(Latest bridge and Viaduct views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:59 AM: All’s relatively well so far on the routes through/out of West Seattle. One big reminder for today, if you are driving the eastbound bridge between rush hours: Eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct surface-repair work is scheduled for 10 am-4 pm. We also updated the SW Charlestown closure on Wednesday – the city has changed the detour plan a bit; here’s the latest.

BRIDGE PROBLEM REPORTED, 7:56 AM: Trouble on the eastbound bridge and a text we just received might explain why: A truck is reported to have leaked/spilled fuel from the “Delridge merge” to 1st Avenue South. Fire crews are on the scene.

8:22 AM: The fire call for the spill has closed, and SDOT tells us via Twitter that it wasn’t major:

@westseattleblog Hearing news about the spill… the disabled tanker was able to drive away and the fuel amount left behind was small.

— seattledot (@seattledot) April 10, 2014

Many have commented about pavement problems on the resurfaced “old” section of the Spokane Street Viaduct – the West Seattle Bridge between Highway 99 and I-5. Just received this SDOT advisory about impending repairs:

A Seattle Department of Transportation crew will be repairing the roadway on the Spokane Street Viaduct eastbound on Thursday, April 10. The work will take place just east of the SR 99 overpass beginning at 10 a.m. and will be completed by 4 p.m. In order to do the work safely, the crew will close the left lane eastbound from just prior to (west of) the SR 99 overpass to the Fourth Avenue exit. Please use extra caution passing the work zone.

(Latest bridge and Viaduct views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Two notes for starters:

2 FERRIES ON FAUNTLEROY-VASHON-SOUTHWORTH RUN: With the Klahowya out for inspection and no backup boat available, WSF says the “triangle route” will only have two boats today. Here are the sailing times.

CHARLESTOWN CLOSURE SCHEDULED: Starting at 8 am today, SW Charlestown is expected to be closed for a week while SDOT replaces concrete panels, as announced last week. If you’re traveling between California and 55th, you’re asked to detour via Genesee instead.

All’s well so far this morning. Above, the eastbound West Seattle Bridge; below, northbound 99 at the south end of the remaining elevated Alaskan Way Viaduct:

Any time of day/night, you can find more cameras, and other info, on the WSB Traffic page.

WATER TAXI SCHEDULE: Today is the first day of the spring/summer schedule for the West Seattle Water Taxi, which resumes its midday runs and is now 7 days a week. See the new schedule here.

SPRING BREAK: No school this week for Highline Public Schools (White Center, Burien, etc.). Spring break for Seattle Public Schools is NEXT week – April 14-18.

Good morning and happy Friday! The “live” view above is the eastbound West Seattle Bridge; below, northbound 99 at the south end of the remaining elevated Alaskan Way Viaduct:

Any time of day/night, you can find more cameras, and other info, on the WSB Traffic page.

SEACREST PARKING: Carolyn tips us to “No Parking” signs in effect for 2-6 pm today immediately north and south of Seacrest on Harbor Avenue, affecting what she estimates as about a dozen spaces, apparently for a film crew working on something related to the Water Taxi.

CHARLESTOWN WORK STARTING TUESDAY: In case you missed the announcement published here Thursday, SW Charlestown will be closed for a week starting Tuesday between 46th SW and 47th SW for concrete-panel replacement, according to SDOT.

TUNNEL-MACHINE REPAIR UPDATE: New info from the state on Thursday, including a wall that will soon be visible to Alaskan Way Viaduct drivers/riders.

Today’s traffic watch is under way. Above, the eastbound West Seattle Bridge; below, northbound 99 at the south end of the remaining elevated Alaskan Way Viaduct:

Right now and any time of day/night, you can find more cameras, and other info, on the WSB Traffic page.

TRAFFIC ALERT FOR TONIGHT: From WSDOT:

Overnight expansion joint work will close multiple ramps to southbound Interstate 5 at the West Seattle Bridge interchange Wednesday night.

At 10 p.m. on Wednesday, April 2, crews will close the eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct/West Seattle Freeway on-ramp to southbound I-5. The 6th Avenue South on-ramp to southbound I-5 will also close. Both ramps will reopen by 5 a.m. Thursday, April 3.

Drivers will follow a signed detour route during the closure. This work is weather-dependent.

