West Seattle, Washington
29 Sunday
(Image from kingcounty.gov)
Metro‘s next twice-annual “service change” is set for March 18th, two weeks away, and this one will include a major change for West Seattle – the long-planned, long-delayed conversion of Route 120 into the RapidRide H Line. That means many things, from more service to fewer stops (though the H Line stops are closer together than the usual RR half-mile, because of community concern – see the map here). This won’t be the only Metro change on March 18th, but we don’t have the full list yet; that’s expected to be available “approximately March 8th.”
(2021 photo of Fauntleroy ferry, by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
Washington State Ferries has released its latest report on service-restoration progress. Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth – also known as the “Triangle Route” – is still on reduced service, 2 boats instead of 3. It’s now estimating that three-boat service can be partially restored in May, fully restored in fall. From the report:
Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth
Estimated restoration: May 2023 (weekday service); Fall 2023 (full service)• WSF expects to begin trialing full weekday three-boat service in early-April, or once a vessel and crewing is available. Because the three-boat schedule is so different from the two boat schedule, the Trial Service stage will be more challenging than trials on other
routes. WSF will communicate with customers regularly about each day’s expected schedule and anticipates it may take longer than three weeks to reach full route restoration.• The route will be considered fully restored once it reaches 95% reliability on the threeboat schedule for a period of three weeks. At this time, WSF expects weekday service on the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route to be restored by the end of May 2023 and to be operating the full weekly schedule by Fall 2023.
• While waiting for both the vessel and crewing availability necessary to trial three-boat service, WSF will add some additional midday and evening service to fill gaps in the two-boat schedule.
The report also details fleet and staff status; on the latter, citing “unprecedented” staff shortages, WSF says, “The number of licensed deck officers (captains and mates) is the biggest crewing challenge facing WSF. Ideally, WSF would have approximately 200 licensed deck officers in the system. As of Feb. 15, 2023, WSF has 165 LDOs. These highly skilled and highly credentialed positions are challenging to fill.” Regarding the fleet, WSF recounts the need to extend the usage of three vessels slated to be retired this decade, and notes that it’s running so close to bare minimum that unscheduled problems result in unavoidable service reductions: “Vessel availability has recovered from the maintenance backlog in the initial months of the pandemic; however, the vessel pillar remains at high risk because of an aging, diminishing fleet.”
From King County Councilmember Joe McDermott‘s newsletter:
Last week, we launched the 2023 Van Grant Program. Every year, the Council allocates retired passenger vans to nonprofit organizations and local governments. These vans must be used to transport people with special needs or to transport goods and services to those with special needs. These include seniors, low-income, youth, or people with disabilities. This year, the requirements differ slightly from previous years in that the vans can now be used for the transport of goods and supplies to special-needs groups. If you are part of an organization in District 8 or know of an organization in District 8 that meets these requirements, please reach out to Helen Dahl (helen.dahl@kingcounty.gov) on my staff. The deadline for van applications through the District 8 office is Monday, March 13th at 5 pm.
P.S. For some background on the program, see this report on its first 20 years.
11:15 PM: Thanks for the tip and pic. A texter sent that from the scene of a car-on-side crash on Dawson near Fauntleroy about an hour ago, just north of Fairmount Park [map]. Apparently no serious injuries – only one engine was sent, and the incident log shows it was only on scene a few minutes. The texter says a tow truck is on scene now.
2 PM FRIDAY: Police confirm what’s mentioned in comments – the driver was arrested for investigation of DUI.
Multiple levels of transit-service updates were presented at s King County Council committee meeting that just wrapped up. In the big picture, transit executives and councilmembers alike observed that transit usage has changed in a big way, largely because of the pandemic-triggered change in work styles – only about half as many people as pre-pandemic commute five days a week, for example. Metro‘s new general manager Michelle Allison noted that the system will recognize this in its marketing: “We want transit to be your first choice” for all kinds of transportation needs. (It’s not just Metro – the councilmembers also heard from a Sound Transit executive who said that for one example, Saturday ridership on light rail has doubled.)
