We’ve just confirmed a change in plans for this week’s work on the Fauntleroy Expressway Seismic Retrofit Project – which is entering a new phase as the contractor gets ready to lift the bridge deck to add special quake-resistant pads. SDOT had announced that the expressway – the southwestern end of the West Seattle Bridge, between Delridge and 35th – would be closed three nights this week for that phase of the job to begin, starting tonight. But when we checked in with SDOT communications consultant Josh Stepherson, who has briefed more than a few local community groups about the projects in recent months, he told us there was a late-breaking change in plans: “A couple of hours ago the contractor made the decision not to raise the Expressway this week. They still intend to close the Expressway tonight to survey the structure. They will not close it this Tuesday or Wednesday. Their current plan is to raise the Expressway, for the first time, Monday the 19th. They also plan to close the Expressway on Tuesday and Wednesday the 20th and 21st.” Look for more information from SDOT later this week; meantime, tonight’s closure, again, IS still on – scheduled roughly 10:30 pm to 5 am. (We’ll check on its status once that time frame kicks in.)

3:21 PM: We are in the 900 block of SW Spokane, where protesters have just arrived.

Police have stopped eastbound traffic. They are still heading west on Spokane, as Guardian One and tv choppers hover. So far, no conflicts that we have seen. No word how long eastbound traffic will remain stopped.

(Photo by Torin Record-Sand; substituted for cameraphone pic that was originally here)
3:44 PM: Traffic still stopped. Police appear to have made at least one arrest. Reinforcements have just arrived. (added) Some scuffling was visible from our vantage point (photos later from our crew elsewhere in the crowd) – watch the left side:

4:09 PM: Sorry for the lag – we have a photographer on the scene and your editor here got stuck one truck back from the front lines while dropping him off. Adding images shortly. He says traffic has resumed westbound across the low bridge – but it’s advisable to completely avoid the area till this is clear some hours from now (after 6 pm).

4:27 PM: Metro is rerouting some West Seattle (etc.) buses via the 1st Avenue South Bridge: 21, 22, 56, 118 & 119. Also keep in mind that we’re now an hour away from the Seahawks game, further complicating the traffic picture.

4:43 PM: The low bridge may technically be open to traffic but still worth avoiding. As of right now, one of the bridge cams is focused on the protest scene. You can see all our traffic cams here.

5:43 PM: From WSB contributor Christopher Boffoli, a recent overview of the scene where most of this unfolded through the mid- to late-afternoon:

Via Twitter, SPD confirms “multiple arrests.” They also say they have “contacted” the driver involved in the hit-run incident noted in comments below this story.

6:52 PM: A closer look, from earlier. A group of West Seattle activists gathered at the Chelan Café to walk to join the protesters who marched from Westlake:

And as the marchers arrived around quarter past three:

For the 6 pm rally, demonstrators moved to Terminal 5, according to our partners at the Seattle Times, who also report that the arrests so far have numbered more than a dozen.

ADDED 10:54 PM: More images from tonight and this afternoon. First – Christopher Boffoli was there as more demonstrators were arrested tonight:

According to SPD Blotter, “Eleven adult subjects were arrested for various violations including Failure to Disperse and Assaulting an Officer.” Some if not all of them were processed at the Southwest Precinct here in West Seattle, according to SWP Operations Lt. Pierre Davis, with whom we spoke while he visited tonight’s Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council meeting to talk about the recent increase in burglaries. As the evening events wound down, Christopher got these scenes on video:

Here’s how Occupy Seattle’s website chronicled the afternoon/evening.

(WSB photo by Torin Record-Sand)

Just in case you were wondering – the resurfacing work along three blocks of California SW between Alaska and Morgan Junctions is NOT closing the road. We went out this morning to get a look at the work zone; crews were starting on the north end – at SW Findlay – and heading south toward SW Graham. One lane is open in each direction for the entire stretch. No parking on California on those blocks, though (and we saw what appeared to be one car getting towed from that zone). As SDOT announced last week, they found enough money in the “Rubble Yard sale” proceeds to add these three blocks of repaving work, which is scheduled to happen 9 am-5 pm daily through Thursday.

