(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
It’s the first full week of school, and traffic patterns are still getting settled, so keep that in mind this morning and beyond. Otherwise, a few notes for starters:

*Lane closures on Highway 99 the next four nights (plus a West Seattle Bridge ramp closure Thursday night)

*Utility work on I-5 south of the West Seattle Bridge again late tonight/early tomorrow

*West Seattle Car Show next Sunday in The Junction (closing California between Edmunds and Oregon to traffic, opening it to pedestrians and show participants – here’s our newest preview)

10:37 AM UPDATE: City Light has canceled the aforementioned utility work, after completing its project ahead of time, so no south-of-here I-5 closures tonight after all.

If you expect to be using I-5 south of West Seattle in the late-night/early-morning hours tonight and/or tomorrow – heads-up about some Seattle City Light work that will bring lane/ramp closures:

City Light is working to increase the electrical capacity and reliability to the Duwamish Valley with the H-Frame Replacement and Feeder Installation Project. This project will impact traffic on I-5 with intermittent ramp closures, lane closures, rolling slowdowns and traffic detours and surface street closures between the West Seattle Bridge and S 188th St as workers remove transmission cable currently spanning across the highway.

Read More

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! Quiet on the roads so far, and the weather is clear, headed for the 80s. We’ve been covering an early-morning police investigation in South Delridge but it is not affecting traffic.

WEEKEND TRAFFIC ALERTS: See them (and more) in the SDOT Construction Lookahead – most notable is that southbound I-5 will be closed 11:30 pm tonight to 6:30 am Saturday under the downtown Convention Center for fire-system testing.

TRANSPORTATION NEWS: SDOT’s new boss made his first official West Seattle appearance this week; here’s the story we published late last night.

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Today is the first real full-strength morning of back-to-school week, since some schools that started back yesterday had special schedules. (If you missed our list of West Seattle school-zone and start-time changes, see them in our Wednesday coverage.) You can give today the added label of “back-to-football,” with the Seahawks’ first game of the year tonight at CenturyLink Field, and earlier events expected to complicate traffic in the south end of downtown starting hours earlier, with “Gameday Village” in Pioneer Square and a free pregame concert in the stadium (gates opening at 2:30 pm) – this SDOT alert explains how the day is set to unfold, including transit reroutes (no West Seattle routes involved at this point). Kickoff is just after 5:30, which means even if you’re just leaving early to watch it at home or your favorite bar, pm-commute traffic will start early today.

BRIDGE TWEETS: SDOT reminds us that it’s launched a new Twitter account for bridge-open/close tweets around the city – follow it here.

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Thousands of West Seattle families are returning to (or starting) the school-year routine this morning. Even if you don’t have a student (or school staffer!) in the household, the start of the school year means changes on the road, not just the presence of school buses (which, by the way, were apparently the reason for some helicopter activity between Highland Park/South Park earlier). First, the basics:

BACK TO SCHOOL: First day of classes for Seattle Public Schools and Highline Public Schools (immediately south of the city limits), and also for independent schools that didn’t start up on Tuesday – including Explorer West Middle School, Tilden School, and Westside School (all WSB sponsors), Shorewood Christian, and others.

SCHOOL-RELATED CHANGES OF NOTE:
*Roxbury SW has two speed-camera zones, near Roxhill Elementary (30th/Roxbury) and Holy Family (20th/Roxbury) – tickets will be warnings for the first month, says the city, and then triple-digit fines
*Since Fairmount Park Elementary is reopening after seven years, that means a school zone on Fauntleroy Way, between Morgan Junction and The Triangle (map)
*The Boren Building in the 5900 block of Delridge Way is now home to TWO schools – K-5 STEM and, for the next two years, Arbor Heights Elementary (whose rebuild has begun), which means twice the dropoffs, buses, etc.
*Some bell times have changed – notably, Chief Sealth IHS in Westwood is starting later (8:40 am) and West Seattle HS in Admiral is starting earlier (7:50 am). Full list of SPS start times is here.

Anything we’re missing? editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!

P.S. In addition to the two Roxbury speed cameras, in case you’re new in town, there is a pre-existing camera zone on Fauntleroy Way in the Gatewood Elementary vicinity, and the city has a “speed van” that MIGHT be in West Seattle at any time – it’s often on 35th SW near Our Lady of Guadalupe.

OTHER TRANSPORTATION NOTES: Published here overnight – Metro’s new West Seattle cut/change proposals. Also – SDOT’s new director Scott Kubly visits West Seattle for tonight’s Southwest District Council meeting.

