(Top L, north of 1st Av. S. Bridge; top R, 1st @ Holgate; below L, I-5 on south end of downtown; below R, 12th headed for bridge to Beacon Hill, where there’s alternate WS Bridge access)

Back on commute patrol, one last time. It’s been raining seriously for a few hours now and very sloppy out there – so that will compound matters. The high bridge is backed up EASTBOUND right now, so if you have to leave West Seattle, consider an alternate (we’re checking how the alternates are doing). Updates to come!

4:10 PM UPDATE: The problem on the eastbound high bridge is described as a car fire. (a few minutes later) The fire trucks have now cleared, still a police car in the outside lane. … As for the “low bridge,” ADD says the traffic headed that way is “inching along” slowly.

4:27 PM UPDATE: Our roving crew confirms the low bridge is busy but moving. They have now moved onto 4th Ave. So., which is moving reasonably well right now.

4:54 PM UPDATE: Rain lifting, breeze kicking up. The eastbound bridge is still backed up. If you commute out of West Seattle, either wait or try a southern route like 1st Avenue South Bridge. Busy coming off the low bridge too – here’s a camera from its west end:

5:13 PM UPDATE: One WSB’er on a bus is about 12 minutes behind so far. Remember that Metro does have extra buses it can plug in here and there if a route gets backed up too far. If traffic kept you from making it to the West Seattle High School-Seattle Prep football postseason game at Memorial Stadium, we’re tweeting it live – @wsblive. If you are going to have to go over the “low bridge,” note that it’s opened just after 6 pm every day this week – the commitment was for openings to be avoided 3-6 pm.

5:26 PM: Multiple reports the Water Taxi is stalled. It was en route to Seacrest. Also word from Tracy Taylor at KING 5 that there’s a stall on Northbound I-5 near the West Seattle Bridge exit – not sure how close but it can’t make the slow eastbound WS Bridge any better… (added) Rachel Marie is said to be moving now (WS Water Taxi) but slowly. Checking with King County on what’ll be done about it for commuters.

5:36 PM: We don’t have this officially from the county but at least two people have said Water Taxi service from downtown to West Seattle is canceled till 7:30 pm. Let us know if you are at the dock and hearing anything. … update: Passengers tell us they are hearing this directly from crew. Rachel Marie IS proceeding slowly to the West Seattle side. But if you were going to take WT from downtown, we’d advise a bus home instead – though one West Seattleite says he’s going to try the WT to Vashon, and then WSF from Vashon back across to Fauntleroy…

5:43 PM: King County DOT confirms that there’ll be no West Seattle Water Taxi service till at least 7:15. Melissa Ann, the Vashon boat, will be moved over after that. You’ll recall that Melissa Ann handled the Monday morning commute as “Viadoom” week started, because Rachel Marie broke down sometime Sunday (apparently not with passengers aboard, the news came around midevening). Then Melissa Ann will be on the WS runs for the last weekend of the season (Vashon’s WT doesn’t run on weekends, anyway).

5:55 PM: The RM did make it back to the dock, so its passengers are now on the last leg of their trip home. Conflicting reports now on when service will resume. As for everything else – southbound I-5 is reported to be sludgy; the commute overall is just not going too well, so if you haven’t left yet, have patience, or maybe better yet, have dinner and leave MUCH later. (Added – photo by Katie Meyer for WSB, Rachel Marie after arrival at Seacrest)

6:03 PM: New estimate, 7:45 pm departure from Pier 50 downtown for the next WT. Meantime, some commenters say they ran from Pier 50 to go catch 37 bus home, and it’s half an hour late.

6:19 PM: Everything else is slow out there. Aside from the Water Taxi, no particular problems. … (minutes later) Except for a power outage on Alki. Will start a separate stry on that.

6:45 PM: One place REALLY not to be – southbound I-5. WSDOT says it’s backed up from the West Seattle Bridge to Shoreline.

7:11 PM: That stretch is getting a little faster, WSDOT says, but they just reported via Twitter that there’s a lane-blocking crash on NB I-5 at the West Seattle Bridge ramp.

ADDED FRIDAY EVENING: Our video of WSDOT‘s Matt Preedy briefing the media two hours after the big news that The Viaduct will open early. Among his remarks and replies – news that they’ve noticed some problems with the travel times on the lit-up signboards and will work on those; also, they did the semi-annual Viaduct inspection during this closure, so the next one won’t be till spring. The actual reopening time won’t be known till tomorrow – depends on how much work gets done tonight.

===============
ORIGINAL 12:08 PM REPORT: Just in from WSDOT:

Alaskan Way Viaduct to reopen midday Saturday

Demolition mostly complete; new SODO off-ramp to open Monday morning
 
SEATTLE – Great progress by demolition and construction crews means the Alaskan Way Viaduct is expected to reopen midday Saturday between the West Seattle Bridge and the Battery Street Tunnel, a move expected to help relieve recent regional traffic congestion on Interstates 5 and 405 and local streets.
 
Starting this weekend, drivers will travel on a new, temporary construction bypass that will allow an estimated 110,000 vehicles a day to keep moving while construction on a replacement State Route 99 tunnel continues through the end of 2015.
 
Quick work by demolition crews allowed them to beat the scheduled Monday reopening of the viaduct by nearly two days.
 