However, it was also acknowledged that the bus system is not yet back to full speed – “near-term delivery challenges” is how the ongoing problems were described. While the steering issue that took more than 200 buses out of service are “on track” to getting handled, a worker shortage is still a major factor. Allison gave the councilmembers the newest numbers:
-119 fewer full-time-equivalent operators (drivers) than needed
-36 fewer maintenance mechanics than needed
The first number is higher than a month ago, when Metro told us they estimated 99 more FTE drivers were needed. So trip cancellations aren’t going to go away any time soon.
Back to the big picture – the councilmembers also were asked to approve a “recovery plan” that basically acknowledges the current level of service – including reduced/suspended routes – and a new strategy for future planning. As explained in the plan’s staff report, one component of the strategy will be regional “restructuring” that will, among other things, review suspended/reduced routes. From the staff report:
To allow time to address operational capacity and staffing shortfalls and to coordinate service restoration with several significant high-capacity transit expansions, the Service Recovery Plan proposes that Metro will use service restructure projects as the primary means for reshaping service and reinvesting suspended hours back into the system. The Plan notes that Metro’s adopted policies would be followed in developing these service restructures. It also states that Metro does not plan to restore all suspended hours to the system in the same routes and times that they were removed, but that each mobility project would maintain service investments (service hours) within their geographic project areas, so there would be no net reduction in the total amount of service in an area.
As proposed, the service restructures would be organized into six geographically focused mobility projects:
(including)
•Seattle, Vashon Island Restructure and Restoration. For routes within Seattle and on Vashon Island that are not part of the other mobility projects described above, Metro proposes to pursue a new mobility project to consider service recovery options for routes that are currently reduced or suspended.
The Service Recovery Plan states that the following routes with reduced or suspended service hours would be included in this restructure, coordinated by geography:
o Central Seattle: 3, 4, 7, 9X, 11, 12, 27, 40, 43, 47, 48.
o Queen Anne/Magnolia: 19, 24, 29, 33.
o North Seattle: 15X, 17X, 18X, 31, 32, 45, 62, 79, 255, D Line, E Line.
o West Seattle/Vashon Island: 21X, 22, 37, 55, 56, 113, 116X, 118X, 118, 119X, 119, 120, 131, C Line.
o Other areas: 231, 631, 906, 914, 915.
Metro says 17 routes remain fully suspended – that would include West Seattle’s Route 37. Allison also noted at the meeting that, as we’ve reported, RapidRide H Line is launching March 18th – but rather than an addition, that’s a conversion, of the existing Route 120.
Above are two SDOT maps from the pothole program – at left, pending potholes as of last week; at right, recently patched potholes as of last week. Today the department is out with its latest stats: 23,000 potholes filled last year, 50 percent more than the year before, and the most in any of the past five years. The roads suffered extra damage in the December ice storm, so SDOT says it’s beefed up its response team, and is on an even busier pace so far this year – 5,500 potholes filled since January 1st. They warn that the usual within-three-days response-time goal has been tougher to meet while they catch up on storm damage. The update notes:
When SDOT crews respond to a request to fill a pothole, they also repair any other nearby potholes they discover. This year, crews have also been patrolling snow plow routes to proactively look for new potholes. These routes are essential to Seattle’s transportation system and are more likely to develop potholes because they carry more heavy vehicles during winter storms.
New potholes continue to appear every day, so SDOT is asking for the traveling public’s patience as crews continue to repair new road damage. SDOT cannot fix potholes that it doesn’t know about, so the public can help by reporting any potholes using the Find It, Fix It app, this online form, emailing 684-ROAD@seattle.gov, or calling 206-684-ROAD.
Today’s update also addresses the question of why some potholes need repeated refilling.
Those are the city-owned electric-vehicle chargers on 39th SW in The Junction, by Spruce and West Seattle Bowl. As reported here last month, vandals/thieves have left both inoperable, and they’re not fixed yet. We asked Seattle City Light spokesperson Jenn Strang about its status; she says, “We plan to repair all of the recently damaged chargers. Unfortunately, there are supply-chain disruptions in purchasing the replacement charging cables that have caused some delays, but we expect to begin repairs on the 39th Ave SW chargers this month.”
