West Seattle, Washington
06 Monday
Thanks to Doug B for this photo from 42nd/Alaska, with a damaged vehicle blocking the westbound side. Seattle Fire has since cleared the initial “motor vehicle accident” call, so apparently there were no serious injuries.
(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! We start with the road-work alerts for today and beyond
ALKI PAVING PROJECT, THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK: Finally got the details from SDOT about the Alki Avenue paving that continues through Friday.
Looking ahead:
*This weekend, Friday night 6/6 until Monday morning 6/9, southbound 99 will be closed between the Battery Street Tunnel and West Seattle Bridge to reconfigure lanes, as explained here; see the expected results here (along with the results of a similar northbound closure two weeks later).
*Saturday is the start date for Metro’s next service change, detailed here. The only West Seattle route with changes is the 21, with a route change for several afternoon runs.
On Sunday, we checked out road-work-warning signs on Alki that used the names of long-ago streets (Jersey and Arkansas) that don’t currently exist. (Thanks again to Peter for the tip and for the photo you see above.) Today, the project is under way, and while SDOT is still checking for us on how those names wound up on the sign, they’ve first issued an official notice – it’s a two-part project lasting the rest of this week (added – photo shared by Suzanne this afternoon):
Paving crews from the Seattle Department of Transportation are paving two blocks of Alki Avenue Southwest this week. They are paving in the 1300 block of Alki Avenue SW (southwest of Duwamish Head) on June 3 and 4, and in the 2200 block (between Bonair Drive SW and 53rd Avenue SW) on June 5 and 6. They will work from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. One lane in each direction will remain open, but on-street parking will be restricted.
For information on bus service, look for Rider Alert notices at bus stops, see Metro Online, www.kingcounty.gov/metro, or call (206) 553-3000.
P.S. If you missed the original story, don’t miss the comments – thanks to Greg and Moose2 for the historic-map research!
5:40 PM UPDATE: SDOT’s Marybeth Turner got back to us about the “Jersey to Arkansas” sign-verbiage question:
Here is what happened:
Street Maintenance is indeed doing work in the 1300 block of Alki on 6/3 and 6/4. When we drew up the traffic control plan, we used old channelization maps that still have the old street names on them.
Staff included those old street names on the message board. Once the problem was highlighted, we switched the message board to note that the 1300 block of Alki was being repaved.
(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:44 AM: Heading into the heart of the commute so far, two notes: There’s a crash response at 16th/Dawson. Also, if you are headed this way from points north, WSDOT reports: “There’s a disabled vehicle blocking the right lane of the ramp from SB I-5 to the West Seattle Bridge.”
8:12 AM: The 16th/Dawson crash involved a car hitting a parked car that then flipped onto its side.
Nobody hurt, but traffic through that area is slowed; a tow truck is on the scene. There was an initial “heavy rescue” response – if you live in the area, you might have seen/heard it – but that was canceled once those first on the scene found no one was hurt/trapped.
(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:12 AM: Good morning! Looking ahead as we start the week:
*Road work on Alki Avenue in the Duwamish Head vicinity the next two days; we’ll be asking SDOT for details this morning.
*Next weekend, Friday night 6/6 until Monday morning 6/9, southbound 99 will be closed between the Battery Street Tunnel and West Seattle Bridge, as explained here; the lane-reconfiguration project’s results are shown here (along with the results of a similar northbound closure two weeks later).
*Next Saturday is the start date for Metro’s next service change, detailed here. The only West Seattle route with changes is the 21, with a route change for several afternoon runs.
DOWNTOWN ALERT FOR TODAY & BEYOND: Could be some traffic trouble on the north side of downtown (and in the Uptown/lower Queen Anne area) as people get used to major changes that took effect as of last night – two-way Mercer, two-way Roy, closed section of Broad; SDOT explains here; here’s what WSDOT has to say.
6:48 AM: Reader report: Crash at Holden/Delridge. Not on the 911 log so likely not major.
(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:41 AM: All’s well (relatively) so far on the major routes, as we head into the heart of the morning commute.
WEEKEND PREVIEW: Only major closure in the region this weekend is the 520 bridge. Around the city, some big events might affect traffic – they’re in the SDOT weekend-alert roundup.