Two updates from SDOT for next week: The first night of the Fauntleroy Expressway closure for quake-safety upgrades – the southwest end of the West Seattle Bridge – will start later, because of the Monday night Seahawks game. So that night only, it’ll start 10:30 pm (9 pm the next two nights, as the map from our original report notes).

Second, the city is tentatively planning to close the westbound Spokane Street Viaduct (the bridge between I-5 and 99) every night from next Wednesday (December 14) through December 23rd. And there are surface closures planned just east of West Seattle, at East Marginal/South Spokane, Monday-Thursday nights, as well as a “tentative” plan to detour 1st Avenue S. at Spokane St. each night Dec. 16-22. (Got all that? We’ll have a reminder each day in the daily-highlights preview, as usual.)

Just in from SDOT – three more blocks of California SW in the treacherous stretch between Alaska and Morgan Junctions are about to get some help:

Next Monday through Thursday, December 12 through 15, Seattle Department of Transportation crews will be resurfacing California Avenue SW from SW Findlay Street to SW Graham Street [map]. The resurfacing work, which will take place from 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day, will involve grinding down the surface, making repairs to the street base and repaving the roadway. Traffic in both directions will be pushed to the opposite side of where the crews are working. All crosswalks and sidewalks will remain open. A Police Officer will provide traffic control at the intersection of California Avenue SW and SW Graham Street.

We’ll check with Metro for their rerouting plans.

ADDED 11:25 AM: Since SDOT has said it would love to repave more of California SW south of The Junction but didn’t have the money, we asked what was paying for this sudden project. SDOT’s Peg Nielsen tells WSB it’s from the “Rubble Yard sale,” city property sold for use as a staging area in the Highway 99 tunnel project. City Council President Richard Conlin wrote about it earlier this year.

ADDED 1:43 PM: Nielsen also provides an explanation of a question asked in comments – why just three blocks? – and what’s ahead:Read More

7:21 AM: Commute alerts so far this morning: It’s not on the 911 log (yet?) but we just got a call reporting a crash on northbound 99. And even if you’re not taking 99, be careful in the fog. It’s not foggy at WSB HQ near Lincoln Park, but the traffic cams show fog to the north.

7:34 AM: Russ’s description via Twitter from aboard a bus: “Viaduct is a disaster again this morning.” The cams don’t look as bad as they looked yesterday, though, at this point.

7:51 AM: Russ says things got better once they got on 99. Reminder for tonight’s commute home: Seahawks game at 5:20 pm.

8:42 AM: Mike just tweeted about a stalled car on the right side of the eastbound highrise West Seattle Bridge.

7:48 AM: Thanks to those who’ve sent word of this via Facebook/Twitter – a garbage truck has broken down on northbound 99, at Atlantic per Kim (where there’s no shoulder), and that’s not only backing up 99, it’s affecting the bridge and its approaches. If you haven’t left yet, consider alternate routes, or waiting a while. (You can see the backups on the WSB Traffic page – the 1st Avenue South Bridge looks pretty busy too, though.)

8:08 AM: Via Twitter, @mental404 also warns of “a broken-down town car on the bridge just before the Delridge onramp.” Metro is rerouting some buses.

8:20 AM: Tow truck has arrived, per KING 5’s Tracy Taylor. But with the backup stretching all the way back across the 1st Avenue S. Bridge (and apparently then some) as well as the West Seattle Bridge, that won’t be an instant fix.

8:41 AM: As Lou reports in the comment section, the stuck truck has been towed. The stalled car on the bridge is apparently gone, too. Metro just sent word the buses are back to regular routing.

11:40 AM: We’re trying to sleuth why the trash-truck tow apparently took two hours. Will update this story whenever we get the info!

