:30 tonight,

(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
The cameras are back! SDOT fixed the ones whose problems made it tough to monitor yesterday’s multi-problem morning commute. We’ve also added the 11th/Spokane view, since at least as of first thing this am, it’s still pointing to the low bridge. Now, on with notes and previews, while we can:

BATTERY STREET TUNNEL CLOSURE: One more reminder – the BSTunnel will close overnight tomorrow night for fire-system testing – original announcement here.

CITYWIDE WEEKEND TRAFFIC ALERT: From Oprah (tonight/tomorrow) to the Seahawks (Sunday) – useful info here.

REROUTE RAPIDRIDE IN THE JUNCTION? Here’s our report on the first official open-to-the-public presentation, during Wednesday night’s Southwest District Council meeting.

10:18 AM: This morning’s rollover scene is cleared and Admiral Way has just reopened between 59th and 61st.

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! No road trouble to report so far. Transportation-news notes:

FAUNTLEROY TRAFFIC MEETING TONIGHT: 7 pm at The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW), city leaders will meet with community members about traffic/transportation challenges, as first announced last month. All welcome.

TRANSIT VOTE UPDATE: After two more vote counts, Transportation Benefit District Prop. 1 is at 60 percent “yes.” Here’s our report on the Wednesday morning media briefing about what was called the “framework” of a city-county agreement on where the money will go for starters.

7:15 AM: Scratch the “no trouble.” Just got a text “wreck on the bridge.” It’s just before 99, blocking an eastbound lane. It was not listed on the 911 log, which at least means “no injuries.”

7:32 AM: The regular bridge camera has been down for two days, so we can’t see the crash zone, but commenters say it doesn’t look likely to clear soon. Meantime, the weather alert for today upgraded overnight to a “wind advisory,” noon-6 pm.

7:40 AM: The rain is intensifying. And there’s a new crash reported on the eastbound bridge at 99, possibly 4 vehicles, per scanner.

7:45 AM: From SDOT via Twitter:

Metro has even sent an advisory warning of delays.

7:59 AM: The backup is apparently leading people to drive in the bus lane at 35th/Alaska – heard via scanner, a call for any available enforcement help, so buses can get through.

8:20 AM: The low bridge is open for marine traffic and SDOT says it’ll be a “long” opening. (See the comment section for some background.)

8:36 AM: A stall parallel with Nucor on the bridge, Brian reports; “Wsea” in comments says the Water Taxi is packed and also running slower because of mechanical trouble.

8:45 AM: Lisa via Twitter confirms what sounded on the scanner like a second stall, in the Delridge onramp vicinity. On the “good news” side, we’re seeing some blue sky to the west, so the weather may be calming (until the afternoon “wind advisory”).

9:18 AM: Tow truck has arrived for at least one stalled vehicle, per scanner. Traffic will be temporarily stopped in all lanes so it can get the job done.

9:44 AM: Lost count of the stalls but one has just been picked up by AAA (WSB sponsor), per what we heard on the scanner, while another one is still blocking a lane. Meantime, we just discovered the 11th/Spokane camera is currently turned toward the “low bridge”:

(That is subject to change at any time – SDOT controls it.)

9:54 AM: Speaking of SDOT, they have captured a view of the latest stall:

9:58 AM: Live camera (see top of the story) suggests the stall has now cleared.

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Another nothing-out-of-the-ordinary traffic morning for our area, so far. Looking ahead:

TRANSIT FUNDING PASSES – WHAT NEXT? At 11:30 this morning downtown, city and county leaders will meet the media to talk about the passage of the transit-funding measure on yesterday’s Seattle ballot. (It was ahead 59%-41% after the first and only election-night ballot count; next round of results this afternoon.)

RELOCATE RAPIDRIDE IN THE JUNCTION? Is the SDOT proposal to move RapidRide onto California SW in the heart of The Junction, first reported here in August, moving forward? An SDOT rep is scheduled to discuss it at tonight’s Southwest District Council meeting, 6:30 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle (Oregon/California).

FAUNTLEROY MEETING TOMORROW: 7 pm tomorrow (Thursday) at The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW), city leaders including SDOT director Scott Kubly will meet with community members about traffic/transportation challenges from speeding to sidewalks and beyond, as first announced last month. All welcome.

Back to today’s getting-around watch …

7:52 AM: Low bridge is open for marine traffic. No advance-warning system yet but SDOT does continue to tweet bridge “openings” at @sdotbridges. (Added: If you’re keeping score, according to the tweets, the closure lasted about 11 minutes.)

Two traffic notes, one this evening, one this weekend:

AVALON BACKUP THIS EVENING: If you wondered what was backing up SW Avalon, probably this:

@westseattleblog Here's a pic of the bus with it's hood up. pic.twitter.com/vgsbR4N8n0

— Kevin Freitas (@kevinfreitas) November 5, 2014

Kevin tweeted that photo of a stalled school bus. Haven’t heard how conditions are now, but thought we’d mention this in case you got caught in it and never saw what was happening. Meantime, also via Twitter, we’re hearing traffic is steady headed to the West Seattle Stadium ballot dropoff (35th just south of Avalon) – you have until 8 pm to get your ballot (no stamps required) dropped off there.

BATTERY STREET TUNNEL CLOSURE NEXT WEEKEND: Just announced by SDOT:

The Seattle Department of Transportation will close the Battery Street Tunnel (SR 99) to both directions of traffic from 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8 until 8 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 9. During the closure, SDOT crews will test the fire suppression system.

Northbound traffic on the Alaskan Way Viaduct (SR 99) will be routed off the viaduct at Western Avenue, then directed to Broad Street, then to Second Avenue, and on to Battery Street to return to northbound Aurora Avenue North (SR 99).

Southbound traffic on Aurora Avenue North (SR 99) will be detoured from Aurora Avenue at Denny Way, then directed to Wall Street and then to Elliott Avenue to return to southbound Alaskan Way Viaduct (SR 99).