“This project is six months ahead of schedule and today we’re again ahead of schedule,” Gov. Chris Gregoire said. “Thank you to the hard workers on this project, and the people of the region who were patient, found alternate routes and adjusted their schedules. Everyone showed a great spirit of cooperation.”
 
“Commuters made the difference by doing their part to find other ways and times to travel, which allowed our crews to close this key route for an intense period of work,” state Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond said. “Our crews worked aggressively to accomplish a massive amount of demolition during the longest closure we’ve ever attempted on a major state highway.”
 
The clock began ticking Oct. 21 when crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation closed the highway and launched their effort to aggressively demolish the southern mile of the seismically vulnerable viaduct. In about eight days, a 2,825-foot-long stretch of double-decked highway was reduced to thousands of tons of concrete rubble and steel rebar.
 
“Through the week, construction crews made rapid progress on demolition and debris removal, and had good weather for things like roadway striping,” said Matt Preedy, WSDOT Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement program deputy administrator. “Thanks to our contractor’s thoughtful planning and approach, we are able to reopen the roadway early and give it back to drivers.”
 
SR 99 reopening details
 
·         Northbound and southbound SR 99 are expected to open midday Saturday from the Battery Street Tunnel to the West Seattle Bridge.
·         The on-ramp to northbound SR 99 from South Royal Brougham Way is expected to close at 6 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29 and reopen once crews finalize roadway connections.
·         The southbound SR 99 off-ramp to South Atlantic Street will remain closed until 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 31.
·         Drivers can expect a slower, 40 mph speed limit on much of the viaduct between the Battery Street Tunnel and the West Seattle Bridge.
·          Drivers can expect a recommended 25 mph construction zone speed limit through the curving bypass in the SODO area.
·         Metro Transit’s 11 bus routes that travel on SR 99 will begin using the new bypass at the start of service on Sunday morning, Oct. 30.
 
Friday evening commute

Until the viaduct reopens, drivers will face heavy regional congestion that this week was focused on I-5 and I-405 and parts of the downtown Seattle street grid. Commuters are encouraged to plan ahead and consider alternate routes.

ADDED 12:54 PM: Metro says its Viaduct routing will resume Sunday morning. Read on for full details of their plans:Read More

(SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATES)

(Top L, north of 1st Av. S. Bridge; top R, 1st @ Holgate; below L, I-5 on south end of downtown; below R, 12th headed for bridge to Beacon Hill, where there’s alternate WS Bridge access)

First update: Traffic is slow EASTBOUND on the high bridge right now. More to come – we’ll be hitting the road in a few minutes to get a firsthand look, and please let us know what you are seeing (if you can send info safely, such as, from a bus!).

4:14 PM UPDATE: Travel times show 4th is in better shape than 1st right now.

4:35 PM UPDATE: On the road now. High bridge looks better, peeking up the onramp from Avalon. Busy stream coming off the low bridge – here comes the 54 and the 55, homeward bound. And another 54.

4:40 PM UPDATE: Problem – stalled truck eastbound on the low bridge.
Lineup building behind it.

High bridge is busy eastbound from 99 forward. Westbound looks OK. We’re on 1st Avenue South now – past the Hanford detour, which we’ll check out in a minute – looks busier toward downtown than heading away. … Scratch that. Avoid 1st South. The backup from the detour is significant. A Bainbridge Island school bus is even stuck in it (checking, we think they’re headed for a match in West Seattle).

4:50 PM UPDATE: The stalled semi is still on the westbound low bridge, according to the scanner. Detour to the 1st Avenue South Bridge if you can. Take 4th or 6th to get to Michigan, which connects eastward.

5 PM UPDATE: We’re on southbound 4th now. Looks good through SODO. We’ll see what happens when we get close to 1st South Bridge turnoff. Text from someone on a bus says police have blocked off scene of stalled semi on low bridge.

5:14 PM UPDATE: WSB commenter Travis says the stalled semi is being towed. However, keep in mind, it takes a while to clear backups, even after the reason for the backup is fixed – so 1st is likely to be bad for a while. We took 4th, which was backed up a few blocks from the turn for the 1st Avenue South Bridge; we detoured to 6th per recent advice from a friend, and are now on Michigan heading for the 1st S. Bridge. Just found this “live” view of the low bridge on a camera that usually points elsewhere:

… Now we’ve crossed the 1st Avenue South Bridge. Looks good heading homeward-bound once you’re on it. Even if you’re in north WS, you can get off and head toward Highland Park Way but stay right to keep on West Marginal, which will take you up to Spokane St. under the bridge and on to Avalon, Admiral, Harbor, etc. … Oh well, now that camera is back to the bridge approach (looking east on Spokane), maybe helpful anyway.

5:35 PM UPDATE: Commenter says the 5:15 pm Water Taxi was full. Another one says tempers are short in the 1st Avenue South backup. Firsthand reports helpful – don’t type while driving, though! – our road crew is back at HQ as we have to cover a 6 pm community meeting (though we will still be tracking traffic, too). We hope the Bainbridge Island girls’ volleyball team made it to Chief Sealth for their 5:30 pm match against Holy Names (winner of that one plays Sealth at 7:30) – we noted a sighting of their bus in the 1st S. backup at 4:40! Appears some commuters have detoured to Water Taxi; commenter says 5:15 pm was full, and Bill in the 5:45 line says it looks like a full house will ensue for that sailing too.

