West Seattle, Washington
14 Saturday
So asks the city Transportation Department as it pitches its next round of community open houses happening in the next few weeks, including one here in West Seattle (5-8 pm Wednesday 9/19, in the theater at Youngstown Arts Center). The question refers to money from the “Bridging the Gap” levy passed by voters last November. Some projects are already in the hopper; page 2 of this handout mentions a few of WS relevance. The city promises more info @ the 9/19 event.
WSB reader Luckie asked us sometime back about the mysterious disappearance of the California & Admiral bus shelter that had been decorated with art tile. King County Councilmember Dow Constantine‘s office checked into it and got word from Metro that the tiled shelter is being “refurbished” and should be back within a few weeks. The generic shelter that’s there now is just temporary.
Next major WS road to get the “sharrows” now gracing Beach Drive (photo right) and Lincoln Park Way: Admiral. We noticed them roughed in (like this) on the fresh pavement after striping crews finished their work last weekend.
Despite three crosswalks with pedestrian-activated lights, crossing Fauntleroy Way SW along the length of Lincoln Park remains hit-and-miss, at best. Sometimes literally. And right across from LP’s biggest parking lot, the city plans to take away a remaining non-signalized crosswalk, this one at Fauntleroy/Rose, while another problem percolates …
What makes this stretch of road more problematic than others, besides the presence of a big busy park on one side, is the traffic bound for the Fauntleroy ferry dock. Gary Dawson of the Fauntleroy Community Association says the crosswalks and ferry traffic aren’t mixing well, to say the least:
If you use any one of (the Lincoln Park crosswalks) during the afternoon commute period you put your life at great risk, stop lights or not. The reason is, the line to the ferry dock going southbound moves when queued, whether there are pedestrians in the crosswalks or not. Another near-miss (yesterday) afternoon. A neighbor going southbound stopped so a young boy could cross over to the park. The ferry queue did not. The lad had to run for his life. This, sadly, is more typical than not.
This time the Fauntleroy Community Association is contacting the Mayor’s office (the neighbor already has) to find out how serious he is with his pedestrian safety program.
We’ll stay in touch to find out what FCA hears back.
The website for Washington State Ferries wi-fi service now says wi-fi for the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run is delayed yet again and now not scheduled to start until September 17th. (The same WSF page allows you to check the service status on individual ferries where it’s installed.) However, commuters driving through West Seattle on their way to the Fauntleroy dock can get a wi-fi fix at yet another stop along the way — the Corner Inn at Fauntleroy/Cali now has huge signs in its windows announcing FREE WI-FI.
South WS drivers beware: Seattle city crews have stepped up the drainage work at the south end of the Cali straightaway (Cali/Thistle) and, a block downhill, next to the Thistle/Northrop sinkhole that opened in the deluge before last December’s windstorm. Heavy equipment tore up more pavement today at Cali/Thistle (photo below) and the Thistle/Northrop bend is squeezed to one lane.
Remember the “SBF” story from August 3? Its central character might have gotten some sympathy from this Slogger who was forced — forced! — to ride to WS.
17 minutes from the top of The Bridge at Fauntleroy, to the end of The Viaduct (just before the Battery Street Tunnel). The Admiral and Delridge onramps looked somewhat crunchier than usual, however. (Also, the city traffic cameras are back online.)