8:48 PM: Police and fire are just starting to arrive at a reported rollover crash on the eastbound bridge. It’s parallel with Admiral, according to scanner traffic. More to come.

8:53 PM: The crash was originally reported as westbound; scanner discussion indicated eastbound; but a caller two callers who passed the scene tell us the overturned car is in the westbound lanes. So this is likely to affect traffic in both directions, although one lane is remaining open eastbound, we’re hearing.

9:02 PM: Update – one lane is open in each direction, and again, this is at or near the Admiral exit (out of camera range). No word of injuries.

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
First day after summer’s last holiday weekend, and the weather is certainly fall-ish. While tomorrow is the biggest back-to-school day, some start this morning:

WHO’S BACK TO SCHOOL TODAY: Some independent schools start the new year today, including Holy Rosary (noon dismissal), Hope Lutheran, Our Lady of Guadalupe. *Added* And via Twitter, @SudsyMaggie reminds us that Vashon Island schools are back today too – some WS kids commute to them via the Fauntleroy ferry.

REMINDER – NEW SPEEDING-TICKET CAMERAS ON ROXBURY: When you see flashing school-zone lights on Roxbury this week, that also will mean the new speeding-ticket cameras by Holy Family (20th/Roxbury) and Roxhill Elementary (30th/Roxbury) are in operation. (Added: HF zone is in effect today – Roxhill, not until tomorrow:)

The city has said the first month’s tickets will be warnings, and then in October, the grace period’s over.

OVERNIGHT LANE CLOSURES ON HIGHWAY 99: Announced late last week:

Tuesday, Sept. 2 to Friday, Sept. 5

· Crews will reduce southbound SR 99 to one lane between South Atlantic Street and South Spokane Street from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night.

Tuesday, Sept. 2; Thursday, Sept. 4 – Friday, Sept. 5

· Crews will reduce northbound SR 99 to one lane between South Spokane Street and South Atlantic Street from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night.

1:02 PM: Thanks to the texter (206-293-6302 any time) who reports Henderson is blocked right now at 21st because of a crash. No medic unit was called out, per the 911 log, so it’s likely no one was seriously hurt, but you’re advised to avoid that generally busy South Delridge intersection (map) for a while.

2:19 PM: New traffic alerts – crash at 6th/Roxbury, also reported by text (thanks!), and just before we hit publish, the scanner also brought word of one at 14th/Holden. None of these are reported to involve serious injuries, either, but it’s just started raining hard, again, so please be extra careful, wherever you’re going.

3:32 PM: Now there’s trouble on SB I-5 just past the ramp from the eastbound bridge – two cars off the freeway onto the embankment. Traffic backup can be seen on this “live” WSDOT camera:

(added) Summary from a State Patrol spokesperson, via Twitter:

5:07 PM: And now an apparent spinout on the Fauntleroy end of the westbound bridge; thanks to Chelle in comments and @fattailed via Twitter. No medic/fire callout, so apparently no serious injuries, if any.

11:40 AM: A vehicle has gone into the bushes off the side of the eastbound entrance to the bridge just past 35th/Fauntleroy. No serious injuries reported but one person in the vehicle was having trouble getting out; there’s a sizable police/fire response there right now.

11:59 AM: The SFD response has closed, so the traffic situation should ease soon.

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
With some already beginning a long holiday weekend, traffic is quieter this morning. Unless you happen to be heading back this way, southbound on I-5 through downtown, in which case you should note that a crash is blocking all but one lane at Denny.

HOLIDAY WEEKEND NOTES: No transit changes until Monday (Labor Day), when Metro and the West Seattle Water Taxi will both be on Sunday schedules. For a citywide look at events that might affect traffic from now through Monday, here’s the SDOT roundup.

IF YOU’RE RIDING THE WATER TAXI TODAY … look toward Harbor Island as you pass and you might see this:

ADDED 8:57 PM: Jonathan tweeted this photo:

11:07 AM: More about the yacht via PSBJ. And here’s a report on its previous port call up in Ketchikan.

1:35 PM: Back to traffic info – just spotted this lane-closure alert for Highway 99 next week:

Tuesday, Sept. 2 to Friday, Sept. 5

· Crews will reduce southbound SR 99 to one lane between South Atlantic Street and South Spokane Street from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night.

Tuesday, Sept. 2; Thursday, Sept. 4 – Friday, Sept. 5

· Crews will reduce northbound SR 99 to one lane between South Spokane Street and South Atlantic Street from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night.

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
With summer’s last big weekend on the way, and major road-work projects now in the past, traffic just might ease a bit today; we’ll see how it goes. Just one reminder from here – again today, school buses will be trying out their routes.