6:08 PM UPDATE: The low bridge opened right after 6, as it has been doing pretty much every day this week. Remember, 3-6 pm was the only time period during which it was promised the bridge would stay closed to marine traffic. The Water Taxi has been sold out for the past two runs; if you travel on the 6:15 pm, let us know if it had to leave folks in line too!

6:35 PM UPDATE: We’re at a meeting in White Center where someone coming from the Eastside was supposed to be here half an hour ago – so that says something about the traffic. No real train trouble at Hanford this afternoon/evening, we’re told – unlike what we documented yesterday. (A TV crew was there to do a story, we’re told, so just figures it didn’t replicate.) … Wait, now an update from Michele (at 6:45), “stopped by a train on the second set of tracks.”

6:49 PM UPDATE: From Krista via Facebook: “Our 54 local bus driver is rocking it. Just did a 180 degree turn in an articulated bus to find us a better reroute that isn’t blocked by a train. There were at least 10 buses behind us stuck in the traffic on E Marginal Way. Still a loooong commute home tonight.”

7:24 PM UPDATE: Via Twitter, Gwen says some people are getting out and walking. (A few minutes later, we checked back with her, and she said that after half an hour on 1st S., her bus had finally moved, and was over the low bridge, “everything clear now.”)

(Click to see larger image)
Today’s afternoon/evening traffic update will start in a few minutes – but first, our bird’s-eye view, courtesy of Erick (in a crane!), of how the Alaskan Way Viaduct South End demolition was looking as of late this morning. An official update from WSDOT:

Overnight, crews continued to remove debris from the demolition site and removed steel protective plates from the roadway. Today, crews are concentrating their efforts on demolishing the lower bridge deck near South Atlantic Street, striping the new construction bypass and paving. Later tonight, crews will begin installing approximately 40 truckloads of concrete traffic safety barrier along 3,000 feet of the new bridge and bypass.

We also asked them what’s being done with the rubble, after a WSB’er sent us that question. From Viaduct project spokesperson Travis Phelps:

The concrete is going to Seattle Tunneling Parnters (our tunnel contractor). They’ll grind up the concrete and use it for creating roads in and through their workzone and form a launch pad for the boring machine. The rebar is being recycled.

Again, Highway 99 remains scheduled to reopen Monday morning at 5 am – but obviously it won’t be the same as it was – you’ll be driving a construction bypass till you get to the central portion, which will NOT be demolished till the tunnel is done (four-plus years).

P.S. For a time-lapse look at five days of demolition work – check out the video on this page from the Puget Sound Business Journal.

A WSB’er just e-mailed to note that despite traffic highs and lows for drivers and to some degree bus riders, bicycling is in his view “easy, free, clear, and very consistent. The best no-hassle commute.” Which brings us to the video above – transportation reporter Mike Lindblom from the Seattle Times (WSB partner) used a helmet cam to create a time-lapse video of his commute from West Seattle via bicycle yesterday, including a stop at the Cascade Bicycle Club/WSDOT station by the “low bridge” (we noted a cameo by Alki Bike and Board’s Stu Hennessey). In the second half of the clip, Mike slows it back down to real-time pace for a narrated tour past the Viaduct demolition. P.S. Cascade says it’ll have a station by the bridge on Monday too, 6:45-9 am, just to keep people motivated to keep commuting by bike.

(More cams on the WSB Traffic page; travel times on the city Travelers’ Info map)
Viaduct-less weekday 4 of 5, and we’re back on commute patrol – updates to come.

6:15 AM: The high bridge is starting to get busy – as has been the case every day this week. (…few mins later…) First Water Taxi run has 76 on board. After three days of TV crews at the dock, nobody there today but our crew. Lots of parking – if you’ve been off all week, remember there’s special parking 6 am-8 pm at Don Armeni Boat Ramp.

6:30 AM: One commenter says early traffic seemed a bit lighter than the first few days of the week. Right now, though, live cameras show the same 6:30 am bridge slowdown we’ve seen all week. That’s the high bridge, anyway; KING 5’s chopper just showed the low bridge as well, and it’s moving nicely.

6:45 AM: High bridge busy-busy. No problems around the heart of the metro area. Weather’s still dry, too, though the forecast had been iffy. 84 people on this run of the Water Taxi. Though the WT numbers are notably down from the Monday peak, if you’re a stats fan, still way up from the average (scroll down this page and you’ll see the 6:45 run in September, for example, averaged 15 passengers on Thursdays – even without the 6:15 am run that’s been added just for this week). Low bridge still looks lots better than the high bridge – if you are headed south, another reminder, the new East Marginal Way Grade Separation flyover is right there at the end of the road from the low bridge, taking you over the tracks and toward E. Marginal.

7 AM: High bridge slow, low bridge good, no problems on I-5 (or anywhere else around the heart of the metro area). KING reporter says the Port of Seattle told her the ship schedule is lighter today, so that means fewer trucks (and trains, perhaps? see our afternoon commute report yesterday, as we staked out the 1st So Hanford detour toward the low bridge). Scanner’s quiet this morning. Twitter quiet (whomever tweets for King County is soliciting Viaduct haiku). Preplanned 4-day weekends?

7:15 AM: Unless something unusual happens, we’re updating every quarter-hour this morning. The bridges have been reruns – so far! – of the past few mornings, high bridge busy but NOT total gridlock, low bridge running faster, buses doing well, 1st and 4th Ave. So. busy. We’re still watching the Water Taxi, as it’s continuing to run well above normal (but no sellout runs since Monday, so don’t worry about a wait). … 119 on the 7:15 run, which is up a few from yesterday.

