West Seattle, Washington
17 Tuesday
(Photo added 12:46 pm – SFD units that were there till it turned out the diver wasn’t missing after all)
We are on our way to the scene of a water-rescue call in the 1600 block of Harbor SW. Traffic in the area is snarled and police have it blocked right at The Bridge, so if you are trying to get to Alki, approach from the west – don’t go from Avalon, Spokane, bottom of Admiral, etc. Still working to get details of what the rescue call’s all about. 12:24 PM UPDATE: Thanks to Katie for word that this call went out as a diver missing near Salty’s. 12:32 PM: Christopher Boffoli is there and reports that what was reported as a missing diver, turned out to be a diver that got separated from their companion/s and has been found. All this should clear up soon. (But traffic lags – and it’s already a busy, sunny day at the beach – so we still advise approaching Alki from the west, for a while.)
As noted here about 24 hours ago, SDOT plans to close the 1st Avenue South/South Spokane Street intersection at 8:30 tonight, continuing till about 6 am Monday. But the eastbound West Seattle Bridge offramp remains open. So a few have asked – how’s that going to work? We asked SDOT, whose LeAnne Nelson replied:
The intersection will be blocked off and closed to all northbound and southbound through traffic, with drivers south of the intersection directed from 1st Ave S to Dawson to 4th Ave S. Drivers north of the intersection will be directed to Lander St and then to 4th Ave S. Five police officers will be on site to help guide traffic. Drivers from West Seattle will still be able to turn left off the ramp to go north to downtown on a lane dedicated to that traffic.
Hope that helps, in case you were wondering.
Just in from SDOT:
Crews working on the Spokane Street Viaduct Project will close the intersection at First Avenue S and S Spokane Street for the weekend, beginning at 8:30 pm tomorrow (Friday, June 11). The intersection will be closed to all through traffic until early Monday (June 14) at 6 a.m. The closure is required to complete work on the water main under the roadway. The eastbound off-ramp from the Spokane Street Viaduct (from the West Seattle Bridge) to First Avenue South will remain open. Detours will be provided for north and southbound traffic on First Avenue.
Out of the inbox, forwarded by a few folks (thank you!), SDOT’s Paul Elliott sent out this alert regarding the “low bridge” during the evening commute:
I just was told that we expect NOAA to bring two large vessels through the swing bridge this afternoon, probably about 5:30, but perhaps ten or fifteen minutes earlier. We expect the openings to last in the 25-30 minute range. Apparently we didn’t get notification until yesterday afternoon, hence this last-minute push to get the word out.
Also remember that SDOT sends word of imminent rush-hour low-bridge openings via Twitter, but this is an earlier heads-up in case you want to plot an alternate path/time to go home.
First, just in from Peg Nielsen at SDOT:
Tomorrow, Thursday, June 10, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., SDOT will be conducting a maintenance inspection on the SW Spokane Street Bridge in the eastbound pedestrian and bike lane. Pedestrians and bicyclists will be flagged around the equipment involved in the work activities. Bicyclists will be asked to dismount through the work zone.
(Photo from Genesee work zone, added Wednesday evening)
Second – Heidi on Genesee Hill e-mailed to ask about what appeared to be an unannounced paving project in the works. We checked with SDOT, whose Marybeth Turner replied:
DOT crews are paving SW Genesee from 47th to 49th. It wasn’t on the lists because it was not certain that there would be funds for it this year. When it became apparent that there would be sufficient funds, they started the job. The plan is to pave on Friday or Monday. One lane will remain open in each direction.
(Scroll down for the newest info/photos)
(WSB photo added 9:15 am, trees across 48th SW)
ORIGINAL 7:35 AM REPORT: First report of notable weather-related trouble; Metro just sent an alert that the 37 and 53 bus lines are rerouted because of “an incident” at 48th SW/SW Eddy. Checked with Seattle Police – they have word of trees down on 48th SW at SW Holly, which is also affecting car traffic – not sure yet exactly where the detours are, but avoid that area. Here’s the reroute alert from Metro:
Routes 37 & 53 are rerouted due to an incident on 48th SW near SW Eddy St. Use the stop north of SW Graham St or the stop north of Atlas Pl SW.
