Mystery solved, regarding what has sounded to some like an almost-continuous alarm bell/siren-type noise these past few days. Tuesday, we received half a dozen messages from north West Seattle, mysterious because of an absence of any 911 reports of an ongoing alarm-type bell; then we developed the theory it might have been the “shot blasting” technique used to improve traction on two local hills – SW Charlestown yesterday, SW Genesee today – and as soon as we received a noise report from the Luna Park area today, that seemed to confirm it. We went over to the work zone on Genesee and while we couldn’t get it on video, we confirmed that the equipment was making a droning alarm/siren-type noise, somewhat reminiscent of the old “air-raid sirens” we remembered from weekly tests (and are blessed not to have known in any other context) decades ago.

(WSB photo added Wednesday afternoon)
Here’s what the Harbor Avenue no-parking signs were about – today is the second of three days of landscape work on the median, according to SDOT:

You may have seen crews at work along Harbor Avenue Southwest between Southwest Spokane Street and Southwest Florida Street. These Seattle Department of Transportation landscape crews began working on the street median yesterday, weeding and cutting back plant material. They will continue the work through tomorrow, keeping one lane open in each direction by shifting traffic into the parking lanes. The northbound lane is closed from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closure of the southbound lane is delayed until 9 a.m. to allow for morning commuter traffic.

https://westseattleblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/IMG_9854-e1407968377882.jpg

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Hours of steady rain overnight has left some standing water out there, so drive carefully. One early alert: The county texted that mechanical trouble has affected the first run of the Route 775 shuttle from Seacrest toward Admiral.

ROAD WORK: If the overnight rain hasn’t affected the plan, today’s the day crews are supposed to work on traction improvement on SW Genesee between Avalon and Delridge.

10:51 AM: SDOT just sent formal notice of work that’s under way through tomorrow on Harbor Avenue.

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
As we start a new day of traffic-watching, remember that two of this week’s road-work projects are scheduled for today: The first of two days of SW Roxbury repaving, 25th SW to 27th SW. Also, the first of two days of hill-traction work, starting today with SW Charlestown, 45th SW to 47th SW. (Tomorrow, the crews are scheduled to move on to SW Genesee between Avalon and Delridge.)

ALSO TODAY: 2 big items on the City Council Transportation Committee‘s agenda this morning at 9:30 am – the confirmation process starts for SDOT director nominee Scott Kubly, and another discussion of Sound Transit‘s Long-Range Plan Update, both previewed here. If you can’t be at City Hall, you can watch live at seattlechannel.org.

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
As our traffic watch begins for a new week, a reminder of what’s ahead (the links each go to the previous stories with details on the work):

ROXBURY REPAVING: Scheduled for Tuesday/Wednesday, 25th SW to 27th SW.

CHARLESTOWN TRACTION IMPROVEMENT: Scheduled for Tuesday, 45th SW to 47th SW.

GENESEE TRACTION IMPROVEMENT: Scheduled for Wednesday, between Avalon and Delridge.

4:42 PM: Police are closing all lanes of southbound Highway 99 because of a crash reported to be parallel with Holgate, not far north of the West Seattle Bridge exit. No details yet; a witness texted to us that they believe a motorcycle rider was involved. Medics are headed northbound in the southbound lanes to reach the victim(s).

4:53 PM UPDATE: Tweeted by Seattle Fire: The patient is a 61-year-old man who was riding a motorcycle that collided with a car. He is being taken to the hospital with head trauma, and CPR is under way. Meantime, since the injuries are life-threatening, that means the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad is likely to be summoned, and the road will be closed for some time. Police are working right now to get other vehicles off southbound 99, which they describe as “completely gridlock” – here’s the latest image from the south end of the elevated structure:

5:07 PM: Metro confirms via Twitter that it’s working on rerouting buses.

5:29 PM: SFD has confirmed the rider died. Police are continuing to clear traffic off southbound 99 but also advise it will be “difficult” in the area for some time.

6:08 PM: SPD also confirms southbound 99 will remain closed – from Battery St. Tunnel southward – until investigators have finished, likely a few more hours. No official report from police yet but the other vehicle involved is reported to be a RapidRide bus. A KING 5 journalist tweeted this photo:

Motorcycle accident involved this King County Metro bus. pic.twitter.com/3tN2kEYqQv

— Ted Land (@TedLandK5) August 10, 2014

8:11 PM: Southbound 99 has reopened.