On the good side, we soon won’t have to worry any more about I-5 (and ripple effects); bad side, the added early Water Taxi run will end when the project does. The folks who unveiled the Pier 2 dock/terminal proposal last week sent along this photo of the WT’s biggest line on its biggest day (today’s commute info continues below) …
This week is still prime time because I-5 is down to two lanes north of the WS Bridge until the work is done; that made things crunchier last Friday morning and today’s rain won’t make it any better. (Also note the bridge ramp to NB 5 will be closed overnight for the next few nights.) Meantime, here are a few relevant “live” cameras (refresh this page for the newest picture, or click on the images to go to the cameras’ “home” pages); as of this writing, the Seattle city website has been out of commission since late last night, so we won’t link those cameras here; check our permanent cams page to see if they’re back. (Left to right below, three state cams: I-5 @ Spokane just before the construction zone, I-5 @ Holgate through the construction zone, Highway 99 on the southeast side of WS)
Just ventured into the monsoon to verify this reader tip: The major east-west WS route between 35th/Morgan — running down Sylvan Way — and the Home Depot intersection is open again. (The project that closed it was supposed to take 3 months but it’s only been 2; we’ll check tomorrow for official project status — the detour signs on 35th aren’t gone, just covered with black plastic.) And even though those involved with the project insisted they were only focusing on Sylvan Way in the new housing area (photos), those ruts on the last eastern stretch have been filled. Hallelujah!
1 more week or so to go till we can stop hearing about I-5, for better or for worse, for now. Remember, the WS Bridge ramp to NB 5 is closed this weekend, like last weekend. Other WSDOT updates are here. Meantime, some related notes to share:
-On the citizen-group proposal for a new Water Taxi dock/terminal, one of the group’s leaders, Vlad Oustimovitch, posted a comment that you might have missed (scroll down on this post), answering some of the questions about the plan, which also got some exposure at the Seattle Weekly blog, Daily Weekly.
-Hey, what ever happened to the dithering over the future of The Viaduct? The Discovery Institute’s Cascadia Project for Regional Development is suggesting a new tunnel idea — under downtown. (Whatever the case, this page seems to suggest WSDOT believes The Viaduct will be coming down in 2012. Its next public meeting about The Viaduct’s future is next Wednesday in Pioneer Square.)
-Catching up with the 83 sites on our Other Blogs In WS page, we came across a few people’s I-5 tales: Esprit de l’escalier wrote about the Chicken Little-ness of it all, Mountain Songs says even her bus was early, 1000 year headache recounts his first week of FF ’07.
-Last but not least, some cruise-ship passengers missed their boat on Saturday, and Freeway Fright ’07 is fingered as the possible cause.
By all accounts, things are uglier out there than even the usual sunny “let’s get out of here and get the weekend started” Friday afternoon. And there’s a Mariners game tonight, to boot, which usually bodes badly for the southbound Viaduct. Here’s the latest from WSDOT; if you want to check our group of relevant-to-WS live cams, all six are now at the top of our West Seattle Cams page. Drive safely!
WSDOT made the overnight switch, which means 2 NB lanes on I-5 as of this morning. Click ahead for live cams; we’re keeping them off the front page because we’ll be talking a lot about the big fire:Read More
… most recently, this morning from the top of the Argosy Cruises ramp after a Water Taxi ride, where it’s just that concrete annoyance across the street …
We decided to take our car out of the ever-threatened Freeway Fright ’07 congestion this morning, and commute via Water Taxi and bus instead. We discovered some surprises; if you want to hear about them, and our other musings, here goes:Read More
WSDOT says really, they mean it, they’re closing that extra lane tonight and only two lanes will be open through The Construction Zone tomorrow morning. Here’s their diagram of how everything will be configured, tomorrow and beyond.
Coincidentally, even before last night’s big announcement, we had been planning to try a Water Taxi/bus combo to get into the heart of the city this morning. More on that experience later (pros & cons from the perspective of someone who usually just drives out to help clog the road). Right now, however, we have the promised link for you to see what the WT terminal/dock area at Pier 2 would look like.
This morning, we’re trying alternative transportation, so no commute commentary, don’t everyone boo all together. But here are those six live cams again, with a few random notes below …
(l to r below: latest from cams over WS Bridge midspan looking east, WS Br. I-5 ramps, I-5 @ Spokane Street in whichever direction WSDOT chooses to point it)
(l to r below: latest from cams looking east @ Low Bridge approach, Alaskan Way @ Washington, 99 @ 1st Avenue S bridge)
RANDOM NOTES: Came across one more goofy term last night for what this traffic situation has NOT become (so far); to Commutastrophe and Carpocalypse, add “Carmageddon” … Found this about 12 hours too late to share with anyone who might not have already known … If you’re looking for more commute info besides the cams above, remember the WSDOT update page … Later this morning, after our alternative-transportation test, we’ll post more info on the water taxi dock proposal announcement made last night, including a link to something the project proponents drew up showing what it would look like.
