West Seattle, Washington
27 Friday
Next time you’re stuck in the bridge backup in the morning commute, or a viaduct slowdown during either commute, look over at Elliott Bay and notice … all that room atop the sea. Couldn’t we make better use of it, beyond just the seasonal Water Taxi and the current lineup of ferry routes? As mentioned here previously, King County leaders are taking a step in that direction. And they will be part of a big event tonight at Salty’s looking at the Sound-wide possibilities of waterborne transportation. (The North Kitsap Herald has this preview with a little more on what’s involved.)
A reader writes with a concern she wanted to put before all of WSB-land … discuss!
I’m just wondering, is there any discussion in city hall or the DOT about updating the entrance/interchange onto the West Seattle Bridge. In particular, the dangerous exit ramp to 4th Ave. S. and the closed entrance ramp onto the bridge. Having the entrance ramp closed over the past five years has been so frustrating for commuters stuck waiting for trains to pass. Isn’t it past time for these problem areas to be fixed?
The city Transportation Department has posted a new update on the WS repaving project as the Cali work wraps up and the Admiral work begins. Note there are nighttime shutdowns set for Admiral right after the Fourth of July.
While several other stations that had been selling regular below $3/gallon have now stepped back up over that mark, Delridge Arco keeps dropping. The $2.91 shown below is 18 cents below the current Seattle average (according to AAA).
That’s what a guy from West Seattle suggests we need, in this P-I “guest column.”
-In less than an hour, the final bell will ring at Fairmount Park Elementary, one of the Seattle Public Schools buildings that are being closed to save $. The kids who go there are “merging” into High Point Elementary . (FP’s half-century history is detailed here.)
-Speaking of closed school buildings: This week’s WS Herald has an update on the future of the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse; next week, the city Parks Board will talk about its possible role in that future.
-In the mood to feel elegant? Just found out about High Tea on Saturday at Village Green Perennial Nursery, a hidden treasure for gardeners in WS (and beyond).-This Sunday, the Washington State Ferries summer schedule kicks in, which means more weekend service to/from Fauntleroy.
Delridge Arco has dropped a couple more cents, to $2.93/regular; however, both of the Fauntleroy/Alaska stations have popped back up over three bucks, while remaining below the statewide average.
Or at least you would have to assume that’s why yet another station — 35th/Avalon 7-11, in this case — just swapped out its manual priceboard for something electronic:
… to this: “Thou shalt not blaze through a four-way stop without giving all due respect to everyone else at/in the intersection.”
6-8 pm @ Southwest Library – all are welcome at the next meeting of SWS, which describes itself as “a newly-formed group of West Seattle citizens who want to make a difference locally, working within our neighborhood to become more self-reliant while using fewer natural resources.”
First – flagging on Alki today, because of some utility work across from Duke’s:
Second – checked out the Morgan/Sylvan shutdown; on the west, as our photo shows, it’s closed just a block east of 35th; on the other side, it’s not closed till the cemetery.
Third – posters are popping up all around WS to heighten the alert about the I-5 Project From Hell coming up in August. We even got a ping from a WSDOT person recently asking if we’d discussed it here; they promise all sorts of online resources to help people cope, but note that it’s going to hit us pretty hard since it’ll be happening right where we all pour out onto I-5.
Delridge Arco is back in the low-price lead (photo below), with a bonus mystery price:
Don’t forget — as of tomorrow morning, a major east-west West Seattle route is scheduled to close, and stay closed, for three months. All along 35th (and elsewhere), the signs were in place and waiting as of late today (albeit facing backward, till morning):
The route, if you’re not already aware, is Morgan/Sylvan between 35th and Delridge. The designated detour/alternative is Holden. If you find yourself needing to call someone with questions, there’s a “construction information hotline” in this city news release about the project.
Remember, it’s closed till about 11 this morning for RFTC. We’re off to be part of it.
Vintage Seattle today is featuring a century-old ad touting the joys of moving to WS — even “graded streets,” brags the ad! (Ah, if the ad-writer could see what’s happening with some of those streets now. FIVE YEARS?????)
Just drove through Fauntleroy/Alaska and spotted both stations suddenly down below $3 for regular — $2.99 at 76, $2.98 at Shell (that’s more than a dime since our last driveby a few hours earlier). Will check the previous low-price leader, Admiral/Cali Chev, in a bit (sightings, anyone?).
OK, so it’s $2.99 diesel at Admiral/Cali Chevron, but that’s still below three bucks. And regular isn’t far behind — now down to $3.05 (left photo). At least two other WS stations are down to $3.09 for regular — Cali/Andover Exxon and Delridge Arco, where (right photo) the guy with the thankless job of fixing 12 sets of numbers with every price change was busy again, just moments ago. How low will it all go? Maybe not much lower, if you believe the national reports. But on the other hand, it’s worth noting that suddenly West Seattle gas prices are significantly below the Seattle average.
This just in from the Seattle Department of Transportation:
Work on California between SW Genesee and SW Spokane Street has been completed except pavement striping, to be done within the next three weeks.
Final paving of California Avenue SW between Spokane Street and SW Admiral Way is tentatively scheduled for the last week of June.
The contractor plans to begin work on SW Admiral Way between 41st Ave SW and SW Olga Street the first week of July.
The entire project is scheduled for completion in mid-August. Normal work hours for the contractor on California Avenue SW are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
During the peak periods (6-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m.) at least one lane of traffic in each direction on California Avenue SW will remain open. At other times, traffic on California may be restricted to one lane with the use of flaggers. Turns to and from side streets to California Avenue SW may be restricted. Detours may be necessary at times. On-street parking is not allowed in the construction area.
The Times reminds us that today is the 29th anniversary of the notorious incident (detailed nicely at HistoryLink.org) that paved the way for the high bridge: the day Rolf Neslund (whose subsequent murder is featured in a book by Ann Rule) crashed a freighter into the bridge’s predecessor. That finally closed years of squabbling over whether to build a better bridge; the current high bridge opened in 1984. So next time you’re stuck in morning bridge traffic (recent photo below) … remember, it might be worse if not for Rolf …
One week before Sylvan/Morgan closes to through-traffic between 35th and Delridge for three months of construction-related utility/road work, there’s an “open house” tonight where you can find out the latest on detours, local access, and also more on what’s up with the ongoing High Point-area development: 4:30-6 tonight, High Point Library.
As noted in a comment on our last WSGPW post, Admiral/Cali Chev has plunged further, now down to $3.09/regular. And Delridge (by Home Depot) Arco is no longer the second-lowest; it’s still $3.15, but Exxon at Cali/Andover is down to $3.11, and Charlestown/Cali 7-11 has posted $3.12. Note the key word “posted.” A WSB reader e-mailed to say he filled up with one of the higher grades at that 7-11 tonight before noticing the pump price was higher than the sign price. Prices have been changing so fast – check before you pump.
Many of us on the south end of West Seattle use the South Park Bridge from time to time. So we wanted to mention that it will be closed all day tomorrow — 7 am to 7 pm — for what the county describes as “electrical repairs to the draw span.”
That’s what they used to call it when we were much, much younger – gas stations in something of a price-cutting competition. Right now the WS deathmatch seems to be between Admiral/Cali Chevron and Delridge Arco. But at least as of minutes ago, Delridge hasn’t dropped all the way down to match Admiral/Cali’s $3.13 — Arco’s two cents above that. Meantime, here’s a bigger price photo than usual, just ’cause we like the composition.
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