8:44 AM: Matt reports traffic-signal trouble at Delridge/Kenyon. We’re headed that way for a look. (Update: OK by the time we arrived.)
One lane is blocked each way on 35th SW in the High Point area because of a crash – thanks to the person who texted to let us know. Police at the scene tell us no one was hurt, but it’s slow going in the area so avoid it there for a while if you can. In all, police confirm three cars were involved.
(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:25 AM: The road/trail/etc. watch is on for Thursday!
6:48 AM: The big problem right now is on southbound I-5 south of I-90, so if you are headed this way from points north, we should mention it. An old expansion joint has popped up and is forcing the closure of three lanes. WSDOT is tweeting updates here, such as:
The maintenance truck pushed the expansion joint back down. pic.twitter.com/qSddDo2LOq
— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) May 29, 2014
6:53 AM: WSDOT estimates repairs to take another half-hour or so. Again, that’s on the southbound side, but just FYI.
9:07 AM: Those lanes haven’t reopened yet, by the way. And other southbound routes like 99 are reported to be jammed.
11:17 AM: Open now! Adding photos here from West Seattle photographer/pilot Long B. Nguyen, from before repairs were completed – above, the traffic jam; below, the work zone:
By the way, more expansion-joint work – scheduled, this time! – is in the works for I-5, the first weekend in June. It’s part of the story we published last night about upcoming highway projects.
11:35 AM: By the way, Vice President Joe Biden is in town, in case you bump into a motorcade. Private fundraiser:
Saw @VP #Veep #motorcade on 1st Ave S. #seattle http://t.co/ACUZeLgtx9 pic.twitter.com/rMJzRedN8Q
— M Kanoli (@MKanoli) May 29, 2014
His wife Dr. Jill Biden is also in Seattle, at a business-related event at Seattle Center, along with former West Seattleite, now Interior Secretary Sally Jewell.
The state has just laid out its plan for major summertime road work, and that includes Highway 99 just north of West Seattle. First, a busy weekend of regional work will include a shutdown of southbound 99 between Denny Way and the WS Bridge, 10 pm Friday, June 6, until (no later than) 5 am Monday, June 9. This, WSDOT says, is “to shift southbound traffic onto a new route through the State Route 99 tunnel project site.” That same weekend, two lanes of northbound I-5 will be closed just north of the WS Bridge for more expansion-joint work, and the 520 Bridge across Lake Washington will be closed, so that first weekend of June might be a great time to just not try to leave the peninsula.
WSDOT also has announced Highway 99 work that will include nighttime closures in the late summer:
This project will replace 81 concrete panels on the aged stretch of Highway 99 in the area shown above, between the West Seattle Bridge and the remaining elevated Alaskan Way Viaduct. From the project webpage:
In summer 2014, contractor crews will repair 81 concrete panels in both directions of State Route 99, between South Spokane and South Holgate streets in Seattle’s SODO neighborhood. Crews also will grind down 198,000 square feet, approximately three and a half football fields, of wheel ruts. This project is similar to concrete grinding and replacement work we have done on I-5 in Kent, Seattle near the Ship Canal Bridge, and I-405 near Bellevue.
What can drivers expect?
• Weekend and weeknight lane closures in both directions of SR 99 between South Spokane and South Holgate streets
Right now, that work is not expected to start until August. Watch our weekday traffic coverage for reminders about upcoming projects as well as day-to-day updates.
(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! Slow going this morning, though no specific situation is blamed.
SPEED-CAMERA INSTALLATION: If you missed the story on Tuesday – the two school-zone speed cameras announced almost a year ago for Roxbury are being installed starting today. However, the city says they won’t be activated until fall.
8:45 AM: Via scanner, there’s word of a crash in the outside eastbound lane “midspan” on the high bridge.
9:07 AM: We just checked Roxbury for any sign of the camera-installation crews that the city said would be starting work today. Not seeing anyone yet.
(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! Quiet on the roads here and beyond so far.
TRAFFIC NOTES: No major West Seattle road work announced for this week. SODO/Pioneer Square drivers/riders, take note that the Mariners are home all week (7:10 pm game tonight).