It’s April 1st, no fooling. Not here, anyway. Above, the eastbound West Seattle Bridge; below, northbound 99 at the elevated Alaskan Way Viaduct’s south end:

Right now and any time of day/night, you can find more cameras, and other info, on the WSB Traffic page.

2 NOTES FOR BIKE RIDERS: West Seattle Bike Connections‘ monthly meeting is tonight – details here; DIY Bikes is back with a workshop Thursday night – details here.

7:49 AM: Sunglasses alert – we headed eastbound for a stretch on SW Thistle and it’s one of those mornings where the sun is RIGHT THERE.

The last day of the rainiest March in Seattle history has dawned *without* rain, but not without traffic. Above, the eastbound West Seattle Bridge; below, northbound 99 at the elevated Alaskan Way Viaduct’s south end:

You’ll find more cameras, and other info, on the WSB Traffic page.

ALKI TRAIL WORK REMINDER: Reminder that the city plans to work on curb ramps at two Alki Trail crosswalks on Harbor Avenue SW starting this week. One is at Harbor/California Way, where Seattle Public Utilities was doing work all weekend. The other is by Don Armeni. We published the advance announcement last week.

7:24 AM NOTE: If you park outside – you might have some frost-scraping to do – we did!

10:44 AM NOTE: If you usually drive through SODO – note the special event at Safeco Field tonight – this advisory’s just in from SDOT:

Motorists in downtown Seattle and the SODO District may encounter more traffic than usual during this afternoon’s commute as an expected 20,000 Mariners fans flock to Safeco Field to view the team’s road opening game against the Los Angeles Angels. The game is being broadcast live on MarinersVision HD and will be watched on the field’s large screens. There’ll be free T-shirts at the gate, music, food and beer specials. The $1 adult admission fee will go to benefit Northwest Harvest while children under 14 will get in free, but must have tickets for admission. The first pitch of the game is set for 7 p.m. with the doors opening at 5:30 p.m. For more details, please (go here).

Rainy Friday commute ahead. Above, the eastbound West Seattle Bridge view; below, the northbound Alaskan Way Viaduct view:

7:07 AM: You can see more cameras, and other info, on the WSB Traffic page. Looking ahead to the weekend, no major projects on the routes through/from/to West Seattle, but if you’re heading off-peninsula, check out SDOT‘s citywide weekend preview here.

8:01 AM: Still no major incidents. WSDOT reports most major routes are slower than usual.

Good morning. We start with the eastbound West Seattle Bridge view and the northbound Alaskan Way Viaduct view:

You can see more cameras, and other info, on the WSB Traffic page. Updates here if there’s trouble.

(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:12 AM: Welcome to Wednesday; our traffic/transit watch is on.

EARLY DISMISSAL FOR SPS: Two-hour early dismissal today for Seattle Public Schools.

WEST SEATTLE WATER TAXI: Thanks to Carolyn Newman for this view of the WSWT under the Tuesday afternoon rainbow:

The WSWT will be back to seven-day-a-week operation in just a week and a half, starting Monday, April 7th. You can preview the schedule toward the bottom of this page.

8:26 AM: Steve reports in comments, “There is a disabled SUV in the right lane on the Spokane ST Viaduct right at the I-5 North exit. Not causing problems when I passed it.” Your editor here is about to catch a ride downtown for today’s court proceedings so we’ll see firsthand if any trouble has ensued.

(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:07 AM: And we’re off! Thanks in advance for traffic-trouble sightings, whenever you can safely report them (after getting to where you’re going, if you’re driving solo) – our text/voice number is 206-293-6302.

7:18 AM: The rain is picking up, so allow yourself a few extra minutes as we all get used to it again.

8:11 AM: Downtown early for a pre-court meeting. Sluggish but nothing unusual.

(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:07 AM: Good morning! First commute note today – the Saturday closure of Highway 99 concluded with all four lanes of the rebuilt Spokane St. Overcrossing open, on 99 just south of the West Seattle Bridge – we drove it on Sunday for this brief Instagram video clip:

No road-work closures today/tonight in our area, so far. Traffic updates to come, if/when needed.

7:29 AM: WSDOT just tweeted – from its perch watching the entire metro area – “continues to be a quiet, normal traffic day.”

8:19 AM: Downtown, though, there’s a problem – a crash at 1st and Spring has blocked all northbound lanes.