7:30 AM: Water Taxi lot half-full, lots of parking remains (some on the street too). High bridge loosening up a bit earlier than yesterday, but still busy.

7:45 AM: The predictions that today might be the worst commute of the week due to complacency, reverting to old habits, etc., so far NOT bearing out. Water Taxi ridership up again for this run too – 125, our crew at the dock reports, up from 108 on the same run yesterday. That’s still NOT a sellout, so there’s room on board and room in parking. On the high bridge now, you don’t hit a backup till past the (closed) 99 exit. Police are out ticketing bus-lane violators again today, per commenter Karla.

8 AM: Water Taxi parking lot at Don Armeni is full. But there’s still street parking. High bridge same as last report – doesn’t slow down till you get to the downhill by what’s usually the Viaduct offramp.

8:20 AM: High bridge looks good now, even past 99. No problems except some fog if you’re heading to the eastside (as our Viaduct Crunch partners at KING 5 just showed on the I-90/Rainier Ave. view). Awaiting the 8:15 Water Taxi report. … here it is: 102 riders. Down a bit from yesterday (maybe those riders just timeshifted earlier). Lovely morning:

Tomorrow MIGHT see some rain, per the newest forecast …

8:45 AM: All’s well. If anything changes in the next hour or so, we’ll add it here … otherwise, it’s on to the news of the day, and to afternoon-commute monitoring starting between 3 and 4, depending on how things are going.

11:55 AM: Double-digit ticket totals for the bus-lane-violation patrol again today.

(SCROLL DOWN FOR THE NEWEST INFORMATION – COMMENTERS HAVE ADVICE, TOO!)

(Top L, north of 1st Av. S. Bridge; top R, 1st @ Holgate; below L, I-5 on south end of downtown; below R, 12th headed for bridge to Beacon Hill, where there’s alternate WS Bridge access)

The afternoon commute is under way. Updates to come!

4:22 PM UPDATE: Have been offline for a while – asked for a chance to visit Metro’s Transit Control Center to understand how the rerouting of buses works. They were just making a change in the West Seattle lines’ routing when we stepped in to look and listen for a bit (thanks to Metro’s Linda Thielke for accommodating our request). We also learned – they don’t get any more warning of trains or “trainbuilding” than the general public does. (Added – Ben B sent a photo of the train his Route 54 bus almost got stuck waiting for)

All they can do is see one coming, and a driver that sees one on the horizon can radio in and say “Is it OK if I divert to …” wherever. The TCC is in SODO. Four operators handle communication with up to 1,200 buses. More tidbits to come. Overall status right now seems to be … slow. On the way here an hour ago, we hit a backup on the eastbound bridge by 1st South. Off to rove.

4:32 PM UPDATE: Particularly if you have busing, walking, biking, Water Taxi’ing in your commute home – take note it’s started to rain. Light so far. We’ve been reminded that if 4th or 1st is slow going, try 6th heading south toward the 1st Avenue South Bridge, then cut over to 4th. We’re on 6th now, looks good.

5:01 PM UPDATE: Parked just off Hanford along the detour toward the low bridge, to see how this goes for a while. Train warning lights just came on. Couple buses will be stuck behind it, along with at least one bicycle, and the slow-going cars back on 1st. Wait – the warning lights went off without any train having come along. P.S. That earlier rain shower was isolated. Clearing to the west now, even a hint of sun.

5:06 PM UPDATE: The train showed up – went forward – backed up. Noticing a safety-jacketed officer standing by the tracks too. Now the train goes forward. Anyway, if you’re stuck on 1st South trying to get to the detour – that’s the problem. Two buses are waiting just on Hanford, who knows how many on 1st.

5:09 PM UPDATE: The gates went up – now they’re down again – now they’re up. Is it like this every afternoon? After a minute, open again. There goes the 55 and the 119 (Vashon), almost over the tracks. And … here comes that locomotive, all alone now going backward.

5:17 PM UPDATE: Twice more in less than two minutes, the gates are down again for that train-building. Seems to be pulling tanker cars backward, northbound. *Happened twice again a few minutes later. And at 5:28, there go the 37, 125 and 116. We learned from Metro during our aforementioned Traffic Control Center visit how they are deploying the extra buses, which are paid for with “viaduct mitigation money” from the state – they are under express orders NOT to stay in the yard. Some for example might be seen waiting at strategic spots in West Seattle. When they get word that a certain route is badly delayed, the extra bus might be moved onto the route to start picking up where the other one won’t be getting to any time soon. Also, some buses that are going out of service might be suddenly told they need to go jump in for route xx.

5:34 PM UPDATE: This one is a different train – looks like a fullfledged freight train, hauling the doublestacked containers. The 113 to Shorewood is stuck behind it. Let’s check the other travel routes … High bridge looks better than low bridge, for starters. 4th looks better than 1st. *After 7 minutes, the train has now passed and traffic is moving westward down Hanford again. We’re going to move on … if we can!

5:53 PM UPDATE: The same double-stack train is “train-building” too and just stopped on the tracks for at least five minutes. Elsewhere in downtown, Shari warns via Facebook of “horrible” traffic – “gridlock.” If you’re going to head down 1st or 4th, go for the 1st Avenue South Bridge, don’t even think of the Hanford detour. It’s been train after train after train. Public-service announcement, though – consider turning your engine off while waiting on a train that clearly isn’t close to being clear. Even if you only turn off for a minute, we’ve heard, it helps.