We also asked her about permit applications we’ve seen in the city’s online files for publicly owned chargers on the street in several West Seattle areas. According to Strang, “That is part of Seattle City Light’s new Curbside Level 2 EV Charging pilot project. We received 1,800 requests through public process and evaluated each based on pre-defined criteria designed to select locations that will serve the greatest number of customers and best achieve the City’s equity and environmental goals. The chargers will be owned and operated by City Light and will be available for use by the public. We expect to begin construction in late March and to have all locations operational by summer. The complete list of locations will be announced soon.” So far we’ve found permit applications for four West Seattle public-charger locations: 2100 California SW, 4830 Fauntleroy Way SW, 4850 California SW, and 7015 17th SW.
Updates tonight on three traffic signals in West Seattle, after we checked in with SDOT:
12TH/HOLDEN: The new pedestrian signal at this intersection is taking shape, and you may see crews there again this weekend. SDOT spokesperson Ethan Bergerson tells WSB, “We have completed three of the curb ramps and are pouring concrete for the final curb ramp today. We have also begun installing the signal poles. The remaining steps will be to finish installing the underground power conduit across the road, installing electrical equipment, and painting the crosswalk. We’ll be working at this intersection this weekend and next weekend, so anticipate some travel delays.”
We got that news after asking SDOT about two intersections where “temporary” signals are to be replaced with permanent installations:
DUWAMISH LONGHOUSE: SDOT’s Sara Zora had told the Bicycle Advisory Board at its meeting last week that the permanent installation here may not happen until next year. So we asked for more information. Bergerson replied, “Finalizing the schedule will require more coordination with our rail partners. The work to install new traffic signal equipment has already been completed, and we are now working to finalize an agreement with the railroad companies so that we can move forward with paving work around the railroad tracks. This would include creating a smoother transition from the street to the sidewalk on the eastern side of the crosswalk and building more room apart from the bike trail for people to wait for the signal.”
HIGHLAND PARK WAY/HOLDEN: You probably recall this “temporary” signal going up at lightning speed days after the West Seattle Bridge closure in March 2020, with promises that a permanent one would replace it. That’s getting closer, Bergerson tells us: “We still expect to begin construction on the replacement Highland Park Way SW & SW Holden St traffic signal this summer. We will build new curb ramps and curb bulbs at all four corners of the intersection, repaint the crosswalks, replace the wooden signal poles with more durable metal poles, and add underground vehicle detection equipment.” And as we’ve reported previously, public art is going up there too – a giant Steller’s Jay.
(SDOT photo)
A two-part advisory/update from SDOT regarding the low bridge:
Between 1 AM Saturday, February 11 and 5 AM Wednesday, February 15, maritime vessels will have limited access under the Spokane St Swing Bridge to navigate the Duwamish Waterway. We do not expect impacts to people driving, walking, or biking.
During this time, only one span (side) of the bridge will swing open and close for maritime vessels on the Duwamish Waterway.
-East bridge span single openings: 1 AM Saturday, Feb. 11 through 1 AM Tuesday, February 14
-West bridge span single openings: 1 AM Tuesday, Feb. 14 through 5 AM Wednesday, Feb. 15We’ve been communicating with the U.S. Coast Guard and mariners about this work, which will limit when some larger vessels can pass through.
This change is necessary for us to remove the bridge’s hydraulic pumps for routine maintenance. These pumps push hydraulic fluid to the bridge’s cylinders, allowing the cylinders to swing the bridge open and close for maritime vessels.
How the bridge is performing since turn cylinder repairs in January
After completing repairs and reopening the Spokane St Swing Bridge on January 13, the bridge is operating as expected and the turn cylinder we removed is being analyzed to determine the next steps for refurbishment.
We have more work planned for 2023, including rehabilitating the east-side lift cylinder and upgrading the bridge’s control and communications system.
