WSDOT just sent this alert: “On I-5 southbound just south of West Seattle Bridge (MP 162) there is a collision blocking the 3 left lanes.” If you’re about to head in that direction, you might consider an alternate route.

4:16 PM UPDATE: This won’t be a problem for the evening commute – it was moved to the shoulder, per a WSDOT tweet last hour.

(UPDATED 6/12 with city’s changes to Spokane Street Viaduct schedule)

The westbound Spokane Street Viaduct closure this weekend ended earlier than projected, as noted here this morning, but the coming week brings more closures, both for the SSV and for the Alaskan Way Viaduct/Highway 99 stretch between the Battery Street Tunnel and the West Seattle Bridge. On 2 nights, the closures will overlap. Since the SSV is a city project and the AWV is a state project, the closures have been announced separately, but we’ve put the main points together here in one night-by-night/day-by-day guide:

MONDAY NIGHT (JUNE 11):
Southbound Alaskan Way Viaduct/Highway 99 closing 9 pm-5 am
No Spokane Street Viaduct closures scheduled

TUESDAY NIGHT (JUNE 12):
Southbound Alaskan Way Viaduct/Highway 99 closing 9 pm-5 am
No Spokane Street Viaduct closures scheduled

WEDNESDAY NIGHT (JUNE 13):
Southbound Alaskan Way Viaduct/Highway 99 closing 9 pm-5 am
*UPDATE: Spokane Street Viaduct closures canceled*

THURSDAY NIGHT (JUNE 14):
Southbound Alaskan Way Viaduct/Highway 99 closing 9 pm-5 am
*UPDATE: Spokane Street Viaduct closures canceled*

FRIDAY NIGHT AND THIS WEEKEND (JUNE 15-18)
Alaskan Way Viaduct/Highway 99 closed BOTH ways from 11 pm Friday till 5 am Monday
No Spokane Street Viaduct closures scheduled

All of the above – and other construction-related closures around the city – are listed on the “lookahead” that is sent out every Thursday – see the latest version here.

The next round of Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project-related closures has just arrived in e-mail from SDOT, including the weekend westbound closure they’ve already announced, plus other closures/changes AND a projected reopening date for the 1st Avenue South offramp from the eastbound SSV – read on!Read More

12:01 PM: Thanks to the WSB’er who just called to let us know about this crash – a car off the road, and pole knocked down, by Walking on Logs along the west end of the westbound West Seattle Bridge. Fire units have responded; we don’t know yet about injuries, but this is likely to cause some backup on the bridge, so if you are just about to leave downtown or other points east, heading this way, use the Admiral exit instead.

1:48 PM NOTE: The SDOT camera was frozen at 12:12 pm so we can’t tell what’s up at the scene right now – but traffic was getting by, albeit slowly, when we were in the area shortly afterward – here’s the view from the pedestrian overpass, looking north toward the scene:

Information isn’t available yet on whether anyone was hurt.

4:11 PM UPDATE: After hearing a report that the pole knockdown could affect streetlights beyond the one at the pullout, we checked with Seattle City Light. Spokesperson Scott Thomsen says crews won’t know for sure till after dark tonight, so they will be out looking. Meantime, members of the volunteer group that recently installed landscaping at Walking on Logs will be investigating to see if the crash damaged any of their work.

ADDED TUESDAY NIGHT: SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore tells WSB that firefighters checked out two women “who were out of the car by the time firefighters arrived … they declined treatment or transport.”

Two more transportation alerts beyond the Spokane Street Viaduct info in the morning preview – First, early-early-early-morning drivers/bicyclists/etc. beware – Highway 99 will be closed 11:59 pm tonight to 5 am Wednesday NORTH of the Battery Street Tunnel because the Aurora Bridge is being lifted for some quakeproofing work (similar to what was done on the Fauntleroy Expressway end of the West Seattle Bridge months ago) … Also, thanks to Donna for letting us know about this alert – the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth ferry run is down to 2 boats again today, because of mechanical problems with the Sealth. Here’s the official 2-boat schedule.