6:04 PM UPDATE: This is interesting. Three buses just made a run for it up to the head of the line and turned left on the frontage road parallel with the trains, southbound. We did learn at the Transit Control Center that they have to make decisions on the fly.

6:20 PM UPDATE: Broke free after another train … and then suddenly the backup was clear, and it was a really fast trip to 1st Avenue South Bridge, off at the turnoff for South Park/Highland Park, up the hill and on toward HQ.

Sharing that link in a comment on our most recent aerial-view-of-demolition report, Lucas called the video “other-worldly.” We’d have to agree, as would the person who shot it, according to the description they used. Lauren e-mailed it to us in a BoingBoing link. As for the demolition itself – latest word from WSDOT is that they’re right on schedule. (But remember, driving life will be different when 99 reopens – so we’ll be covering next Monday’s commute closely too!)

(SCROLL DOWN FOR NEWEST INFORMATION)

(More cams on the WSB Traffic page; travel times on the city Travelers’ Info map)
Will the “earlier rush hour” trend hold through today too? We’re watching the commute again this morning; let us know how it goes for you. No problems reported in the area right now.

6:02 AM UPDATE: We’re continuing our weeklong traffic-watching collaboration with KING 5; their crew that just drove onto the “high bridge” says it’s a little busier than yesterday at this time. We’re watching the bridge via the new live-video cams linked here (lower right).

6:18 AM UPDATE: Eastbound high bridge is now officially slow going. KING is showing a live chopper shot of both bridges – the low bridge is busy but not as slow. First Water Taxi run just left – 87 people, down from just over 100 each of the first two mornings of the week.

6:31 AM UPDATE: Our Water Taxi crew is diverting over to the 1200 block of Alki Avenue SW, where a water-main break is reported and police have been asked for “traffic control.” Back to the bridges – high bridge slow, low bridge not as busy. KING 5’s crew driving the bridge again reports police are back to enforce the bus lane, as they’ve done the past two mornings.

6:41 AM UPDATE: No “water-main break” – just an outdoor sprinkler malfunction, so there’s some water in the street but NOT a problem. Our crew’s headed back to the Water Taxi dock – by the way, here’s its Viaductless-week schedule – where there’s “only” ONE TV crew this morning.

6:51 AM UPDATE: 107 people on the 6:45 am Water Taxi (that’s down only a few from yesterday). KING crew timed their bridge drive from 35th/Fauntleroy to I-5 – 32 minutes. Probably about the same now, bridges still sluggish (you can check current travel times from the city map too – lower right, near the “live video” links). Low bridge busy too.

7 AM UPDATE: We checked Water Taxi parking. Don Armeni lot only about a quarter full. Street parking still available from parallel with Alki Tavern, westward. High bridge now looks stop-n-go. Commute times we’re getting via Twitter and comments similar to yesterday. KING’s reporter in the Traffic Management Center says the official city overview is about the same. Metro just sent its 7 am update – no problems, but “building traffic volumes” in SODO, which the city is seeing too:

(That’s the newest image from 1st South, looking north; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:17 AM UPDATE: KING’s roving crew is on 1st Avenue South – busy but still moving. Tried the 4th offramp from the bridge lately? Once you get there, of course – high bridge still slow. (added) 7:15 Water Taxi count, 114. Still room for you to give it a try if you’re still mulling commute options.

7:33 AM UPDATE: Don Armeni lot for Water Taxi about 3/4 full (so 20 or so spots left), and there’s still street parking. High bridge still slow – great sunrise, though. No problems or crashes reported anywhere.

7:47 AM UPDATE: Most recent view from KING chopper, looking at both bridges – low is moving a lot faster than high. 1st Avenue South Bridge looks OK, via its WSDOT camera. Looks foggy over the Sound to the west – toward Vashon – of note if you’re a ferry commuter. Has NOT looked foggy over Elliott Bay, though, and in fact, we should get our updated Water Taxi report any time now. … and here it is: 108. So the boat has not “sold out” yet this morning.

7:55 AM UPDATE: And we’ve just passed the magic moment, apparently – like the past two days, the high bridge is starting to empty out. Still brake lights on the eastbound stretch. Which reminds us, the Royal Brougham onramp to northbound 99 is again open till 7 pm, as it’s scheduled to be the next two days, so if you need to go north of downtown and 99 is your usual route, you can still do that, but the surface streets may take you a while to get to 1st/Royal Brougham.

8:05 AM UPDATE: We’re not sure yet if it’s going to cause serious trouble but there’s a medical call on I-5 northbound around Pine – so if you are leaving shortly and headed downtown, that 4th Avenue So. exit from the bridge might be a better choice. We’ll keep an eye on it.

8:23 AM UPDATE: Last Water Taxi report from our crew – 8:15 sailing had 110. High bridge moving along, but do note that downtown I-5 northbound incident is reported by WSDOT to be blocking two lanes, and this I-5 cam shows a jam (not that I-5 is usually anything else at this time of day, in our experience).