7:18 AM – ‘LOW BRIDGE’ ALERT: Via scanner – what the dispatcher described as a “disabled tractor-trailer” on the westbound low bridge.
7:44 AM: That’s clear now, according to SDOT.
10:48 AM: Three people are hurt in a two-vehicle crash just south of The Junction, according to Seattle Fire. It’s in the 5000 block of California. More info when we get there.
10:56 AM: Emergency vehicles are blocking California at the crash scene parallel with the south end of the Rite-Aid lot.
11:05 AM: Police at the scene tell us a car coming out of the Rite-Aid lot was hit by another car headed south. The driver of the first car had to be cut out of it and is now in an ambulance. Police estimate it will be about half an hour before the scene is cleared and the road reopened.
12:35 PM: SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore says the driver cut out of the car in our photo, a woman in her 50s, was in stable condition when taken to Harborview Medical Center by private ambulance, and that “two teenage males” were in the car that hit hers; one was taken to Virginia Mason by private ambulance, another by private car, both with minor injuries.
(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! The holiday weekend is in sight – but first, the Friday morning commute. Also, transit reminders for the holiday on Monday – both Metro and the West Seattle Water Taxi (as well as its shuttle buses) will be on Sunday schedules that day. The citywide alerts for the weekend, meantime, are here.
7:22 AM: Could be some NB I-5 trouble – a car fire is reported north of the bridge offramp.
(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:25 AM: The holiday weekend is almost here! First, it’s time for Thursday’s traffic watch.
4:24 PM: Fairly quiet day on the roads, until now. Big emergency response has closed 14th Avenue South in South Park between Cloverdale and Henderson – a driver hit two pedestrians. Neither has major injuries, according to SFD. (Update: It reopened relatively quickly.)
(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
“Uneventful” commute so far, as WSDOT’s Twitter account put it.
ROAD WORK: SDOT confirms that crews are expected back at Charlestown hill (west of California) today, between 46th and 47th.
7:31 AM: Crash reported (via the SFD 911 log) at Olson/Myers – no word how/whether it’s affecting traffic on the hill to/from 509.
8:08 AM: That call is closed on the 911 log and we haven’t heard anything further.
8:53 AM: SPD is/was back on bus-lane enforcement today, according to this Twitter exchange.
4:27 PM: Just in case you were planning afternoon-commute detours – we checked the hills on Genesee (east of Avalon) and Charlestown (west of California) in the past hour and both are now open again, after traction-improvement work. Along with Olson, where crews worked last weekend, that makes three West Seattle roads where the work was done in the past week.
6:32 PM: And now we’re getting conflicting information from neighbors regarding the status of both sites, so we’re trying to reach city spokespeople/consultants for an accurate status beyond both hills being open *right now*.
ADDED WEDNESDAY MORNING: Ironically, the work crews have had trouble on the steep hills – and so the work’s on hold. SDOT promises updates.
(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:39 AM: No problems reported so far on the routes through/from West Seattle. Road-work reminder: Crews are expected to be working on both Charlestown (west of California) and Genesee (east of Avalon Way) today.
8:01 AM: From comments – bridge trouble, explained by D as: “Stalled truck on the bridge just before midspan.” (Not seeing it on the cameras, though.)
When the city announced a week ago that three stretches of West Seattle roadway would get traction-improvement work this month (along with other areas of the city), there was a warning that the dates were “subject to change.” Indeed, one date did change – thanks to Paula and Marc for the heads-up; in case you missed the mention in today’s traffic/transit watch, here’s your standalone advisory that the SW Charlestown traction-improvement work west of California SW, originally planned for this Thursday/Friday, is under way NOW. Side streets are all marked a block to the north and south with signage warning that access is for residents only. It’s expected to take two days.
The first West Seattle project on the list, Olson Place, happened as announced, over the weekend; we asked SDOT if the Charlestown acceleration would affect the remaining West Seattle project, SW Genesee east of Avalon Way, but spokesperson Marybeth Turner says Genesee is still scheduled to start tomorrow.
(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
An alert if you drive 1st Avenue South to get downtown – SDOT says signals are out in the stadium area for maintenance, so that’s going to slow things down:
Update: Signals are now turned off (~30 min) just north of 1st Ave S & Royal Broughham. Expect delays. pic.twitter.com/p4radIqkW1
— seattledot (@seattledot) May 19, 2014
SDOT says two signals on Alaskan Way are involved too, so don’t detour that way.