You heard about it here first last month, after the Alki Community Council got briefed on it … tonight, supporters have just made their official announcement, press release and all, about the proposal to move the Water Taxi to Port of Seattle land next to Jack Block Park, with lots more room than its current Seacrest home …
… The idea will have to make it past a lot of governmental entities, to say the least. Ultimately, the people behind the proposal think it would be part of the newly created King County Ferry District. Click ahead to read the full text of tonight’s press release, hot out of our inbox …Read More
Arco on Delridge (photo left) is back in the position of “low price leader,” at $2.65/gallon for regular as of this morning. The Fauntleroy/Alaska Shell station’s brief dip into the $2.60s was some odd fluke, as a few days after this post, it was back up into the $2.70s, where prices at both Fauntleroy/Alaska stations are today. If the latest national/world reports on gas/oil price trends are any indication, we might even see $2.50s before long. Interesting to note we were nudging THREE-fifty, just three months ago.
Big news from WSDOT: The project is 5 days ahead of schedule and should be done by the end of next week. REMINDER: Tonight the WS Bridge onramp to NB I-5 will be closed, 10 pm-5 am. It’s supposed to reopen before tomorrow’s commute.
First, those 6 live cameras (refresh this page any time for the latest images and info); scroll down to see frequent commute updates below them:
(l to r below: latest from cams over WS Bridge midspan looking east, WS Br. I-5 ramps, I-5 @ Spokane Street in whichever direction WSDOT chooses to point it)
(l to r below: latest from cams looking east @ Low Bridge approach, Alaskan Way @ Washington, 99 @ 1st Avenue S bridge)
6:15 AM: Here we go, one more time. Our WSDOT pal Erin is doing a live radio interview and saying more cars are out there … and also says the project could switch over by tomorrow morning to three lanes closed. She says commuter complacency could be a “recipe for disaster.”
6:19 AM: The WSDOT update just posted here says, “It’s taking drivers approximately seven minutes to get from Albro to Holgate. This is twice the time it usually takes, and a direct result of the increased volumes this morning.” Could this morning finally bring the feared Commutastrophe?
6:25 AM: Bridge cams show a little bit of thickening. Bridge ramp to I-5 looks OK, though. Browsing our bookmarks, we arrive at a historic WS photo; imagine commuting in one of these.
6:35 AM: Not too bad past the construction zone. TV traffic report echoes what WSDOT’s Erin said earlier – might as well start worrying about tomorrow and the potential additional lane closure already.
6:40 AM: Times I-5 blog hasn’t updated since 3:46 pm yesterday, at which time they mentioned the Water Taxi “mobile farebox” Dow C’s people told us all about on Monday, as well as interesting bus numbers. As for today’s traffic — TV says The Viaduct looks great, even as I-5 continues to bog down (10 mph past construction zone).
6:47 AM: Those radio people are getting complacent too. They just spent three minutes interviewing somebody from this “geek dating” website. Although as geeks, we might be interested if we weren’t happily coupled. On the traffic front, sounds like 405 is again the place to avoid. On our bridge, the viaduct exit looks a little busy, but not horrifically backed up yet.
6:51 AM: Southbound I-5 could be a problem – stalled car reported at Spokane Street.
6:57 AM: Latest travel-time report, “an extra five or six minutes to get through the construction zone.” WS Bridge continues looking good. Crystal-clear sky again today, don’t forget the shades, whichever commute method you’re using.