(From presentation on Seattle Transportation Plan presented to Pedestrian Advisory Board earlier this week)
Reminder today from SDOT – its second phase of community input to shape the Seattle Transportation Plan has a week and a half left:
The STP is our commitment to building a transportation system that provides everyone with access to safe, efficient, and affordable options to reach places and opportunities. We need your help to create this plan.
Second phase of engagement continues through February 21
No matter how much time you have, how you participate, or how much you share, your input is valued. We want to hear from you! Share your feedback using the below options by Tuesday, February 21.
Have 10-20 minutes? COMMENT ON FIRST DRAFT TRANSPORTATION MAPS
Have 5 minutes? REVIEW OUR VISION, GOALS, AND OBJECTIVES
Have 1 minute? SELECT THE FUTURE YOU WANT TO SEE
Have 10 minutes? TELL US WHAT ACTIONS YOU LIKEBetween February 21 and the beginning of Phase 3, you can always email us at STP@Seattle.gov or call us at 206-257-2114.
Among other things, the plan will be used to shape the proposed successor to the current city transportation levy.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Toward the end of a four-hour meeting today, the West Seattle portion of Sound Transit‘s light-rail “further studies” briefing lasted just a few minutes. That was not entirely surprising, since the rest of the briefing for the ST Board’s System Expansion Committee included sections for which big decisions have yet to be made.”Gotta fish or cut bait pretty soon here” is how ST board member Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell put it regarding those decisions. ‘
But the briefing did illuminate a few things for the West Seattle segment. For one, ST staff put forward a possible “end-to-end scenario” that incorporated two of the three “studied” possibilities for West Seattle – moving the entrance to the Junction station and shifting the Delridge alignment – but did not include the potential removal of the Avalon station. That doesn’t mean this is what staff is necessarily formally proposing or supporting, but it’s worth noting that it’s what they showed as an example.
Before getting to that slide, ST’s Cathal Ridge showed slides going back through the three West Seattle “further studies” proposals (explained in this memo). The most detailed was the possible Delridge “refinement,” which Ridge said had been evolving as design work proceeded:
Here’s the “updated concept” addressing some of the Delridge station concerns:
Another major concern that had come up earlier in the process was the potential effects on Transitional Resources, a nonprofit serving people living with behavioral-health challenges, with services and facilities including supportive housing. As this slide showed, the current alignment goes right through the heart of its operations:
The “refinement” shown today wouldn’t entirely spare Transitional Resources, but would reduce the major effect to one smaller property, Ridge said:
Uphill from there, he had little elaboration about the possibility of dropping the Avalon station, beyond what this slide shows:
Earlier in the meeting, leading off the public-comment section, City Councilmember Lisa Herbold urged board members to think about how elimination of the Avalon station might affect low-income High Point residents needing to get to light rail. Meantime, back to the last “further studies” area, here are the slides shown for the possible relocation of the Junction station entrance:
This option, it was clarified in response to a question, would only move the entrance, not the station itself.
So what’s next? For the West Seattle items, that’s up in the air. No vote is required (until the vote later this year that finalizes “the project to be built,” after the Final Environmental Impact Statement comes out). The board does have to vote on a “preferred alternative” for the rest of the West Seattle/Ballard extensions, beyond SODO, and is expected to do that next month. One thing we do know is that they’re still taking community feedback on all the “further studies” items (see the full 134-page slide deck here) and will get a summary at the full board’s February 23rd meeting, so if you feel strongly about one or more of these possible changes, now’s the time to say something. Here’s a survey, open for one more week (until February 17th), also reachable from the “further studies” section of the West Seattle/Ballard Link Extensions website.
One of the two state ferries on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route is about to downsize until further notice – M/V Issaquah is out of service “due to necessary repairs,” per WSF, so M/V Sealth is taking over as the #2 boat. That means 34 fewer vehicles, as Issaquah is a 124-car ferry and Sealth holds 90. This is all taking effect in about half an hour, so waits/backups could be longer this afternoon.
