No obvious incidents – and we know it’s the late edge of the commute anyway – but multiple WSB’ers are suddenly reporting that bridge traffic is “worse than usual.” So we’re publishing this just to say that if you go in late – you might want to wait a while.

7:39 AM: David DeSiga e-mailed us to sound the alert for East Marginal Way – but we discovered firsthand it’s not an isolated spot; you may encounter a little residual iciness here and there. (P.S. Sidewalks and parking lots too.)

9:01 AM UPDATE: Delridge/Sylvan/Orchard is one spot that folks have warned about. Can’t say for sure if it’s ice-related, but emergency crews are responding to word of a crash there right now.

9:54 AM UPDATE: Short note from SDOT: “This morning between 5 am and sunrise, a sort of ‘flash freeze’ occurred across south Seattle. SDOT used granular salt and salt brine on slick spots.”

(SDOT cam looking north at 99 through SODO, from the WSB Traffic cams page)
7:40 AM: Just got word of the Battery St. Tunnel closure from SDOT via Twitter. If it lasts for long, 99 northbound will be worse than usual – so if you’re heading into downtown, you might want to opt for 1st or 4th exits from the bridge.

7:51 AM: SDOT says it’s now been cleared and reopened.

The city’s just out with its weekly update on road work that might affect you – and in addition to more Fauntleroy Expressway closures in the works, the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project will have some EASTBOUND closures (as opposed to the previous set of WESTBOUND shutdowns). From the city’s announcement:

– Jan 12, 16-20 and 23-27, the Fauntleroy Expressway will be closed each night. This is the portion of the West Seattle Freeway west of Delridge on/off-ramps and east of 35th Ave SW.

– Jan 19, all eastbound lanes of the Spokane Street Viaduct will be closed overnight (9PM to 5AM), east of the 1st Ave S off-ramp. Traffic will be detoured to the lower roadway (S Spokane St).

– Jan 27-30, all eastbound lanes of the Spokane Street Viaduct will be closed through the weekend, east of the SR 99 off-ramp. Access to the 1st Ave S and 4th Ave S off-ramps will be closed.

And of course that also would mean you couldn’t get to I-5 or Beacon Hill from the West Seattle Bridge. These closures (and others around the city) should be listed soon on this city webpage, for later reference.

If you absolutely have to drive to or from West Seattle in the next few hours or so, here’s a few things you might need to know:

I-5 NORTHBOUND – is likely to be a mess for a while because a tanker overturned at Lakeview on the north side of downtown, and its 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel will have to be pumped out before it can be cleared. 10:57 PM UPDATE: Scanner traffic indicates they will be trying to right the truck WITHOUT emptying it.

HIGHWAY 99 SOUTHBOUND – a spinout crash is reported in the Battery Street Tunnel, and south of there, watch out for puddling in the right lanes, particularly the last stretch before Harbor Island (we experienced this firsthand on a quick run to/from downtown in the past hour).

WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE – the Fauntleroy Expressway closure planned for tonight hasn’t happened yet, if it’s going to happen at all (might be too rainy for crews) – you can keep an eye on the traffic camera above (the signage on 99 may not help; a lit sign on 99 just before the bridge said it WAS closed when we went through around 9:15 pm, but it most definitely wasn’t). 10:57 PM UPDATE: The westbound detour IS in place now, as you can see in the “live” camera view.

A few changes for the next few weeks of overnight closures for the Fauntleroy Expressway earthquake-safety project – here’s the latest schedule from SDOT:

This week the Seattle Department of Transportation is continuing with a number of nighttime closures to the Fauntleroy Expressway (the raised roadway at the west end of the West Seattle Bridge). These closures are being made to accommodate work that will strengthen and seismically retrofit the structure to better withstand an earthquake. Closures began the week of December 12th and will continue regularly until the project’s completion in June 2012. Future closures may also occur on weekends, though none are scheduled at this time.

Closures will begin at 9:00 p.m. and reopen the next morning at 5:00 a.m. and are planned for the following evenings:

Tuesday, December 27th through Thursday, December 30th
Note – December 30th has been added as a work night since the previous notice
Tuesday, January 3rd through Friday, January 6th

During this week of evening closures the following detours will be in effect:
· Westbound motorists traveling to West Seattle via the West Seattle Bridge will be directed to use the Delridge Way Southwest off-ramp.
· Eastbound motorists on Fauntleroy Way Southwest will be detoured at Southwest Avalon Way and will be directed to the Southwest Spokane Street entrance to the West Seattle Bridge under the Fauntleroy Expressway.

For information on changes to bus service, look for Rider Alert notices at bus stops, visit Metro Online at www.kingcounty.gov/metro or call (206) 553-3000.

Some drivers also have recommended using the Harbor Island offramp if you’re heading westbound, since that will point you toward the “low bridge” and options at its west end.

The latest (long) list of road closures around the metro area includes more dates for Fauntleroy Expressway closures – the west end of the West Seattle Bridge, which is getting earthquake-safety upgrades. It’s scheduled for closure next Tuesday-Friday, 9 pm-5 am each night (Dec. 27-30), and the same thing the following week (January 3-6). For those who use the east side of the bridge, aka the Spokane Street Viaduct, there are no more westbound overnight closures on the schedule – yet – after tonight.