7:01 AM: A traffic reporter used a scary phrase … “pretty darn slow.” WS Bridge drivers appear to be behaving, however.
7:10 AM: WSDOT says 1.5-mile backup on NB I-5 through construction zone, to Albro. If you’re joining the freeway from the WS Bridge, things still aren’t too bad … the left lane is even open just past the Viaduct exit.
7:14 AM: 99 heading northbound past the South Park exit looks pretty jammed. 99 at Michigan too.
7:20 AM: TV traffic reporter says 99 is still moving better than I-5, where the “construction zone” backup is now described as about 11 mins. On camera patrol, 1st/Marginal looks busy, not bad coming over the S. Park bridge.
7:28 AM: I-5 construction zone now declared “stop and go.” WS spots continue looking light – check out Fauntleroy/Alaska, often clog city by now, not today.
7:33 AM: Bridge offramp to The Viaduct now in its customary backup. WSDOT people back on the radio warning again about tomorrow — yet another lane may be closed at 5 — weather is supposed to be worse too — if you tried evasive action this past Monday, tomorrow’s the day to try it again.
7:40 AM: Cringe, the I-5 construction zone does look choked. Bridge exit to Viaduct does too.
7:46 AM: The Bridge is starting to look a little ugly heading toward I-5 as well as toward 99.
7:52 AM: As a distraction from commute angst, here’s the best clip ever from the old local comedy show “Almost Live” — the “Ballard Driving Academy.” Had to find it after the Big Blog started a thread about “Almost Live,” which is what taught us about neighborhood quirks (some of which don’t even apply any more) when we moved here in the early ’90s.
7:56 AM: Here’s a wide-open road … Alaskan Way. You could take the low bridge as an alternative; its approach looks good.
8:01 AM: WSDOT has switched the Holgate (construction zone) cam to look head-on at approaching drivers. A little closer and you could probably see faces. Scowling, most likely. Good news for West Seattle — our bridge looks better.
8:08 AM: Radio traffic report says there’s a stalled vehicle in the construction zone on NB 5. Meantime, we’re sending the WSB road crew to see how the Water Taxi looks for the morning’s last run.
8:13 AM: Bridge, nice. I-5, improving. Have we bottomed out for the day? Is going to work early (and ostensibly going home early … to enjoy the summer evening) the antidote to Commutastrophe?
8:17 AM: Our original radio choice is now wasting time on another non-traffic topic so we are switching. The other alternative reports that First and Fourth are a little slower than usual but nothing horrific. Cam at 3rd/Lander a little busy, however.
8:25 AM: Bridge ramp to I-5, no problem. WSDOT says that stall in the construction zone has been “cleared.” (Sounds ominous. Dematerialization beam, perhaps.) Road crew says the Water Taxi dock looks “deserted,” with one run left to go for the morning. Photo shortly.
8:30 AM: Both bridge views admirably clear. I-5 doing OK south of the city; here’s the view from Albro.
8:36 AM: Our new radio choice says it’s staying in touch with a cabbie. No specifics on his commute except that he is following alternative routes and avoiding backups. Bridge watch: Thumbs-up. I-5 ramp watch: Same.
8:49 AM: Last check. The Bridge is slightly busier (people going in late?). Commutastrophe averted for another day. But beware that additional lane closure tomorrow. Before we go, here’s the WSB road crew photo from Seacrest, where a flock of Water Taxi shuttles was sighted (though few passengers in view):
I-5 Construction Weekday 1, dreamy … Weekday 2, almost a rerun … but tonight, WSDOT sounds the alarm that Weekday 3 could be Nightmare On Spokane Street (and 1st, and Marginal, and 4th, and so on), noting chidingly that afternoon traffic volume today was up 10% in some spots from yesterday. So, we’ll be up early again Wednesday to commuteblog at least one more time. Meanwhile, not all increases are bad news … finally found anecdotal quantification of what we thought we were seeing, more bicyclists. (Photo below shows one @ 35th/Avalon this am.)
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