8:27 AM: Thanks to Todd for the text: He says a bus/car problem on an I-5 ramp is backing up the eastbound bridge, and it took about 40 minutes to get across.

8:53 AM UPDATE: SDOT also has issued an alert about this, via Twitter. It’s not on the 911 log so apparently not an incident involving injuries.

Just received two traffic alerts – one involving downtown effects of tomorrow’s Seattle visit by President Obama (who made big news today by saying he supports marriage equality), another an update on the Beach Drive road repairs reported here yesterday – read on for both (2:02 PM UPDATE – Metro has changed some of its info – so we’ve updated too):Read More

Once again tonight, as announced last Thursday, SDOT has closed the westbound West Seattle Bridge for a short distance right at 99 – short, but it still means that if you’re heading westbound, you have to take the Harbor Island ramp and use the low bridge to get to WS. We’ve had two reports in the past few minutes that this has led to a backup all the way to I-5 (one texter has been stuck for more than half an hour) – if you look at the bridge cam, you’ll see the line of headlights stretching back that way. The work is scheduled to continue overnight and again Wednesday and Thursday night too.

ORIGINAL 7:07 AM REPORT: It’s on the 911 log and WSDOT confirms it via Twitter – “part of the N/B I-5 on-ramp from the W. Seattle (Bridge) is partially blocked due to a collision.” We’ll monitor that (and any other traffic challenges ahead) with updates as we get them.

7:30 AM UPDATE: Added the “live” image from the WSDOT camera pointed that way. The truck’s still there but the fire/medic crews have cleared out.

7:39 AM UPDATE: WSDOT says the scene is now completely clear. However, residual backups take a while to clear, especially in peak traffic, so your commute might still take extra time at this point.

(Police presence downtown – photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
As promised, we’ll be publishing updates on whether May Day marching/rallying is affecting the commute through downtown, and this way. (Right now, a bout of wild weather has hit – with a hail-infused deluge hitting West Seattle about 10 minutes ago and headed east – though it looks like the sun will return once it moves through). Stay tuned for toplines.

ONGOING COVERAGE: Our partners at the Seattle Times have been publishing quick, short updates here. … The Seattle Police SPD Blotter has published a roundup of vandalism damage and arrests (2 as of 3 pm) ad promises updates … (added 4:21 pm) KING 5 also has ongoing online coverage incorporating tweets, photos and other quick updates from their staff and other local media. … To check on Metro delays, you can watch their commute-updates website (we’re checking it too).

4:28 PM UPDATE: KING reports via Twitter that a group of marchers is at 1st and Bell. This would be separate from the prescheduled march that was to gather south of downtown half an hour from now. One other note: The Times mentioned school-bus delays; we checked with Seattle Public Schools and that’s ONLY the buses running in downtown/Capitol Hill – no effects here.

4:37 PM UPDATE: Only “minor” delays downtown for transit, Metro reports.

UNRELATED TRAFFIC UPDATE AT 4:57 PM: Just got a tip from Lisa that there is a car vs. semi crash at the west end of the “low bridge,” no injuries reported so far. We’re en route to check.

(Photo by WSB’s Patrick Sand – car is up against right side of the semi, right side of photo)
5:22 PM UPDATE: That incident is causing some trouble coming off the low bridge, but traffic’s being routed around it. Adding a photo in a moment. Meantime, we just got a text from someone saying southbound 99 is actually LIGHTER headed this way than usual. (Here’s a new SDOT camera we will be adding to the WSB Traffic page – looking north at the southbound Viaduct flow at King St.)

And from downtown, we are adding photos taken by WSB contributor Christopher Boffoli, who says the biggest effect he noticed while downtown was the increased police presence.

5:46 PM UPDATE: Police now report eight arrests so far since this morning. The city, meantime, says it’s activated its Emergency Operations Center to help with public-safety concerns. The prescheduled march is heading eastbound on Pike from 4th as of right now.

6:25 PM UPDATE: The rally downtown is under way. We’ve been monitoring the scanner and the ongoing coverage from citywide media. Metro says marchers are northbound on 4th and that some buses are stuck in a jam downtown.