For everyone still coping with Metro trip cancellations, we’ve been noting in our weekday morning traffic/transit watches that we’ve had a request out to Metro for a while, seeking an update on how many buses are still out of service. Tonight we have the answer.
“We are nearing the finish line for this round of steering column replacement efforts,” says Metro spokesperson Jeff Switzer.
It’s been exactly two months since Metro revealed on December 6th that a steering defect identified by two of its drivers took buses out of service for repairs. Metro at first said it “proactively removed 126 buses from service out of its 1,500-vehicle fleet.” Then on January 12th, Metro said it actually needed to fix 206 buses, more than two-thirds of which had been repaired by then.
Now, Switzer says, “We are currently looking at 28 buses needing replacement steering columns, of which we have parts in hand to address 20 buses in the coming days thanks to our partnership with [manufacturer] New Flyer.” That work is expected to continue through the end of this month. But that’s not the end of it, he adds: “Building on initial guidance from the manufacturer, Metro has implemented a new enhanced inspection process to identify any additional buses in need of total steering column replacement moving forward.” So in terms of their service levels – which of course are affected by other factors, too, such as staffing challenges – “We’re in the range of 97% of our typical weekday service, and 100% on weekends, but appreciate the patience of riders while we work to address our fleet availability challenge.”
After last week’s West Seattle Transportation Coalition meeting, we reported on SDOT’s numbers for “free rides” offered through the Transit GO app during the last of the three weeks that the West Seattle low bridge was closed to street/path use. We also asked SDOT for a breakdown between Metro and Water Taxi usage; today we got that info from SDOT spokesperson Ethan Bergerson:
*900 single-ride bus tickets (including about 100 reduced-fare tickets)
*70 day-pass bus tickets (including about 15 reduced-fare tickets)
*450 Water Taxi tickets (including about 40 senior-fare tickets)
If you have unused points, here’s what happens to those, and another app-related note:
Any points already earned through the “LOWBRIDGE23” code won’t expire but will become inactive after 6 months of inactivity on the Transit GO app rewards tab. At the end of each month, if your status remains inactive, 300 points will be deducted from your account and returned to the provider.
All other rewards campaigns within the Transit GO app are still available to you if you’re interested in more ways to earn rides – information is available in the app for your use as well as on the King County Metro Transit GO web page. We again appreciate the support of the voter-approved Seattle Transit Measure for helping fund these transit trips during the low bridge closure and for the collaboration of our partners at King County Metro.
Last night’s West Seattle Transportation Coalition meeting featured SDOT staffers talking about the low bridge and West Marginal Way. For the former, what SDOT’s Meghan Shepard told WSTC was mostly a recap of last week’s presentation to the City Council’s Transportation and Public Utilities Committee. We covered that here. She had one new stat – numbers from the one week of free rides offered on the West Seattle Water Taxi and Metro bus users who used the Transit GO app. Shepard said 2,100 people used the app that week – the last of three weeks the low bridge was closed to street and path use – and 1,435 free ride tickets were redeemed. (The funding for that is from the voter-approved Seattle Transit Measure sales tax.)
Also last night, SDOT’s Brad Topol presented an update on West Marginal Way. You won’t be surprised to hear that its traffic volume dropped 60 percent “overnight” when the high bridge reopened in mid-September. It’s down to about 15,000 vehicles a day, same as what the volume was pre-COVID. The number of more interest: During a two-week test in September and October, closing the outside southbound lane north of the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse, driver speeds dropped 12 percent.
They’re expecting that converting that lane into a protected bicycle lane – its temporary use since the low-bridge closure – will drop the average speeds even more. And they still contend that won’t noticeably add travel time to roadway users.
They’re evaluating the corridor for other possibilities that could cause “visual friction” encouraging drivers to be closer to the posted speed limit (30 mph) – bumping out curbs, for example. As for path/lane use during the low-bridge closure, Topol said it averaged 100 to 200 a day, mostly bicycle riders. (added) Here’s the full slide deck from SDOT’s portion of last night’s meeting.