9:09 PM: That was according to this SPD tweet – but commenters say it is NOT fully reopened, only to Atlantic. We are hoping SPD will clarify. As of right now, this traffic camera south of the crash scene does seem to verify the stretch from stadiums to West Seattle Bridge remains closed.

9:23 PM: That camera now shows traffic moving across the last southbound stretch, indicating SB 99 has now fully reopened.

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Happy Friday! No issues on the main routes through/from West Seattle so far this morning. Other notes:

WEEKEND PREVIEW – Here’s the city roundup of what’s happening where, through Sunday, with potential traffic effects.

TRANSPORTATION NEWS: Thursday pm, we had a lot of it –
*RapidRide route change? SDOT confirmed what a tipster told us, that it’s studying the feasibility of moving the outbound SW Alaska RapidRide stop east of California, so the C Line could use California instead of Edmunds/44th/Alaska.
*Road work: Next week, SDOT crews are scheduled to pave part of Roxbury and improve traction on the Charlestown/Genesee hills.

Transportation seems to be the theme tonight. One more round of road work announced by SDOT for next week – this is another try at the traction improvements that didn’t quite work out the first time around on two of West Seattle’s steepest hills, back in May (with a different method). Tonight’s announcement:

The Seattle Department of Transportation will conduct shot blasting to make traction improvements at two locations in West Seattle and one in Magnolia next week. Shot blasting will propel a high-speed stream of abrasive material at the street surface to roughen it and create a better grip for vehicles. Dates are subject to change. Flaggers will be on site at road closures to provide local access and guidance. This work will be completed in a single weekday at each location and will take place between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. The following describes the scheduled roadway closures:

Aug. 12: SW Charlestown Street between 49th Avenue SW and California Avenue SW (local access only)
· Work zone is SW Charlestown Street between 47th Avenue SW and 45th Avenue SW

· Eastbound traffic detoured via 49th Avenue SW, SW Admiral Way, and California Avenue SW

· Westbound traffic detoured via California Avenue SW, SW Admiral Way, and 49th Avenue SW

Aug. 13: SW Genesee Street between SW Avalon Way and Delridge Way SW (local access only)
· Work zone is SW Genesee Street between SW Avalon Way and 30th Avenue SW

· Eastbound traffic detoured via SW Avalon Way, SW Yancy Street, 28th Avenue SW, SW Andover Street, and Delridge Way SW

· Westbound traffic detoured via Delridge Way SW, SW Andover Street, 28th Avenue SW, SW Yancy Street, and SW Avalon Way

5:33 PM: Thanks to the person who texted about a crash on northbound 35th SW at Henderson (by the library), blocking at least one lane. We’re off to check it out – update to come.

5:47 PM: Confirmed at the scene that one lane northbound is blocked, all others open. No injuries. One of the vehicles involved is on the other side of the fire truck in our photo, above; the scene will be clear when that vehicle is towed.

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! Today’s traffic (etc.) watch is on.

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:52 AM: Traffic watch is on for Wednesday morning. Nothing major so far.

7:06 AM: If you’re in the North Delridge area, there’s a fire response in the 4800 block of 25th SW [map]. We’ll be updating it here.

8:10 AM: Thanks to Joe Szilagyi for the photo-accompanied news that 30th is closed north of Roxbury by Roxhill Elementary:

He says it’s posted as school-bus-bulb-related work, through August 24th.

5:28 PM: Car fire situation is blocking the bus and far=right lanes at the peak of the eastbound bridge.

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Time to keep watch on what’s happening while you head from here to there. Metro started the day with a text alert that the first West Seattle Water Taxi shuttles of the day, 773 and 775, are “delayed” – no word on why, or how much of a delay. (If you are a rider and notice a delay much later into the morning, please let us know.)

‘NIGHT OUT’ REMINDER: Tonight is Night Out, an evening of community-building, safety-enhancing block parties around our city and the rest of the nation, 6-9 pm. That means a lot of “street closed” signs around local neighborhoods. If you’ll be on the move during those hours, be extra careful!

7:11 AM: Text alert says Water Taci shuttle service has resumed.