This is between Seaview and Lowman Beach; here’s a map. 9:25 AM UPDATE: From the scene – 48th SW is closed from SW Eddy at the top of the hill, to the bottom where it meets Lincoln Park Way and Beach Drive. We also received this photo with another perspective on the blocked road, as a school bus (they had to reroute too) faced the mess:
We also got a note about the wind tearing away more of the plastic sheeting around the scaffolding on the 35th/Myrtle water tower that’s been getting painted. Here’s how it looked as of a few minutes ago:
10:05 AM UPDATE: Just checked with SDOT – Marybeth Turner tells us the urban-forestry crew estimates 48th will be cleared/reopened no later than 11:30 am. 1:21 PM: Kris notes in comments that the road has reopened; also, Metro has confirmed Routes 37 and 53 are now back to normal. 2:04 PM: Jody adds this via Facebook: “”A good section of the sidewalk on the east side of the street is closed though for anyone walking in that area.””
As previewed two days ago, a film crew working on what’s believed to be a Japanese TV project has been in action this afternoon on the West Seattle Bridge, leading to “rolling slowdowns.” Sorry we just don’t have a chopper yet, but our friends at KING do, and they have just published aerial photos. The crew is expected back on The Bridge 11 pm-1 am tonight, after shooting on the northbound Alaskan Way Viaduct 8-10 pm.
From SDOT:
Drivers may encounter congestion on the West Seattle Bridge on Thursday, April 22, while a film crew works from noon to 3 p.m. and again from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. There will be “rolling slowdowns” on the bridge from First Avenue South to Southwest Avalon Way in both the eastbound and westbound directions.
Filming is also scheduled Thursday for the Alaskan Way Viaduct from East Marginal Way South to the Western Avenue off-ramp, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. The filming will affect only northbound traffic on the viaduct.
The weekly roundup of traffic alerts and closures around the city is out – and if you drive late at night, you’ll want to know in particular about the ramp closure from the West Seattle Bridge to northbound I-5, midnight-8 am Friday night/Saturday morning and midnight-8 am Saturday night/Sunday morning, to be repeated the following two weekends. Here’s the entire long, long list of various closures and changes.
(Photo by Christopher Boffoli)
9:21 PM: Thanks to those who’ve called/texted about this: The “medic response” on the 911 log for the westbound West Seattle Bridge, at the highrise, is reported to be a multiple-vehicle crash. No other details so far. 9:28 PM: Via Twitter, one person stuck in the backup, @bppalmer, says two westbound lanes are blocked. Also, WSB’er JoB relayed via JanS that it’s on the right side “just past the top before the Delridge exit” – at least one car appeared to have serious damage. 10:04 PM: Added photo; things should be clearing up – the fire presence at the scene has ended, according to the 911 log. No info at this point regarding injuries or cause. P.S. Here’s Christopher’s short video view – in the absence of working city traffic cameras – from the same vantage point as the photo above:
Just got the new edition of the most thorough traffic-alert bulletin around, the “Seattle-Area Construction Look Ahead” from SDOT. You can see the whole thing here – including SODO, Spokane Street Viaduct and West Seattle alerts. You’ll note that there’s a lane closure on the SSV coming up all weekend this weekend, plus lane closures in West Seattle in the next week for DMS (Digital Messaging Signs) work on Admiral, 35th and Fauntleroy. (The roundup also includes a reminder of the next Alaskan Way Viaduct weekend closures – 6 am-6 pm each day 3/27-3/28.)
The newest roundup of upcoming traffic effects from road work in and around SODO and the Spokane Street Viaduct is now online – see it here – and it includes the first definite date we’ve seen for the impending closure of the 1st Avenue South onramp to the westbound West Seattle Bridge: May 17th. (SDOT had previously just mentioned May.) The impending closure came up at this week’s Southwest District Council (our long-version story’s still in the works), during a guest appearance by City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who chairs the Transportation Committee; he promised to put the pressure on to make sure there’s more public outreach before that closure takes effect. The ramp is to be replaced by a new 1st Avenue on/offramp (with the entry/exit a ways north of the current one), opening in 2012. ADDED 10:11 AM: A related traffic-advisory note for next week is just in from SDOT – read on:Read More
Just circulated by the city’s Delridge Neighborhood District Coordinator Ron Angeles, the latest mega-mondo-traffic update for the area between West Seattle and downtown, and then some. Among the highlights – the next Alaskan Way Viaduct shutdown is scheduled for March 27-28, 6 am-6 pm each day. Note that some 1st and 4th Avenue South closures/restrictions are coming up next month, too. See the full rundown of changes/closures here.