7:46 AM: West Seattle neighborhood traffic alert – though SDOT’s announcement of dates for traction-improvement work on local roads didn’t have Charlestown hill west of California SW scheduled until later this week, area resident Paula says the closure is being set up right now.
7:54 AM: Update from SDOT on those downtown signals:
Good news:
-1st & Railroad: back on
-1st & King: soon
Bad news:
-3 signals on Alaskan Way will be down ALL DAY (Yesler, Main, Columbia)
— seattledot (@seattledot) May 19, 2014
11:35 PM: Northbound Highway 99 is closed in the stadium zone because of a crash involving a motorcycle. Police have closed the ramp from the eastbound West Seattle Bridge, too, since there’s no place to detour before that. Per radio communications, they’re working now to figure out how to reroute the traffic that is already on 99 and now stopped. The closure is likely to last a while, as the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad has been dispatched.
12:27 AM: The motorcycle rider was killed, according to SFD.
NOTE: Official updates have been scarce so far, so the highway might reopen before there’s official word; if you’re heading out early and want an update, you can check this camera to see if traffic has resumed on NB 99.
5:12 AM: According to citywide media, 99 has reopened.
10:56 AM: More details now via a report on SPD Blotter – the rider was a 34-year-old man pronounced dead at the scene (not yet identified by name); police found no evidence that another vehicle was involved, but believe speed was a factor.
(WSB photo, signage on 59th at Alki)
One more reminder now that Sunday is here: Today’s the big doubleheader on Alki Avenue SW – the West Seattle 5K run/walk just after 9 am, closing the waterfront road to Duwamish Head until about 11, and then a shorter closure, Alki SW between 56th and 63rd, for the Seattle Summer Streets “car-free day” festival until 5 pm.
(SDOT map)
As always, we’ll have coverage all day, once things get going. And you can still be in the 5K (which we’re co-sponsoring again this year) even if you didn’t pre-register – the final signups start at 8 am by the Alki Bathhouse (map).
TRANSIT: Reroute information for today – Route 50 here; Water Taxi shuttle Route 775 here.
Right now, four tower cranes are working at West Seattle construction projects. After tomorrow, that’ll be down – temporarily – to three. Neighbors have been informed that the crane at the Blake Apartments (5020 California SW, just south of The Junction) is coming down tomorrow (Saturday). The work is scheduled to start at 5:30 am, with another crane being brought in to remove this one, and that’s likely to affect traffic in the area. The crane has been on site for 11 months. Its departure will leave cranes at Spruce (the former “Hole” at Fauntleroy/Alaska/39th, and the two projects in the heart of The Junction; next crane to arrive in West Seattle will likely be for 4435 35th SW, which, as reported here earlier this week, is just getting going – its developer, Trinsic, tells WSB they expect their tower crane to go up in July.
(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
In honor of Bike to Work Day, we’re adding the camera closest to the low bridge’s West Seattle end:
From 6-9 am, three “commute stations” are welcoming riders in West Seattle and White Center – click the markers to find out more:
Fun and treats promised at all three stops. Other notes this morning:
WEEKEND ALERTS: Here’s the citywide list of weekend events that will or might affect traffic – among them, the West Seattle 5K (last day to register online!) and Seattle Summer Streets road-closing fun on Alki on Sunday – the full race route to and from Anchor Park will close Alki SW until 11 am, and then a smaller section, between 56th and 63rd SW, will be closed 11 am-5 pm.
TAKE THE POLL YET? As first mentioned here Thursday morning, the West Seattle Transportation Coalition wants to know which taxing option(s) you would use – from the ones the city has the authority to enact – if it were up to you to decide how to get money to avoid Metro cuts. Go take the poll here (before Tuesday morning).
9:13 AM NOTE: We stopped by the local Bike To Work Day stations – separate report coming up.
9:37 AM: If you use Airport Way – take note:
N/B lanes of Airport Way closed between Holgate and Lander as SPD/ @SeattleFire respond to a container fire.
— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) May 16, 2014
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