NEXT WSTC MEETING: The group is meeting every other month now, still on fourth Thursdays, so the next scheduled meeting will be at 6:30 pm March 23rd. They might switch over to hybrid – in-person and online – meetings by then; they haven’t yet finalized a location.
One more transportation-related meeting of note has just been confirmed for tomorrow: The West Seattle Transportation Coalition is on its new every-other-month schedule, and the year’s first meeting is Thursday (January 26th), 6:30 pm online. Major topics are the West Seattle low bridge and the Fauntleroy ferry-dock replacement project. For the low-bridge update, they’re expecting a guest from SDOT – remember that though the bridge is back to surface use as well as maritime use following its three-week closure, it’s not back to normal yet as one turning cylinder is being overhauled and three more will follow, with other projects in the works that already were planned for this year. You can attend the meeting online here or by phone at 253-215-8782, meeting ID 819 3711 6466, passcode WSTC.
(Metro photo – RapidRide station work on Delridge)
After years of delays, RapidRide H Line – the conversion of what’s currently Metro Route 120 – is locked in for March, on the day of the bus system’s twice-annual service change. In this case, that’s Saturday, March 18, confirms Metro spokesperson Jeff Switzer. (The conversion originally was expected to happen in 2020.) Recent developments have included confirmation that the H Line will follow the 120’s current pathway in downtown Seattle, ending at Third and Virginia, while promising to “assess the feasibility of extending RapidRide H Line to South Lake Union in the future.” According to the latest email update, some of the finishing touches along the route will be some work on SW Roxbury as well as installation of transit lanes starting in the next week or so “along 16th Ave SW between SW 107th St and SW 116th St [in White Center], and on Ambaum Blvd SW between SW 128th St. and SW 148th [in Burien].” If you have construction-related questions, the project team’s next online drop-in Q/A session is tomorrow (Thursday, July 26th), 5-6 pm, online (meeting ID: 228 271 1759) or by phone (253-215-8782). The H Line will be West Seattle’s second RapidRide line, after the C Line, which launched in September 2012.
Metro continues canceling some trips and temporarily suspending some routes. Last week, we reported the number of buses that needed to have a steering defect fixed was higher than first disclosed – more than 200, about 10 percent of the fleet; Metro said on Thursday that 61 were still awaiting repairs. But what about the other half of the equation – the driver shortage?
Metro spokesperson Jeff Switzer explained, “Metro has an ongoing recruitment campaign for part-time operators, which is the primary way we increase our transit operator ranks. From there, we promote to full-time, which allows operators to deliver more service each day.” Currently, they have 2,513 operators (drivers) – 1,971 full-time, 542 part-time. How many do they need? According to Switzer, “Metro estimates it needs 99 full-time equivalent transit operators, which can be a varying combination of part-time and full-time operators. This could be in the neighborhood of 102 part-time operators and 38 full-time operators.” Last year, Metro “trained and hired 167 part-time transit operators and promoted 152 full-time transit operators.” They have training classes for both categories, with four part-time classes and three full-time classes scheduled this month and next.” Need a job? Switzer has a pitch for you: “We encourage people to consider joining our world-class organization, either as a transit operator, vehicle maintenance staff or other open Metro positions posted on King County’s jobs page.” Here’s the link for transit openings; part-time driver is listed at a range of $26.57 – $37.96 hourly.
11:28 AM: Even before the three-week closure of the West Seattle low bridge (formally, Spokane Street Swing Bridge) ended last Friday afternoon, the City Council’s Transportation and Public Utilities Committee had scheduled a briefing on the situation. That just happened during the committee’s meeting this morning.
SDOT‘s Meghan Shepard led the briefing, starting with a brief explanation of how the low bridge works, and a recap of what went wrong, resulting in its three-week closure to street/path traffic.