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
“Reopened” is the word of the day, so far. WSDOT confirms Highway 99 is now fully open again, including the rebuilt bridge north of the Battery Street Tunnel; also, the ramp from the eastbound West Seattle Bridge to southbound I-5 is open again after a deadly motorcycle crash overnight, and the bridge exit to northbound 99 reopened late last night, after an hours-long closure caused by a fuel spill. Another note for today: School buses will be out on practice runs. And if you travel through SODO – take note that the Mariners have a day game today (12:40 pm).

(Added: Photo of truck, tweeted by Seattle Fire)
4:57 PM: In case you’re heading toward downtown (or beyond) sometime soon: Thanks to the tipster who just called to let us know about a truck stopped on the eastbound bridge near the Highway 99 exit, leaking fluid. It’s on the SFD 911 log as a “fuel spill.”

5:10 PM UPDATE: The exit to 99 is closed because of the cleanup, per this SDOT tweet:

5:20 PM UPDATE: A text from Metro says that since the ramp is closed for now, Routes 21, 120, 125, and RapidRide C Line are rerouting onto 4th Avenue South.

5:28 PM UPDATE: Seattle Fire estimates the spill at about 80 gallons. (added) SPD adds that “Portions of roads near Harbor Island will be closed for an extended period.” And now there’s also word of a crash *on* northbound 99 north of the ramp from the bridge, so even if you get onto 99 from points to the south, you might be in for some trouble.

5:47 PM UPDATE: The cleanup of what’s described over emergency radio as diesel fuel also involves checking storm drains to make sure the fuel doesn’t get into the river or Puget Sound.

6:45 PM UPDATE: SDOT says the ramp will be closed “for several hours” because the hazmat team is investigating.

9:28 PM UPDATE: SPD says it probably won’t reopen until midnight. Here’s the summary just posted on SPD Blotter:

Multiple city agencies responded to a diesel fuel spill after a semi-truck punctured its gas tank sending 80 gallons of fuel onto streets near Harbor Island during Tuesday evening’s commute.

Officers began receiving calls about a fuel leak at the Alaskan Way on-ramp to the West Seattle Bridge just before 4:45 p.m. As they arrived, they found roads in the area covered in diesel fuel, making the roads very slick, for approximately one mile leading up to where the fuel source was found. Officers discovered the disabled semi-truck at the on-ramp surrounded in a three-inch-deep pool of fuel.

The Seattle Fire Department responded to the scene and began sopping up the fuel as it sank into the ground and drained into the sewage system. It is still unknown the extent of damage the fuel may have caused. The United States Coast Guard was called to the scene to help prevent fuel from leaking into the Duwamish Waterway.

Officers spoke with the driver of the semi who said he was unsure of what punctured the tank, but he had been traveling in the direction of the leak. Officers scoured the area and found a raised curb that appeared to have been hit by the truck, tearing a hole in the exposed fuel tank.

Four other vehicle were damaged in collisions related to the fuel spill and many others were trapped in the spilled fuel.

The ramp is closed as crews continue to cleanup, but is expected to reopen around midnight.

11:45 PM: Checking the webcam that’s been zoomed in on the ramp, looks like it’s open.

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Today is the last day of the rest of the Highway 99 closure, from the Battery Street Tunnel north to Valley Street. See a time lapse of the work in our reminder from last night; see the map in an earlier reminder. To check Metro routes, go here.

26TH/BARTON NOTE, 6:30 AM: A fire response across from Westwood Village is affecting traffic in that area.

6:57 AM: Now there’s another fire response, in High Point. Not a big fire but it’s on Sylvan Way a block south of Morgan and will likely affect traffic in that area for a while.

5:45 PM NOTE: In case you haven’t already seen the separate update, the eastbound bridge offramp to NB 99 is blocked right now because of a spill from a truck – described so far as a fuel spill – that’s being cleaned up.

Two notes before the night’s out:

That time lapse from WSDOT shows the work that’s been done on Highway 99 north of the Battery Street Tunnel – the section that’s scheduled to be closed one more day, until early Wednesday, as a bridge is rebuilt. With the Alaskan Way Viaduct back in action as of this (Monday) morning, the commute was OK by most accounts, but it’s also widely acknowledged that it was also an off-day for many trying to get vacation time in before Labor Day, so just in case everybody’s back tomorrow, don’t get complacent – check our morning traffic watch. (And thanks again to those who shared notes about how it went – and to the WSB’er who noticed when the SDOT cameras got “stuck”!)