(Latest “live” picture of the northbound Viaduct, looking south from the tunnel vicinity)
7:02 AM: Just got first word of trouble that might affect your commute: Greg e-mailed to say the Battery Street Tunnel on northbound 99 was closed as of 6:20 am. KING 5 traffic reporter Tracy Taylor reports a crash in that area. The traffic cam view doesn’t look too backed up at this point, but we’ll keep watch till 9 or so – and if you encounter trouble, let us know (when you can do so safely, of course!). As for the weather: The wind advisory is no longer in effect, but rain is supposed to continue through the day, so that’s what we’ll be tracking today.

7:42 AM: The Battery Street Tunnel problem is gone, per comments, but via FB, Sage notes from on board a bus – “Verrry slow getting onto the bridge from Avalon on the 21 right now. Looking ugly.”

(Latest “live” picture of the northbound Viaduct, looking south from the tunnel vicinity)
Multiple reports that the bridge is much worse than usual this morning – and we’ve finally seen one possible explanation for current trouble: Via Twitter, SDOT says there’s a stalled vehicle blocking lanes on northbound 99 at the Battery Street Tunnel. Not much help if you’re already out in the middle of it but if you tend to commute later, maybe best not to leave for a while.

Since so many West Seattleites commute from/through downtown, and this is an unannounced event, here’s an FYI – a protest reported to be affiliated with Occupy Seattle is blocking Pine Street between 4th and 6th. So says Metro, which notes that the routes currently affected including 125, which serves part of West Seattle and White Center. (6:24 PM NOTE: Via Twitter, SPD reports four arrests.)

ORIGINAL 2:55 PM REPORT: Just in from WSDOT:

The right lane of southbound SR 99, approximately ½ mile north of the West Seattle Bridge, is closed for emergency road repair work. The lane will be closed through the evening commute. During the 6-hour closure, crews will place a steel plate in the lane. When the road reopens, motorcyclists should use extra caution near the steel plates. The 40 mph speed limit will not change.

ADDED 3:31 PM: On the WSB Facebook page, at least one person with a view of the Viaduct says it’s already a mess.

5:35 PM UPDATE: WSDOT has reopened the lane hours earlier than projected.

LATE-NIGHT UPDATE: And WSDOT says it’s closed again.

SATURDAY MORNING UPDATE: And … reopened.

Need to pass through downtown and/or SODO to get home tonight? Beware! This just in from SDOT:

The afternoon commute could become a little dicey later today. Occupy Seattle will hold a protest rally and march in downtown Seattle starting at 6 p.m. A crowd of more than 500 people is expected to gather at the north end of Westlake Park at Fourth Avenue and Pine Street for the rally. Between 6:30 and 7 p.m. the protesters will move to the Sheraton Hotel on Sixth Avenue between Union and Pike streets. Seattle Police will escort the marchers south on Fifth Avenue to Union street, east on Union to Sixth Avenue, and north on Sixth to Pike Street. Given the size of the expected throng of protesters, the march will likely be in the street so motorists should plan to avoid the area to avoid delays.

At the other end of downtown at 7 p.m., the Seattle Sounders will be drawing over 40,000 scarf-waving fans at CenturyLink Field. They’ll take on the Real Salt Lake soccer club for the second leg of the Western Conference semifinals. Expect traffic around the stadium to be very congested before and after the match.

The Water Taxi is on its winter schedule now and is NOT extending for sporting events, according to the county.

(More cams on the WSB Traffic page; travel times on the city Travelers’ Info map)
Good morning! No problems so far; we’re on commute patrol again, with the Alaskan Way Viaduct still closed (but still on schedule to reopen by 5 am Monday). First West Seattle Water Taxi run: 56 people. High bridge busy, as has been the case at this hour all week. More updates to come.

6:30 AM UPDATE: Weather’s dry till post-commute, per our friends at KING 5. They also are providing a new view of the high bridge this morning, covering the bus-lane crackdown from the side of the road – police are out one more time. Plenty of traffic. Meantime, commensurate with the lower-than-earlier-this-week Water Taxi ridership in the very-early going, the Don Armeni parking lot is wide open.