In addition to the leaking and electrical problems, SDOT found and fixed valve problems too:
(Here’s the full slide deck.) If they kept operating it with the leaky turn cylinder, they ran the risk of a “catastrophic failure” of other parts, Shepard said. It was reiterated that all four of the turn cylinders were scheduled for refurbishment this year anyway – this just moved up the schedule. They’ll all be removed and replaced sequentially. However, SDOT’s bridges/roadway structures leader Matt Donahue said – in response to a question from West Seattle City Councilmember Lisa Herbold – they’re not sure yet how long that’ll take, because they need “more time to determine everything that went wrong” with that cylinder, and to integrate technology upgrades. So with no timeline yet for all the cylinder repairs/overhauls, there’s no timeline for how long the bridge will be in the one-less-turning-cylinder, slower opening/closing mode. Herbold also asked how the resulting longer wait times are being communicated to bridge users; that too is a work in progress, Donahue said.
The briefing also included recaps of how SDOT quickly implemented a temporary protected bike lane – the 1st Avenue S. section has since been dismantled but the West Marginal Way one will stay indefinitely since a permanent PBL is already planned there; Shepard said the PBL was important because an average of 450 people bicycle across the low bridge daily. She also noted the week during which free bus/Water Taxi rides were made available, but said they don’t yet have metrics for how many people took advantage of the offer.
ADDED 12:45 PM: Here’s Seattle Channel video of this morning’s meeting – the low-bridge briefing starts 45 minutes in:
ADDED 8:41 PM: SDOT replied to our followup question seeking more information about the potential timeline. From spokesperson Ethan Bergerson:
We will overhaul four cylinders (two on each side of the bridge) before the bridge is once again opening and closing at the normal speed. At this point, we are considering replacing each cylinder one at a time in order to reduce the risks of more complications to bridge operations. This will be sequential as you described, but we haven’t determined the exact order.
We don’t have a time estimate yet, and it may take us several months to overhaul the entire set. We will continue to provide updates as the timeline becomes more clear. There are a few reasons for this uncertainty:
Our contractors and vendors are developing the scope and schedule for repairing the first cylinder. This will inform the overall schedule for all four cylinders, which will have to be aligned with the other improvements planned for the low bridge this year.
We won’t know the full extent of repairs needed for each of the other cylinders until after they have each been removed and dismantled so that we can see inside.
The time to obtain the necessary parts is still unknown. Many of these parts are unique and must be specially ordered or manufactured for this project, and potential supply chain issues are difficult to predict.
We will need to work with the US Coast Guard to schedule future cylinder removal and replacement activities in advance.
12:03 PM: Three weeks after closing to street and path traffic because of mechanical trouble, the West Seattle low bridge is about to reopen. Joseph sent that photo showing workers removing fencing from the east side of the low bridge a little while ago; we had moments earlier asked SDOT for a status update; they’ve just confirmed that reopening is imminent:
Seattle Department of Transportation has completed emergency repairs to the Spokane St Swing Bridge (low bridge), and the bridge will reopen this afternoon (Friday, January 13). Crews have already begun removing fencing and traffic control equipment around the bridge, and expect to finish removing signs and barricades by 2 p.m.
Since removing a leaky turn cylinder last Sunday night, they’ve been testing bridge opening/closing without that cylinder, which they warn will mean that opening for maritime traffic will take longer. SDOT has more info here, including the plan for the road sections that had been converted to temporary bike lanes (in short, 1st Ave. S. will be removed, W. Marginal will not); meantime, watch the low-bridge camera for reopening:
2:25 PM: Just reopened.
Tomorrow marks two weeks since the West Seattle low bridge closed to street/path traffic. Two notes tonight:
(SDOT photo)
CYLINDER TROUBLESHOOTING: The leaky turn cylinder removed from the bridge last Sunday is undergoing diagnostic work at an offsite shop. SDOT tweeted photos today including the one above, saying, “Spotted already: a failed main seal!” While the cylinder is being repaired, SDOT hopes to be able to open and close the bridge without it – which, as we’ve reported, will take longer – and continued testing along those lines today.