3:22 PM: The “heavy rescue” call at 4th Ave. South/South Spokane St. right now is described by Seattle Fire as a rescue involving a “bicyclist trapped underneath a semitruck.” That’s all we know right now – avoid the area; updates as we get them.

3:35 PM: The bicyclist has been extricated from under the truck, according to the scanner, and is described as a 26-year-old man, conscious with injuries including significant “abrasions” after being dragged for a distance. Medics are rushing him to Harborview Medical Center.

4:24 PM: Couldn’t figure out from other sources how traffic was being affected, so we’re now here at the scene. Westbound Spokane is closed at 4th – this happened on Spokane, under the bridge, just west of Spokane. Southbound 4th is closed at Spokane but just as we arrived, scanner discussion suggested they hope to reopen that section at least part of the way soon. Northbound 4th and eastbound Spokane are unaffected – that includes the ramp from the eastbound bridge.

4:38 PM: Traffic Collision Investigation Squad investigators (photo above) are on scene, so that one section of road, westbound Spokane west of 4th, is likely to be closed a while. Though southbound 4th has reopened, police are still on the right side, and it’s moving slowly right now, so we would still advise an alternate route. We’re on 1st now and it is moving at a normal pace.

6:55 PM: SDOT tweets that the intersection is open again in all directions. SPD’s early summary of the collision says the rider was in stable condition when hospitalized.

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning. No major road work on the schedule so far for this week, so we have just one reminder for you: Tonight is the second of two SDOT meetings about the SW Roxbury Safety Project proposals; a “road diet” from 17th to 35th is one of the proposals unveiled at meeting #1 last Thursday (WSB coverage here). If you’re interested, be at Greenbridge YWCA at 6 pm tonight.

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Happy Friday! We’re keeping watch on the commute as usual. It’s Seafair Friday, with the Blue Angels‘ practice show leading to an I-90 closure 12:15-2:40 pm (same times both days this weekend). Lots of other events around the city through Sunday, and this city-provided roundup covers them. One bit of transportation news, if you missed it last night:

ROXBURY RECHANNELIZATION? SDOT unveiled its proposals for SW Roxbury safety improvements, and the biggest (but far from only) one would narrow part of it to one lane each way plus a turn lane and shoulders. Here’s our full report; another info meeting is in Greenbridge at 6 pm Monday night.

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:16 AM: As today’s traffic watch begins, four things you should know:

1ST OF 4 BLUE ANGELS/I-90 CLOSURE DAYS: Today’s the only day with two closure windows – 9:45 am-noon, 1:15-2:40 pm.

NEW BIKE CORRAL READY TO USE … SE corner of California/Alaska in The Junction.

SW ROXBURY SAFETY MEETING TONIGHT: Whether you bike it, bus it, drive it, walk it, you’ve got a stake in the city’s proposals. 6 pm, Southwest Library.

HIGHWAY 99 AUGUST CLOSURE REMINDER: Today, the state starts an awareness campaign (including advertising here and elsewhere) about the August 22-27 Highway 99 closures. Here’s the official infopage.

6:40 AM UPDATE: Thanks to the person who just texted that the low bridge is “stuck open.” SDOT confirms this via Twitter and says a crew is en route to fix it.

7:20 AM UPDATE: SPD has tweeted that the low bridge is “back in service.”

5:13 PM UPDATE: In case you find this before the related news story, a fire and police investigation in the 7300 block of 16th SW has closed 16th in that area and 125/128 buses are being rerouted. No estimate on how long this will last. The fire might have been arson and investigators are on scene to try to determine if that’s so.

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
It’s Seafair Wednesday, and while the Parade of Ships/Flight probably won’t affect your surface-road/trail/etc. travel, it’s worth keeping in mind, especially if you’ll be on the move at its peak early this afternoon (lots of info in our preview, here). Then tomorrow’s the first of 4 days with I-90 closures because of Blue Angels practices/performances – details here. Meantime, we’re watching today’s travels, with one advisory – workers under the bridge.

Be careful under the bridge for the next week and a half or so. SDOT is working under the Fauntleroy Expressway – the west end of the high bridge – to do a “condition survey,” spokesperson Marybeth Turner confirms. The plan for this was mentioned at a City Council briefing earlier this month, as reported here, following the disclosure that hundreds of cushions installed just a few years ago need to be replaced. Turner says the survey work “will likely” continue through next week, and might affect some of the park-and-ride spaces beneath the bridge.