8:42 AM: Debris from a fender bender has a lane blocked on EB bridge. Thanks to Mike for the tip.

(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
So far, so good, as the Friday morning commute approaches the peak period. Tomorrow, meantime, is the day for Highway 99 to be closed all day – 4:30 am-7 pm, for the Alaskan Way Viaduct’s “followup inspection” and also for remaining work on the Spokane St. Overcrossing just south of the West Seattle Bridge.

(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:16 AM: Good morning. No road trouble in the area so far. Spring arrives with the vernal equinox just before 10 am today. Daily reminder of a major upcoming closure: 4:30 am-7 pm this Saturday (March 22), Highway 99 will be closed for the Alaskan Way Viaduct’s “followup inspection” and, now added, remaining work on the Spokane St. Overcrossing just south of the West Seattle Bridge.

7:16 AM: We doublechecked to confirm – Roxbury IS open again at 15th SW, where it was closed for several hours overnight as deputies investigated a deadly shooting (ongoing coverage on our partner site White Center Now).

(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning. Roads are OK so far. So here we go with today’s notes:

SEATTLE CENTER-AREA ROADS OPEN AGAIN: As of 7 pm last night, Broad St. was open again after the wreckage from the helicopter/cars was cleared; 5th had reopened earlier.

OLSON PLACE PAVEMENT REPAIR: If this project is on track, this will be day 2 for pavement-repair work around the east end of SW Roxbury.

HIGHWAY 99 CLOSURE: Highway 99 between East Marginal and Atlantic is likely to close tonight, 9 pm-5 am, for more of the Spokane St. Overcrossing project’s finishing touches just south of the West Seattle Bridge.

SATURDAY ALASKAN WAY VIADUCT CLOSURE: 4:30 am-7 pm Saturday is the scheduled closure window for the followup inspection of the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

1:20 PM UPDATE: No Highway 99 closure tonight or for the rest of the week. The Spokane St. Overcrossing striping work is now planned for Saturday, during the Viaduct closure, per WSDOT.

3:36 PM UPDATE: If you see crews on northbound Fauntleroy Way this afternoon, take note – from SDOT:

SDOT is closing the northbound, curb lane on Fauntleroy SW at SW Webster Street starting approx. 4 or 4:30 p.m. today, as soon as barricades arrive. There is a four-inch depression in the pavement. Crews are investigating the cause before determining how to repair.

8:01 PM: There’s a major “heavy rescue” response on the eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct right now around 4th Avenue South. A texter tells us a car is on or into the divider, so it might be affecting westbound traffic too. More as we get it.

8:15 PM: From SFD via Twitter:

Heavy rescue EB West Seattle Freeway at the gore point. Car on 2 wheels. Firefighters extricated patient in critical condition

— Seattle Fire Dept (@SeattleFire) March 19, 2014

(Latest bridge and Viaduct views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Two advisories to start the morning:

OLSON PLACE PAVEMENT REPAIR: Today’s the day SDOT plans to start three days of work fixing the pavement in the Olson/2nd vicinity, around the east end of SW Roxbury. Here’s the original announcement.

ANOTHER HIGHWAY 99 CLOSURE: WSDOT also has another announced closure of Highway 99 between East Marginal and Atlantic for the Spokane St. Overcrossing project’s finishing touches just south of the West Seattle Bridge, 9 pm tonight-5 am Wednesday. (We’ll be verifying this with WSDOT before day’s end, as they have noted it’s weather-dependent and also that there’s a chance the work could be done sooner than expected. We’re also checking with WSDOT today to verify details of the announced closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct for a followup inspection this coming Saturday, March 22nd.)

7:47 AM – DOWNTOWN EMERGENCY: A helicopter is reported to have crashed near the Space Needle/Seattle Center and that’s what the black smoke is downtown. We’re going to break this out separately. Avoid that area.

8:21 AM: Here’s our separate story – all regional news outlets are covering this too; it is reported to have been the KOMO TV helicopter – Channel 4 is right across Broad Street from the crash scene. KIRO and KING also have their headquarters a couple blocks away.

12:59 PM – HIGHWAY 99 UPDATES: *No* closure tonight, WSDOT now says. Tentatively scheduled for tomorrow night. Meantime, the time frame of Saturday’s Alaskan Way Viaduct closure is confirmed for 4:30 am-7 pm.