Drove up Admiral Way hill north of the bridge a little while ago to confirm that the repaving work has begun – it has. (Here are the details from SDOT; it’s scheduled to continue through Friday.

Meanwhile, turns out SDOT didn’t inspect the Fauntleroy Expressway section of the bridge as expected yesterday – so the work is rescheduled for the next two days:

The Seattle Department of Transportation previously announced that they would be inspecting the Fauntleroy Expressway bridge deck (the raised roadway at the west end of the West Seattle Bridge) on April 30th. Due to unexpected mechanical issues, the work has now been rescheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, May 2nd & 3rd between 8 am and 3 pm.

The inspection team will establish short-term lane closures of the right-hand lane, beginning on the westbound side, using truck-mounted traffic warning devices. The inspection team will make short-term (15 minutes) stops at any given location along the bridge deck. After completing the westbound route the team will then inspect eastbound, toward Downtown Seattle, also along the right-hand lane. The entire inspection will be completed by 3 p.m. on the given day. (When working during the morning commute period, activities will take place in the lanes of travel that are in the opposite direction of peak traffic flows.)

These closures are required as part of the seismic retrofit of the Fauntleroy Expressway, to make it more likely to withstand the force of a major earthquake. The work is funded by the “Bridging the Gap” transportation levy approved by Seattle voters in November 2006.

Just got a note from James, who thought it might not be a bad idea for us to mention the May Day gatherings planned tomorrow, in case of traffic effects. At almost the same moment, an alert came in from Metro, and it’s the most matter-of-fact one we’ve seen, so here you go:

Transit service – and all traffic – in downtown Seattle will likely be delayed during the Tuesday afternoon commute and into the evening due to a May Day march and other activities. Bus riders should be prepared for transit service delays – and possible reroutes. This could affect bus service both on surface streets and possibly the transit tunnel.

One march is planned to leave the Central District at 5 p.m. and travel along South Jackson Street to Fourth Avenue to the Wells Fargo Building on Third Avenue between Madison and Marion streets. There could be additional May Day activities in other locations that could also delay or disrupt traffic and transit.

If possible, people may want to leave work early Tuesday. They should also give themselves extra time to travel through the downtown area. Metro may have to temporarily reroute buses if streets are closed or become blocked.

Metro will be using its Eye on the Metro Commute blog and Twitter account to do its best to keep customers informed about the transit disruptions on Tuesday afternoon and evening.

(SDOT also has an alert, mentioning that 2nd might have to be closed.) We of course will keep you updated here (and via the WSB Facebook page) too. Nothing major is planned in West Seattle tomorrow so far as we have heard.

1:37 PM: More Monday road woes – just got a text about a crash at 8th and Roxbury, and the 911 log shows a 2-unit dispatch. (added) It’s on the westbound side, and Seattle Police have called for extra reinforcement to manage traffic, so avoid the area if you can. We’re en route for a look.

1:52 PM UPDATE: Per the scanner, the crash is actually a hit-and-run, and they’re looking for a driver described as female, in her 30s, 5-foot-5, blue shirt, blue pants. Our crew just arrived and is trying to find out more about that, but also reports that westbound traffic is being diverted onto 7th SW. At least one person is hurt; an ambulance is on scene.

2:13 PM UPDATE: Added a photo. Police tell us that the car in the foreground, with the least damage, is the one whose driver left the scene; the one behind it, with more damage, is the one whose driver was taken to the hospital.

(Latest “live” picture looking at eastbound WS Bridge – refresh page for newest image)
TRAFFIC NOTE #1: As announced last week, today’s the day SDOT plans to inspect the west end of the West Seattle Bridge – the Fauntleroy Expressway section, which has been getting an earthquake-safety retrofit since last year – which means “rolling slowdowns” between 8 am and 3 pm. Here again is how they explain it:

The inspection team will establish short-term lane closures of the right-hand lane using truck-mounted traffic warning devices. The inspection will begin near West Seattle and move westbound. The inspection team will make short-term (15 minutes) stops at any given location along the bridge deck. After completing the westbound route the team will then inspect eastbound, toward Downtown Seattle, also along the right hand lane. The entire inspection will be completed by 3:00 p.m.