While crews were working under the westernmost end at Harbor/Avalon/Spokane on Tuesday afternoon, a RapidRide bus had a close call, as documented by Hannah Letinich, who was on board at the time.

She texted us video and photos to show how close the bus came to actually making contact with the bridge – close enough that it needed tow help to get around the corner without making contact. Traffic was blocked a while and riders were taken off the bus until this was solved.

Once the bus was moved far enough away from the edge to move on safely, she said, the passengers got back on board and continued downtown.

(SCROLL DOWN for updates on truck trouble that’s blocking W. Marginal in 4500 block)

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:16 AM: Good morning! No road work or closures announced for today. So, we start by looking ahead to later this week:

BLUE ANGELS I-90 BRIDGE CLOSURES: Our daily reminder this week for midday/afternoon drivers – I-90 bridge closures are Thursday-Sunday – here’s the schedule.

ROXBURY SAFETY PROJECT: 6 pm Thursday at Southwest Library, it’s your first look at what’s being proposed to make SW Roxbury safer.

And in transportation news:

TUNNEL TIMETABLE: Some snags in the process of digging down to the Highway 99 tunnel-boring machine, as Mike Lindblom reports at SeattleTimes.com (WSB partner). Here’s how WSDOT explains it.

7:27 AM: Thanks to the texter who just alerted us – the fire callout in the 4500 block of West Marginal Way is related to a semitruck crash blocking most lanes:

Here’s a map. Getting that upright is likely to take quite some time.

7:47 AM: Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth ferries are on a two-boat schedule because the re-activated Evergreen State is having trouble.

7:59 AM: Per scanner, the West Marginal Way truck contains “dry concrete.”

8:05 AM: SPD tweet says only minor injuries in the crash but W. Marginal remains closed. We’re waiting to hear from the crew we sent to check it out.

8:23 AM: Our crew’s just back. Police think it’s going to be at least a couple hours until this is cleared. They confirm the trailer is full of dry cement. Photos to come.

8:44 AM: Until ours is ready – here’s a photo SPD just tweeted from the other side of the truck:

9 AM: Closer look, by WSB’s Patrick Sand:

Again, police say only minor injuries. We’ll continue updating here, even as we move on with other news/info. Meantime, a multi-car collision at 1st Avenue South/Spokane was just mentioned on the scanner.

9:19 AM: SPD Blotter has a short summary, most notably mentioning that the container might have been “loose” and destabilized the truck.

9:29 AM: As per comments – and scanner – the light at Delridge/Andover is out. We’re en route to check it out. Remember, a broken stoplight means, treat the intersection like a four-way stop! (Added: Confirmed, it’s out. No crew in sight – but, whether coincidental or not, City Light is working nearby.)

9:58 AM: Hearing it’ll be at least another half-hour before West Marginal is cleared.

10:57 AM: SDOT tweets that final cleanup and towing are under way so it shouldn’t be long. (Added – A moment later, SPD units said via radio that it would be about half an hour.)

11:15 AM: And via scanner, police say they’re reopening W. Marginal.

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! As today’s traffic watch begins, we have several notes:

EXTENDED WATER TAXI SERVICE TONIGHT: Because of tonight’s Sounders game, the West Seattle Water Taxi will run on an extended schedule.

FERRY REPLACEMENT: WSF says the Evergreen State will replace Sealth on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run starting today and while its capacity is comparable, the ES doesn’t have galley service or vending machines because it was recently mothballed and is being reactivated for this guest appearance, expected to last less than a week.

BLUE ANGELS: One flew in Sunday, the other six are due in around 12:30-1 pm today. I-90 bridge closures are Thursday-Sunday – here’s the schedule.

LIGHT RAIL FOR WEST SEATTLE SOMEDAY? SURVEY DEADLINE! Today is the deadline for feedback on the latest phase of Sound Transit‘s in-progress Long-Range Plan Update. Easiest way: This survey. (For more background, check out our earlier coverage.)

5:53 PM: Not sure yet about the westbound bridge slowdown – we’ve had two reports of police activity.