BRIEFING PLANNED: The City Council’s Transportation and Public Utilities Committee has scheduled a briefing on the low-bridge situation for its meeting next Tuesday, 9:30 am. You can go to City Hall (600 4th downtown) or watch via Seattle Channel; the meeting also has a public-comment period – see the agenda for more on that.
We’ve been asking Metro for a week about updated numbers regarding how many buses have been returned to service, one month after a reader tip led us to first word that a steering “defect” had required them to pull 126 from service. We finally just got that information: First, Metro says that after additional repair, it actually needed to make the repairs to 208 buses. As of this past Tuesday, 147 of those have been returned to service, and 61 are still waiting for repairs. The work is expected to “continue through the end of February unless [manufacturer] New Flyer experiences a supply chain delay.” The buses’ removal from service has helped exacerbate the ongoing situation with trip cancellations and route suspensions.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Washington State Ferries‘ staffing shortage isn’t just about difficulty in hiring.
WSF says it’s also having trouble holding onto workers, WSF says, for reasons including abusive customers.
So, WSF managers said today at the first of two online community meetings, they’re trying something new: Violate the Code of Conduct, and you’ll get handed a yellow card. Rule violations could even lead to WSF calling in the State Patrol to have you “trespassed” – ordered to stay away from WSF vessels/facilities. Here’s what the card will say on its two sides (printed on yellow stock, WSF says):
Ferry riders will hear announcements about this soon. The new effort is needed, WSF says, because its employees are subject to abuse including threats and racist and sexist insults. “We can’t rebuild this workforce if employees don’t feel it’s safe or if they feel we aren’t supporting them.” Will line-cutting be included? asked one meeting attendee. No, WSF says, as most of that happens off WSF property.
Here’s what else the hour-and-a-half meeting – which will be offered again at 6 pm Thursday – touched on:
BACK TO THE STAFFING SHORTAGE: As was explained at the last round of ferry-system community meetings six months ago, WSF is short on people, and that’s a major factor holding up full restoration of service on many routes. (The Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route has been on two boats instead of three for many months.) So WSF leaders including top boss Patty Rubstello and chief of staff Nicole McIntosh exhaustively explained training and recruiting efforts, after detailing the shortage:
They’re also working on accelerating training programs aimed at moving employees up the ladder: “In essence, we’re growing our own.” Once they have more qualified crew members, they’ll be more able to fully restore routes. Another six-week training program starts this weekend. In some cases they’re also trying to make the positions more attractive – offering more full-time work, for example.
SPEAKING OF RESTORING ROUTES: WSF is currently testing restored full service on the Edmonds/Kingston route, and once that’s declared a success, it’ll be on to testing restored full three-boat service on the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route. No projected date, though.
VESSEL SHORTAGE: Having enough boats is also vital, along with having enough crew. Part of that involves maintenance and repair of the current fleet; WSF says three boats that would otherwise be retired soon will have to be kept in service – Yakima, Kaleetan, Tillikum. It’s also working toward building five new hybrid-electric ferries, though the first won’t be ready before mid-2027; M/V Wenatchee is being converted to hybrid-electric and will be back in service on the Seattle/Bainbridge route early next year.
FAUNTLEROY TERMINAL PROJECT: WSF offered quick updates on projects including this one. Rubstello noted that more than 700 community comments have been received in the past year. Next milestone is completion of the Planning and Environmental Linkage study by year’s end. (That appears to be a timeline slip, as the project website lists midyear for completion.) She reiterated that two options are now under consideration – either rebuilding the dock/terminal at its current size or expanding it, in the current location, to 124 to 186 cars. Later, in Q&A, someone asked if a second slip was under consideration. WSF’s David Sowers said it’s not currently in the plan but wouldn’t rule it out if it were shown to have “a significant operational value.”
ONE MORE NOTE: Toward the start of the meeting, Rubstello offered some toplines from the past year:
A recording will be posted to the WSF website, but in the meantime, you’re invited to see/hear the same content presented at 6 pm tomorrow night (with written Q/A accepted during the meeting) – register here to get the link.
P.S. Here’s the full slide deck from the meeting.
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