For the second time in three nights, a rollover crash has blocked traffic on Highway 99. This time, it’s northbound, near the stadiums, so if you are heading toward downtown from West Seattle, avoid that route TFN. Not much info about the crash yet except that it’s one vehicle this time, someone was rescued from the vehicle, and police were searching for someone who reportedly ran away from the crash scene.
(we’ve added additional info to this story later Wednesday)
ORIGINAL 10:50 PM REPORT: For anyone heading toward West Seattle soon from downtown or points north of there – the Alaskan Way Viaduct is shut down southbound because of a complicated crash that’s being sorted out – reportedly involving two cars, one of which is reported to be upside down on southbound 99 around Holgate, another of which is upside down on railroad tracks. At least three “patients” reported, between the two cars, per scanner traffic.
(Photo by CLIFF DESPEAUX/Seattle Times, used with permission of the Times, added Wednesday afternoon)
11:05 PM UPDATE: Just heard the full rundown via the scanner. 4 people involved in the 2 vehicles, both of which are described as totaled, both having “barrel-rolled” multiple times. The driver of the car that “left the Viaduct” was a 30-year-old man, driver of the car that rolled on 99, a 34-year-old man, and two men in their mid-20s were in the back seat of the car that stayed on 99. The worst of the injuries is described as the driver of the second vehicle possibly having a broken arm. They all got themselves out of the wrecked vehicles and are all going to the hospital.
11:34 PM: Here’s a Twitpic looking at one of the cars, from a distance, parallel with Starbucks HQ, from Seattle Times (WSB citywide-news partner) photographer Cliff DesPeaux. And from seattlepi.com‘s Casey McNerthney, here’s the other car.
11:59 PM: Per the scanner, police expect to keep southbound 99 closed for “several hours” – traffic has to get off at the 1st So. offramp by the stadiums.
12:30 AM: Cliff’s “official” Times photos are now published here. (minutes later) SPDBlotter has just published a summary of the situation.
7:29 AM: 99 southbound reopened a few hours, and SPD has published an update saying the Civic apparently was racing another car – NOT the one it hit. Here’s the update.
2 PM WEDNESDAY: SPD says the 30-year-old driver of the Civic has been booked into King County Jail for investigation of vehicular assault, now that he’s out of the hospital.
Got a note this morning from Pete M, who wondered about a sign (photo added 5:57 pm) he had seen while heading north on Delridge near SW Alaska (map) – he thought it suggested a big closure ahead, and wondered if we’d heard anything. We in turn checked with SDOT, whose Marybeth Turner has been investigating. She reports back that there IS a closure ahead, but not what the sign apparently implied:
A contractor for a private developer installed a misleading sign on Delridge Way SW. He is taking it down, and will replace it with a more accurate sign that indicates that SW Oregon Street (which turns into 23rd Ave SW) [map] will be closed. The developer is extending a sewer line for new homes.
Traffic going to South Seattle Community College coming from the north will be detoured to Delridge Way SW. The closure will start at approximately 9 a.m. on Feb 22 and is expected to reopen by Apr 5 (six weeks).
At Delridge, SW Oregon Street (which turns into 23rd SW) will be closed to all traffic. At the other end, 22nd SW (which turns into 23rd SW) will be closed to through traffic where 22nd SW meets 21st SW. 23rd will be closed to all traffic (including local) where it meets 22nd SW (this would be SW Alaska if Alaska cut through at this location).
Hope that all makes sense to area residents. She also included a word of thanks for the heads-up on the sign – so we’ve passed that on to Pete.
Thanks to Rob for the call. May not be a big crash – no medic-unit callout – but he says it’s blocking part of the road at SW Holly (the 911 site lists it as Delridge/Willow) [map], so since it’s commute time, we’re sounding the alert. 9:09 AM UPDATE: In comments, LovingWS says the scene is clear. Thanks again to everybody who shares traffic-trouble updates as well as other types of breaking/nonbreaking news – here are all the ways to contact us (phone is the quickest/surest when it’s urgent – please consider putting our 24-hour line 206-293-6302 into your mobile ‘contacts’).