3:02 PM – SEATTLE CENTER UPDATES: 5th Avenue has reopened. Part of Broad, including the crash scene, has not. This SDOT tweet has the latest.

(Latest bridge and Viaduct views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! No major problems so far. But if you’re using the Spokane Street Viaduct eastbound between 1st and 4th Avenues, take note of a big pothole reported Sunday morning – we’re hopeful it did get fixed, but can’t confirm that until later.

Also of note: WSDOT is not done with the Spokane St. Overcrossing bridge restriping just south of the West Seattle Bridge, so it’s expecting to close 99 between East Marginal and Atlantic again for up to 3 more nights, starting tonight, 9 pm-5 am. We’re told that the closures are weather-dependent – so they’re not a sure thing if it’s rainy.

8:02 AM: 911 log shows a crash at 40th/Hanford.

Last night, we reported that SDOT‘s weekly “lookahead” showed long-awaited pavement repair scheduled next week for Olson Place SW, at the east end of Roxbury. The official alert has arrived, and the work is now scheduled for next Tuesday-Thursday (March 18-20):

Crews from the Seattle Department of Transportation plan to repair pavement in the 9000 block of Olson Place Southwest from March 18 to March 20, weather permitting. They will work in the eastbound, curb lane from Second Avenue Southwest to point 160 feet eastward (downhill). Drivers headed for the Park and Ride, the senior housing facility or other businesses in this area will have access from Myers Way South.

(Latest bridge and Viaduct views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:56 AM: The rain’s back, in time for the Friday morning commute. No problems reported so far.

7:39 AM: Via scanner – a vehicle stalled/broken down, blocking a lane on the northbound Alaskan Way Viaduct at Seneca. Police en route to check. (Update – nothing found)

7:57 AM: Comment and text report stalled pickup truck in bus lane on eastbound bridge, near crest.

8:07 AM: SDOT has moved a camera to show the truck – a photo is in their tweet:

There's a stalled vehicle in the center right lane on EB West Seattle Bridge. pic.twitter.com/NddopabMq5

— seattledot (@seattledot) March 14, 2014

8:17 AM UPDATE: SDOT now reports the truck has been cleared.

Advisories:

HIGHWAY 99 NOTES FOR THIS WEEKEND: Lane and ramp work in the stadium zone – here’s the rundown on the WSDOT website. If you’re going to the Sounders game on Saturday, take note of a break in the work planned to lessen the potential traffic effects.

SPOKANE OVERCROSSING: WSDOT’s project page for the former “Timber Bridge” south of the West Seattle Bridge says closures might be needed again next week to finish striping; we’re checking on that this morning.

JUNCTION CONSTRUCTION: Also checking on this – but if weather was deemed suitable, a major concrete pour was scheduled for today affecting traffic on California SW between Alaska and Edmunds, as noted here.

**Update – It’s indeed on; northbound California is detoured at Edmunds, southbound is still going through. This should continue until early afternoon.**

While the last of four scheduled overnight closures on 99 should be getting under way now, the new edition of SDOT’s weekly lookahead is out and reveals some smaller-scale closures you might want to know about:

*9 pm Friday-5 am Monday: The right lane on NB 99 will be closed between S. Atlantic and Railroad Way S., along with the Royal Brougham Way onramp to NB 99. That’s so the onramp can be realigned.

*7:30 am-11 am Sunday: The St. Patrick’s Day Dash will close 99/Aurora Ave. N. between Fremont and the Battery Street Tunnel.

*Good news for the most dangerous intersection in West Seattle: Next Monday-Wednesday (March 17-19), around the clock, SDOT says: “Crews will close the right eastbound curb lane on Olson Pl. SW at 2nd Ave. SW to repair concrete panels. Traffic to 2nd Ave. SW will be detoured to Myers Wy. S.” (SEE FRIDAY UPDATE HERE)

*March 22 Viaduct closure: Earlier WSDOT announced a full-day Alaskan Way Viaduct closure to follow up on this month’s inspection. The lookahead has it penciled in for 4:30 am-7 pm that day. It will be preceded by an extended overnight closure just north of the Viaduct, SB 99 closing between Valley St. and the Battery St. Tunnel for bridge-girder work, 11 pm March 21 to 10 am March 22.