ALSO ON TUESDAY: It’ll be the final day of “microsurfacing” in Arbor Heights and the revised map was causing some concern, explains Joe Szilagyi of the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council. He pursued answers with SDOT and discovered:

*The intersection of 100th and 33rd was surfaced today (contrary to the map), so the Tuesday work will NOT “trap” residents along several blocks – they will be able to get to 102nd via 33rd

*SDOT still expects to finish tomorrow, per SDOT, “including the area that was added on California/Fletcher and a segment on 112th that is getting a special test formulation.”

(Photo added: Courtesy of Maris, who was bicycling through the area)
2:17 PM: Thanks to Leeann for the tip – low-bridge commuters and others driving in the Harbor Island vicinity might need this heads-up: Protesters say they’ll be staging at the Spokane Street Fishing Pier, east of the low bridge, at 4 pm today. They are protesting an arriving ship operated by an Israel-based company, the Zim Chicago (which is off Manchester as of this writing, per MarineTraffic.com), in opposition to Israel’s actions in the Gaza conflict. A similar protest is reported to have drawn more than 100 participants Saturday in Tacoma. The Port of Seattle’s schedule says Zim Chicago is coming in at Terminal 18.

6:03 PM: Yes, that’s why there’s a TV helicopter over the north end of West Seattle.

ADDED: One protester was arrested, per multiple reports (including the protest group itself).

(8:41 AM NOTE: SDOT cams have been stuck for an hour-plus. So we have added WSDOT Highway 99 cams below)

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Just so we’re all clear – While Highway 99 has reopened between the West Seattle Bridge and the south end of the Battery Street Tunnel, it’s still closed for two more days from the tunnel north to Valley Street, while WSDOT rebuilds a bridge. So anyone still on The Viaduct this morning northbound past Seneca will have to exit at Western, and that’s likely to mean slow going. See the map in last night’s reminder. If you need to doublecheck your Metro route, go here.

ONE OTHER ROAD WORK NOTE: Here’s the updated map for Arbor Heights/south Fauntleroy microsurfacing, as it continues through tomorrow.

8:18 AM: No problems reported so far, on 99 or elsewhere – see the comments for some commute stories. Of course, this is a big week for vacation-taking, since schools reopen next week, but still, it’s good news.

8:41 AM: Commenter just noticed SDOT cams have been stuck at 7:21 am for a while. Here’s a WSDOT cam, which is NOT stuck:

And another one:

5:42 PM: With the Alaskan Way Viaduct out of commission this weekend, the exits on the Spokane Street Viaduct – east half of the West Seattle Bridge – are carrying more traffic. That might be complicating matters now that there’s a four-car crash near the 4th Avenue South exit. Big backup on the bridge, according to the nearest cam:

(“Live” views are on the WSB Traffic page.)

5:53 PM: Multiple lanes are closed and an officer was just heard (via scanner) saying they’ll be closed “a while.

7:12 PM UPDATE: SDOT has tweeted that the scene is clear.

FIRST REPORT, 12:57 PM: A car-motorcycle collision in the 4700 block of West Marginal Way has police blocking the road, so avoid that area. No word yet on injuries.

1:17 PM: We’re at the scene; West Marginal is blocked just south of T-107 Park. According to emergency radio, the motorcycle rider is a 58-year-old man who is being rushed to Harborview Medical Center, and a preliminary description of the collision indicated that he was riding “at traffic speed” when a pickup truck “pulled out in front of him.” His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, so they’ll be reopening the road after tow trucks arrive and clear wreckage.

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
It’s Friday, and that means the much-discussed Highway 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct closure starts tonight. See maps/times here. In general, it starts at 10 pm, but there are provisions for allowing vehicles onto 99 to handle departures from the Seahawks game – for southbound 99, the Columbia St. entrance will stay open until midnight. One more reminder – from the West Seattle Bridge until the Battery Street Tunnel, it’s only closed until early Monday, but from there north to Valley Street on lower Queen Anne, the closure continues until early Wednesday. If you’re taking a bus that uses 99, check here for reroute info.

OTHER WEEKEND NOTES: The Alki Beach 5K for Northwest Hope and Healing closes Alki Avenue SW for a few hours on Sunday morning. That’s one of the various citywide non-Highway 99 alerts in this roundup published by SDOT.

8:25 AM: If you are headed westbound on the bridge, a safety alert was just broadcast regarding an overhead sign in danger of falling. Didn’t catch exactly where, except that it was on the Fauntleroy Expressway section, and it’s going to be checked out ASAP.