8:33 AM UPDATE: Definitely do NOT head for I-5 northbound. Now three lanes blocked through downtown. If you are going to the eastbound bridge, take the 1st or 4th exits, or head for the 1st Avenue South Bridge via Roxbury or Highland Park Way (or West Marginal if you are coming from north West Seattle)

8:57 AM UPDATE: High bridge still backed up, no doubt because of the northbound I-5 incident. We’ll keep the commute updates going till that’s cleared. (added) WSB commenters have been discussing the incident; our fellow neighborhood-news publishers at Capitol Hill Seattle say “person fell” in an area where falling/jumping is not uncommon.

9:09 AM UPDATE: The I-5 incident (a man died after either falling or jumping from overpass) is clear, according to KING via Twitter. Also via Twitter, some bicycling info from WSDOT: “Cool info: 125 cyclists checked in at WSDOT bike checkpoint in WS at Alki trail between 6:45 – 7:15 am! Thx for helping w/ commute!!”

10:20 AM NOTE: Ridership numbers for the Water Taxi are posted. If you add up and compare each of the past three mornings, there was a drop of almost 25% from Monday to Tuesday, but Tuesday to today didn’t lose that much. High-bridge still looks a bit slow, by the way, but moving.

AFTERNOON POSTSCRIPT: The police patrol of the bus lanes yielded fewer violators than the past two mornings – 19 bus-lane tickets today.

(Click for larger version)
If you’ve been wondering how the Alaskan Way Viaduct south-end demolition is going – and haven’t passed that way – the state has a simple update on this “what’s happening now” webpage, “The top, northbound deck of the viaduct is mostly demolished from about the stadiums to the south.” Or, just take a look at the photo above, courtesy of Erick, who’s in a crane nearby. (He contributed yesterday, too – thanks!) The state is showing the newest photos from closer to the ground here. And if it’s been a while since you watched the WSDOT animation of how your drive will look AFTER the closure – here it is; perhaps the strangest thing, for longtime Viaduct drivers, will be heading south on an elevated roadway with nothing up above.

That’s the reason we’re doing without a key stretch of Highway 99 this week – so WSDOT can take down as much of the south-end section as possible, including what needs to go so crews can connect a bypass allowing them to then get to work building the other half of the new elevated south-end stretch. Here’s another view – from West Seattle-residing pilot Stephen Griffith:

(Click to see larger image)
At Seacrest Pier, some of the almost 1,000 Monday morning-commute West Seattle Water Taxi riders got to see this sunrise:

The downtown skyline was a striking backdrop for the vessel itself, too.

The extra 100+ spaces at nearby Don Armeni Boat Ramp were a hit, full before the morning commute ended:

Besides the Water Taxi, which hit capacity three times in the morning commute (and approached 1,000 morning passengers total), bicycles were a popular alternative – Wes Sauer shared this photo:

Trains were a sore spot during the evening commute, with buses getting stuck waiting for them too. Linda Thielke of Metro told WSB that they are relying on a “flexible reroute plan with three options each direction” to deal with the trains, even knowing it’s “cumbersome” to ask drivers to deal with that. Don’t be startled if your bus diverts all the way to the 1st Avenue South Bridge – she says, that “adds miles but can save minutes.” We’ll be back on commute patrol in just a few hours.

(SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATES)

We’re going to go ahead and start the afternoon/evening commute coverage, since there’s new news:

RACHEL MARIE BACK ON THE WEST SEATTLE WATER TAXI RUN: WSB’er SK sent word of this – and moments later, we also got word from Michelle Allison in KC Councilmember Joe McDermott’s office: “Apparently the problem was a ‘faulty turbo charger on the starboard engine” which has since been repaired, tested and given the go ahead.” So if you’re coming home on the Water Taxi – here’s the special schedule for this week – you’ll be on Rachel Marie.

TREE BLOCKING FAIRMOUNT: Some park-and-ride Water Taxi commuters might be affected if this isn’t cleared soon – a big tree is blocking Fairmount just north of the bridge:

(Later note – We haven’t heard yet if it’s been cleared – let us know if you’ve gone through there.)

3:56 PM UPDATE: Multiple reports of bus slowness, particularly on 1st Avenue South. And lots of reports of, just like other days, getting stuck waiting for trains. We’re adding cameras relevant to the commute home – 1st and 4th, for example.

4:30 PM UPDATE: The Royal Brougham onramp to NORTHBOUND 99 did reopen as promised, by the way, in case you need to head north. (added) A commuter headed home from Beacon Hill says the backup’s not too bad to get to the bridge from there, but “many lights” to wait through.

4:59 PM UPDATE: Just talked to County Councilmember Joe McDermott about the Water Taxi – as he walked up to the line at Pier 50 to head home to West Seattle. (He shared the photo just added above – he says he’s #74 in line for the 5:15 pm run.) That reminds us, this morning’s ridership is now posted on the WT website – see it here.

5:15 PM: Via Twitter, @matinay reports, “I’m on a 55, 1st ave S & Lander. All SB buses on 1st are being rerouted further south to E Marginal to avoid a long train.”

5:31 PM: We have just driven east on the low bridge to check out the westbound traffic. Counted NINE buses on the low bridge (and a bit east of it) – from west to east, it was 120, a 55, a 21, and a 56, a 116, and another 120, two 54s, and a 21. We were then briefly on the eastbound high bridge – it’s slow going between 99 and 5.

5:43 PM: Another Water Taxi update from Joe McDermott – he estimates about 30 people who were in for the 5:15 pm sailing had to wait for the next one. (Added above, another view of that line, from Josh Sutton.) Meantime, we’ve just taken 4th Avenue South to the 1st Avenue South Bridge. A little backup in the final stretch before the bridge, and we’re now in a short backup on the onramp, but not bad at all.