6:45 AM UPDATE: Status quo: High bridge busy, low bridge not (per KING’s helicopter view a few minutes back). Water Taxi carrying 63 people.

7 AM UPDATE: Same thing. If anything, maybe a little less traffic this morning (three-day weekend, anyone?).

7:15 AM UPDATE: 100 on this run of the Water Taxi. The high bridge is looking better than last hour, NOT crawling as you come off Fauntleroy, but slowing once you get around the 99 exit.

7:30 AM UPDATE: Quiet!

7:45 AM UPDATE: Link Apartments (WSB sponsor) in The Triangle to SPU in less than 20 minutes, tweets Whitney. … 94 on this run of the Water Taxi. As noted earlier this morning, the WT switches to its winter schedule on Monday – weekdays only, commute periods only. So this is the last weekend you’ll be able to take it till next spring.

8 AM UPDATE: Still smooth sailing.

8:15 AM UPDATE: High bridge moving along, not slowing till the usual point around 99. No trouble spots reported anywhere in the immediate commute zone. Awaiting the 8:15 Water Taxi report before our crew wraps up its week of hanging out at Seacrest in the mornings … here it is: 81.

8:30 AM UPDATE: If you go get on the Viaduct (what’s left of it) northbound at Royal Brougham, no traffic trouble there either, and we haven’t heard of any major backups along 1st or 4th this morning for those heading that way.

8:57 AM UPDATE: So quiet, we forgot the 8:45 update. We’ll of course pick up the traffic coverage again for the commute home tonight, since PM has been worse than AM for most of the week. And if the Viaduct opens earlier than scheduled, or if any problems erupt over the weekend, we’ll have traffic updates Saturday-Sunday too. Monday morning, we will be on early watch as well, since the new configuration of 99 could mean some complications until people get used to it. P.S. In case you were wondering … Daylight Saving Time ends one week from Sunday (so you switch your clock the night of Saturday, November 5th).

Just a reminder, since this was announced only yesterday: TONIGHT, 10 pm-5 am, the westbound Spokane Street Viaduct – that’s the West Seattle Bridge between I-5 and Highway 99 – is scheduled to be closed for work related to the ongoing widening project. That means you will not be able to access the West Seattle Bridge from I-5 or Beacon Hill.

(“Live” image looking westward at the eastbound West Seattle Bridge – refresh for latest)
6:50 AM: Thanks to everybody who has called/texted/e-mailed with word of an eastbound backup on the West Seattle Bridge that’s worse than you’d usually find at this hour. The 911 log lists a crash that apparently did not have major injuries but, according to multiple tipsters, involved three vehicles, so it may take a while to clear. (Late-morning addendum: SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore confirms no one was hurt.)

7:10 AM: The crash is described as “at Admiral,” which on the eastbound side means “parallel with.” You can check the various bridge and feeder views (we’re watching them too) from the WSB Traffic page. One WSB’er says via e-mail that the crash involves “two SUVs and one small sedan.”

7:36 AM: Via Twitter, we have a report about the feeder-street backup – half an hour from the Fauntleroy neighborhood and she hadn’t even reached SW Alaska (blocks BEFORE the 35th/Fauntleroy bridge entrance) yet. Adding a “live” bridge image atop this story – refresh the page for the latest view. The crash scene isn’t visible from the existing bridge angles, so if you get through and know whether it’s been cleared, please let us know (once you reach your destination!).

7:52 AM: Via Facebook, Margie says the crash scene itself has been cleared. Backups will take a while. Alex is trying to get to 509 via Holden – on the southeast side of WS – and he’s hit a backup too.

8:24 AM: Most reports say things are getting better, finally. But the hair-raising-commute stories are still coming in – via Twitter, @206SportsFan says, “One hour from Morgan Junction to Luna Park via bus. … New personal ‘best’ worst.” Jana also commuted by bus and tweeted the photo above, after finally reaching the Avalon turnoff on Fauntleroy.