Mentioned here on Thursday that the South Park Bridge closures had been rescheduled, and that nighttime work was planned on the West Seattle Bridge next week. New details are in on both plans – read on:Read More
From a big construction roundup just sent around by Delridge Neighborhoods District Coordinator Ron Angeles – these two notes of specific interest – including the rescheduling of the South Park Bridge closures called off last weekend:
– Crews will be working nights on the West Seattle Bridge Feb 8-11 in both directions.
– South Park Bridge to be closed Feb 10-13, 7am-7pm daily
The full roundup, including some previously announced SODO closures, is available online here.
Everything mentioned below unfolded between about 2:30 and 4 pm (see the 911 log):
ORIGINAL 3:43 PM REPORT: Just got e-mail from Megan, a text from Sue and a tweet from Rasmus – a crash at Fauntleroy/Dawson (north of Fairmount Playfield – here’s a map) has closed Fauntleroy in both directions. No other details so far – except that Megan saw no obvious signs anyone was hurt. 3:52 PM: There’s also a “heavy rescue” call – flipped car, according to a comment below this story – at 37th/Juneau. En route to check it out. (added 5:50 pm, Tony Bradley sent a shot of that, no serious injuries reported):
And WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli has checked out an earlier call at 48th/Dakota, which he says is sending at least two people to the hospital (added 5:37 pm, video of that scene):
… should be clearing soon, though. Christopher reports, “SPD tells me that an SUV full of tourists (who only arrived in Seattle today) heading west on Dakota failed to yield and struck another SUV that was crossing on 48th. Two being transported to HMC. Firefighters had to use the jaws of life to extract one of the victims from the black SUV.”
4:26 PM: Just drove through Fauntleroy/Dawson – all clear now. Here’s one of Christopher’s photos, showing the debris in the road just before it was cleared:
We’re heading to doublecheck 37th/Juneau scene. 4:40 PM: The car here is about to be towed – 37th is still blocked (residential street) a few houses south of Juneau but should reopen as soon as the tow truck moves on. 4:48 PM: Tow truck’s headed out, 37th open again. So all three crash scenes are clear for your afternoon drive home. 5:22 PM: One more to add to all that – there was a medic call at 16th/Graham we were going to check out, but the call closed before we got there; KIRO flew its chopper over – says a bike rider suffered minor injuries.
5:43 PM UPDATE: Tony Bradley sent that photo of the 16th/Graham incident and reports, “Talking to witnesses, a male bicyclist in his late teens or early twenties was riding his bicycle southbound on 16th in front of the community college and for some reason rode into the back of a small SUV that was parked on the west side of the street. The witness said there was no other vehicle involved. The bike rider fell off the bike and landed in the middle of the southbound lanes of 16th. His injuries appeared minor and he was transported to the hospital in an AMR.”
Once again this weekend, work that was supposed to last till early Monday has instead ended Saturday night: The city has just sent word that the West Seattle Bridge ramp from northbound I-5 is open again. (The note didn’t mention the Columbian Way westbound-to-WS-Bridge ramp status, so we’re checking on that. 7:37 pm update – city spokesperson Alex Fryer says it’s open too.)
From King County Department of Transportation:
The King County Road Service Division is advising motorists that the previously scheduled closure of the South Park Bridge has been postponed due to a delay in obtaining a permit for the work. The bridge had originally been scheduled to close for a four-day period for testing beginning Sat. Jan 30. The testing will be rescheduled for a later date.
11:34 AM UPDATE – The South Park Bridge closures are POSTPONED till a future date.
One more reminder about three closures this weekend that might affect your travels to and from West Seattle:
10 PM TONIGHT THROUGH 5 AM MONDAY: That’s the schedule again this weekend for closures of the northbound I-5 ramp and the westbound Columbian Way ramp to the West Seattle Bridge, both related to the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project. (Last weekend the work finished fast and both reopened Saturday night.) Details here.
7 AM-7 PM DAILY, SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY: The South Park Bridge will be closed to vehicle traffic, and will not open for marine traffic, all four days. Crews plan to do tests related to future construction of a replacement bridge; details here.
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