6:19 PM: Still seeing tweets from people in buses experiencing slow going home. We’ll be asking Metro if they plan to do anything differently tomorrow.

(Video courtesy Mike Cohen, from about 9 am today)
The weekend has passed without any major traffic problems attributed to or related to the South-End-demolition closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. But tomorrow’s the first big test. We’ll be covering it throughout the day – including the pm commute, which just might be more of a challenge than the am commute, since there are only two ways to get onto the westbound bridge. But before that, here are a few reminders tonight:

*From 5 am to 7 pm, the northbound Viaduct will be OPEN from Royal Brougham – the stadium-zone onramp – northward, probably most helpful for those who are heading to the north end of downtown or beyond. The southbound Viaduct will remain closed in its entirety, from the Battery Street Tunnel to the West Seattle Bridge.

*During the pm drive home, the “low bridge” is supposed to remain open to traffic except for some kind of maritime emergency, between 3-6 pm. And Burlington Northern is supposed to try to avoid “train-building” during that time frame in the SODO vicinity, to avoid

*Using the Water Taxi? Its schedule has some additions – see the Monday-Friday schedule FOR THIS WEEK ONLY, here. And if you are trying to park-and-ride it, more than 100 spaces are supposed to be available at Don Armeni Boat Ramp, which is off Harbor Avenue a short distance west of the WT dock at Seacrest Pier. (6 am-8 pm are the parking hours, according to the Don Armeni webpage.)

*Riding the bus? Remember there are some reroutes – listed along with other closure-related bus info, here.

*Riding a bike? Cascade Bicycle Club will have a station set up on the west side of the “low bridge” – and a “bike train” ride will leave from there at 7:30 am, while another ride (geared for new or rusty riders) will leave from Alki Bike and Board in the Admiral District at 7 am (as previewed here on Friday). Also, WSDOT has a “bike route page” with closure-related info/recommendations.

*Couple more reminders: The “Viaduct Closed” flashing-lights signs are NOT on – the city says the batteries couldn’t take nine days of flashing – but trust us, the Viaduct IS closed; GPS and online maps most likely will not reflect the closure and detours; Airport Way construction is on hold for the duration, so it won’t be too much of a mess (1st/Spokane intersection also is supposed to be more accessible than usual).

*We’ll be covering the commute morning and evening, but as in all extraordinary cases – whether it’s a snowstorm or a traffic jam – the most important information comes from you. Please DON’T be texting/tweeting/Facebooking/commenting in traffic, but when it is safe for you to do so, let us know how your commute went … or, if you live somewhere with a view of a major route to the bridge etc., what you are seeing. Photos of course are welcome too. And questions! Thanks in advance for your help!

*Direct info-links of note:
WSB Traffic page (cameras and other links)
KING 5 Viaduct Crunch page (we’re partnering with them during this week’s special coverage)
Seattle Times (WSB partner) “Viaduct closure guide”

(More photos/video added Sunday night)

Thinking about going over to walk on The Viaduct before its southern mile goes away forever? (Remember, the demolition involves “only” the southern mile, approximately Holgate to King Street – the central section won’t come down until the tunnel’s done, no earlier than end of 2015.) Among those already up there is traffic ace Tracy Taylor from our “Viadoom” coverage partners at KING 5 News, and she’s sending back a stream of photos you can check out here – including the top pic. Also via Twitter, she says it’s not too crowded, and the parking situation is pretty good. It’s open for walking till 12:30 pm – details here – then from 1-2 pm, politicians celebrate in their own way, with the roster including King County Executive (and West Seattleite) Dow Constantine. And if you can’t get there … WSDOT has time-lapse demolition images online.

ADDED 11:38 AM: More of the photos others are sharing – Cara just sent a few, including this:

And from Jodi, her kids Robbie and Cameron:

A different angle. (Every time we walked The Viaduct for Race for the Cure, we thought it was cool to peer down through the “joints,” too!)

ADDED 1:08 PM: Frank shared this photo of Oliver and Maya, with their souvenir:

ADDED 1:56 PM: The Rat City Rollergirls, you’ll recall – who have several West Seattleites in their ranks – co-won the contest for a semi-“private” half-hour on The Viaduct. WSDOT tweeted this photo:

Everybody seems to have their own reason for taking one last look. Viaduct project executive Matt Preedy headed up with his kids Aidan, 10, and Rowan, 6:

And then, once upon the deck, how do you celebrate when a project hits a milestone six months ahead of its original schedule?

Thanks to Fiona Preedy for those photos.

ADDED 7:33 PM: Our partners at the Seattle Times published this video of the Seattle Cossacks motorcycle-stunt team, the other “co-winners” of the Viaduct-access contest:

9:56 PM UPDATE: Also from the Times, here’s today’s wrapup from transportation reporter Mike Lindblom, who was reporting live via Twitter during today’s event. WSDOT estimated the number of Viaduct visitors at 3,200. Meantime, more photos from WSB’ers:

That’s from Rob A. Johnston of Walkabout Wolf Photography. And Renee sent this photo of son Oliver with an explanatory sign:

ADDED SUNDAY NIGHT: Cathy Doser of Renton shared these two views, in a different vein of VIaduct nostalgia – first one from 1989 (note the Kingdome!), second one more recent:

And on Sunday, Liesbet T was one of the last people to leave:

WSDOT shared this photo of a Viaduct visitor who traveled in style:

Still adding photos – do YOU have one to share?