TRAFFIC NOTE #2, ADDED AT 7:26 AM: Not sure how long this will last, but we just caught word of a truck crash on northbound I-5 at the Ship Canal Bridge that is causing problems through downtown – so if you usually take I-5, be forewarned, it’s slower going right now, and traffic reporters are advising 99 as an alternative, so that may be busier than usual.

8:06 AM UPDATE: WSDOT says the I-5 crash scene is clear now, but the backup will take a while longer to clear since it’s heavy-traffic commute time.

Also from SDOT – heads-up for “rolling slowdowns” on the West Seattle Bridge next Monday:

The Seattle Department of Transportation will be inspecting the Fauntleroy Expressway bridge deck on April 30th between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. The inspection team will establish short-term lane closures of the right hand lane using truck-mounted traffic warning devices. The inspection will begin near West Seattle and move westbound. The inspection team will make short-term (15 minutes) stops at any given location along the bridge deck. After completing the westbound route the team will then inspect eastbound, toward Downtown Seattle, also along the right hand lane. The entire inspection will be completed by 3:00 p.m.

This is part of the Fauntleroy Expressway Seismic Retrofit Project; we took an up-close look at some of the earlier work for this story back in January.

(Photo by Wendy Hughes-Jelen)
Thanks to Bill and Wendy for word of a crash at 35th/Morgan. Bill says no injuries are reported; Wendy says one car is involved that went “straight into the corner, took out the street tree, and hit two U-Haul vehicles. … Antifreeze or something is hissing from the engine compartment because of the tree damage. Front bumper is on sidewalk behind vehicle now.” Both have shared photos.

(Photo by Bill Bacon)
3:19 PM: Two photos added. No SFD medic unit sent to the scene, which would be confirmation that if there were any injuries, they weren’t major.

3:31 PM UPDATE: Just drove through 35th/Morgan – no traffic impediments on 35th; the westbound lane on Morgan by U-Haul (northwest side of the intersection) should clear soon, since the tow trucks is already there to take away the car that hit the U-Haul vehicles.

(Photo courtesy Mary from Service Dog Academy)
Sorry we missed the chance to bring you real-time updates during what by multiple accounts was a bad hour or so on the eastbound West Seattle Bridge this morning. We are trying to reach SDOT to see what they can tell us, but a couple of WSB’ers have mentioned road work – possibly painting crews – which were not mentioned in any advance traffic advisories, so far as we can tell; there were no scheduled closures for the weekend, nothing till another round of overnight-only southbound 99/Viaduct closures during the weeknights next week. Though everything seems to be OK now – at least according to the cameras on the WSB Traffic page – let us know if you encounter otherwise. (And if/when you can, please text or voice-call about something like this – even if we’re offline for a bit, which we were because of a panel discussion before the Gathering of Neighbors today, the text/voice calls break through IMMEDIATELY, whatever we’re doing, 24/7 – 206-293-6302 – consider putting it in your phone “contacts” list; traffic is “breaking news” too! Thanks!)

12:26 PM UPDATE: Rick Sheridan from SDOT says it wasn’t their fault:

We’re sorry to hear drivers were delayed. While we are restriping the high-rise bridge today, the earlier collision was the cause of the traffic problem. According to staff on site at the time, traffic was backed up prior to beginning our work and delayed us as well.

Once emergency response dealt with the incident, traffic problems dissipated. The SDOT live cameras show traffic is flowing smoothly now.

The only crash on the 911 log was at 6:53 am (though it doesn’t show non-injury crashes or stalls).

Just in from SDOT:

Engineers will conduct routine load tests today on the Delridge Way SW on- and off-ramps to the West Seattle high-level bridge to measure the effects of heavy trucks. Drivers may experience delays of 10 minutes at a time on three occasions between noon and 4 p.m. Also, drivers may be briefly delayed by traffic flaggers under the bridge on Delridge Way SW at times today until 6 p.m. Please plan ahead and allow extra time to reach your destination.