West Seattleite Pete Spalding shared these first two photos, as demolition work started tonight on the south end of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, seen from the Silver Cloud Hotel in the stadium zone. He was at a by-invitation viewing event that he says was attended by many project managers for the state and city, as well as members of the citizens advisory group on which he’s been a WS representative for the past few years. Here’s a wider view:

ADDED 11:21 PM: As promised, video (shot by WSB contributor Katie Meyer):

Minutes before the demolition work began, WSDOT deputy program administrator Matt Preedy, a West Seattleite, talked about the momentous occasion:

Another West Seattleite, transportation reporter Mike Lindblom from the Seattle Times (WSB partner), details exactly what was happening in tonight’s early going – here’s his story. Meantime – WSDOT has time-lapse photography on display here; and you can watch the demolition work from the Viaduct itself 9:30-12:30 tomorrow.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Though the chat ended just after noon, it’s archived as-it-happened, below)

Right now, WSB and KING 5 invite you to this live online chat about the Viaduct closure that starts at 7:30 pm tonight and is scheduled to continue till 5 am Monday. Got a last-minute question? KING 5’s Tracy Taylor and your WSB editor here (Tracy Record) are both on hand to try to help. Join in! P.S. You have to click the “play” button to see the chat – and to see how to join in.

12:31 PM NOTE: Thanks to everyone who participated (we recognized some WSB’ers)! Now we’ll look ahead to tonight, the weekend, and Monday … with continuous coverage, am and pm commutes, plus traffic bulletins whenever something happens that you need to know about. If it’s easier for you to access Facebook/Twitter when you’re out and about, be sure you’re following us there too – “like” the WSB Facebook page by going here, follow WSB on Twitter here.

King County Councilmember Joe McDermott‘s shuttle to the West Seattle Water Taxi dock finally rolled up to its Junction stop around 7:57 am – and with that, he was the last to head out on what at least one Twitter account dubbed Viarace … his friendly competition with fellow WS-residing politicians County Executive Dow Constantine and City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, to see who would get downtown first. Rasmussen left first, on his bike; Constantine caught a bus – earlier one than he was supposed to, apparently – and that left McDermott to await the shuttle. You may already have seen some of this on TV, as it was a major media event, with the three mobbed by cameras as they alternately joked around and offered serious reminders of your commute options.

All part of the runup to the nine-day, ten-night Alaskan Way Viaduct closure that starts at 7:30 pm tonight – with demolition work beginning on the Viaduct’s south end shortly thereafter – more to come (including video of the 3 “viaracers”)!

8:39 AM UPDATE: The arrivals are in order of departure. Per @newsguysully on Twitter, bicyclist Rasmussen first – in just about half an hour – and bus rider Constantine second. McDermott tracked his commute by Facebook – last update from the Water Taxi: “Beautiful cruise across Elliott Bay! This is a commute!”

8:48 AM UPDATE: And McDermott’s latest status, about a minute ago: “Now arriving City Hall” (an uphill walk a few blocks from Pier 50). He said pre-trip that he’ll be on the Water Taxi Monday too.

ADDED FRIDAY AFTERNOON: King County put together this video recap:

(WSDOT photo from Flickr – more demolition equipment arrives at the Viaduct’s south end)
This is it. Tomorrow’s the night … the nine-day, ten-night closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct begins at 7:30 pm Friday. Unless some other huge news story (heaven forbid) happens in Western Washington, you can expect tomorrow’s news to be All Viaduct, All The Time in advance (for example, WSDOT has assigned a media liaison to be available for interviews at 4:30 am – 15 hours before the closure, but TV morning news will be all over it). Today’s other Vianews highlights:

*The Port of Seattle has made some changes to reduce traffic around the area where many Viaductless drivers will be attempting to get from the “low bridge” to downtown (or beyond). Seattle Times’ transportation reporter Mike Lindblom details them in this story. (As we have reported previously, some relief also may come during afternoon commute, when the “low bridge” is supposed to stay “down” 3-6 pm next Monday-Friday except for “emergencies,” and Burlington Northern has promised to reduce “train-building” in the East Marginal/Hanford area, where that practice often cuts off traffic trying to get from the SODO detour to the “low bridge.”)

*Also mentioned briefly in Mike’s story – announced in a news release earlier today – the city is suspending the $32 flat rate for taxis from downtown to Sea-Tac during the closure period, saying metered rides will “ensure cab drivers are fairly compensated for what are expected to be longer trips due to traffic delays.”

*In response to a question from the last meeting of the South Portal Working Group, WSDOT sent out an update this afternoon saying basically that it can’t guarantee GPS traffic-navigation companies will have maps accurately depicting Viaductlessness. It’s provided the information, the agency says, but it can’t guarantee any of the companies are using it. WSDOT is hopeful, though, that many companies WILL redraw their maps to reflect the Highway 99 construction bypass that will be in place post-closure … but it might take up to six months!

*Still have Viaduct-closure questions? We’re partnering with KING 5 during Viadoom, Viaduct Crunch, whatever you want to call it, for some coverage teamwork, including a live online chat at 11 am Friday – we expect to embed the chat here on WSB, and you’ll find it on the KING site here. Their traffic reporter Tracy Taylor will host the chat; your editor here (Tracy Record) will be part of it to help answer questions.