10:24 PM: Have heard from a few people who apparently missed the previews and reminders about the current abundance of road work and were surprised by the bridge closures last night and tonight. In case you’ve been out of town, or busy, or lost track, this SDOT update from today explains what’s going on. Tonight is the only night the two bridge projects overlap, but if you are trying to get home from points eastward before 5 am or so, it will be tricky – you can’t get onto the westbound West Seattle Bridge from I-5 or Beacon Hill, and once you’re on, Delridge is the last open exit.

10:47 PM: As noted in comments, and in e-mail we received, try exiting at Harbor Island, BEFORE Delridge, for a reduced chance of getting stuck in a backup. One person who e-mailed points out that the detour signs do NOT offer this option (and also, as we’ve noticed, erroneously declare the entire WS Bridge closed).

Just in from SDOT:

Crews from the Seattle Department of Transportation will repair a concrete panel in the 6500 block of 48th Avenue SW [map] between December 21 and 29, with a pause for the holiday weekend. The crews will work from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Wednesday to Friday, December 21 to 23, and will continue during the same hours from Tuesday to Thursday, December 27 to 29.

The roadway will be reduced to one lane except during the holiday weekend when both lanes will be open for traffic. While the road is restricted to one lane, traffic flaggers will assist drivers through the area from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. When the crew is not working, flashing stop signs will be located at either end of the construction area from 3 p.m. to 8 a.m. to warn drivers of the roadway restriction and to travel through the area one car at a time.

From SDOT:

Crews from the Seattle Department of Transportation will pave 35th Avenue SW from Southwest Othello Street to Southwest Myrtle Street next week [map]. They will start on Monday, December 19 and work through Wednesday December 21, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., weather permitting. All sidewalks and crosswalks will remain open. At least one lane of traffic in each direction will remain open, and on-street parking will be restricted. A police officer will assist traffic at the intersection of 35th Avenue Southwest and Southwest Myrtle Street.

SDOT has just changed the schedule for westbound Spokane Street Viaduct overnight closures – starting with tonight, when it will be OPEN after all. The new schedule calls for two more overnight closures, next Wednesday night (9 pm-5 am) and Thursday night (10 pm-5 am). Reminder that the closures mean the I-5 and Beacon Hill ramps to the West Seattle Bridge are closed; the 6th Avenue S. detour from southbound 5 isn’t easy to navigate, so plan your route beforehand.

(Thanks to Dana Rambo, first car behind the roadblock just after 8 am)
If you haven’t left yet, note that traffic is worse than usual right now. Fire units have a medic-response call on the eastbound West Seattle Bridge parallel with Admiral. And at the east end of the bridge, if you are heading to southbound I-5, there might be some distraction from an emergency call on the northbound side right at the bridge exit. (Thanks to everybody who tipped us on this)

8:48 AM: As far as we can tell, the medic units have cleared.

12:36 PM: We asked SFD about the incident. From spokesperson Kyle Moore: “At 7:58 we received a 911 call reporting a female in her late 60’s who was unconscious but breathing. She was inside a black car on the right side of Eastbound West Seattle Freeway in front of the steel plant. At 8:14, Medic 32 transported the patient to Harborview Medical Center.” He didn’t have information on her condition, though.

We’ve just confirmed a change in plans for this week’s work on the Fauntleroy Expressway Seismic Retrofit Project – which is entering a new phase as the contractor gets ready to lift the bridge deck to add special quake-resistant pads. SDOT had announced that the expressway – the southwestern end of the West Seattle Bridge, between Delridge and 35th – would be closed three nights this week for that phase of the job to begin, starting tonight. But when we checked in with SDOT communications consultant Josh Stepherson, who has briefed more than a few local community groups about the projects in recent months, he told us there was a late-breaking change in plans: “A couple of hours ago the contractor made the decision not to raise the Expressway this week. They still intend to close the Expressway tonight to survey the structure. They will not close it this Tuesday or Wednesday. Their current plan is to raise the Expressway, for the first time, Monday the 19th. They also plan to close the Expressway on Tuesday and Wednesday the 20th and 21st.” Look for more information from SDOT later this week; meantime, tonight’s closure, again, IS still on – scheduled roughly 10:30 pm to 5 am. (We’ll check on its status once that time frame kicks in.)

3:21 PM: We are in the 900 block of SW Spokane, where protesters have just arrived.

Police have stopped eastbound traffic. They are still heading west on Spokane, as Guardian One and tv choppers hover. So far, no conflicts that we have seen. No word how long eastbound traffic will remain stopped.

(Photo by Torin Record-Sand; substituted for cameraphone pic that was originally here)
3:44 PM: Traffic still stopped. Police appear to have made at least one arrest. Reinforcements have just arrived. (added) Some scuffling was visible from our vantage point (photos later from our crew elsewhere in the crowd) – watch the left side:

4:09 PM: Sorry for the lag – we have a photographer on the scene and your editor here got stuck one truck back from the front lines while dropping him off. Adding images shortly. He says traffic has resumed westbound across the low bridge – but it’s advisable to completely avoid the area till this is clear some hours from now (after 6 pm).

4:27 PM: Metro is rerouting some West Seattle (etc.) buses via the 1st Avenue South Bridge: 21, 22, 56, 118 & 119. Also keep in mind that we’re now an hour away from the Seahawks game, further complicating the traffic picture.

4:43 PM: The low bridge may technically be open to traffic but still worth avoiding. As of right now, one of the bridge cams is focused on the protest scene. You can see all our traffic cams here.

5:43 PM: From WSB contributor Christopher Boffoli, a recent overview of the scene where most of this unfolded through the mid- to late-afternoon:

Via Twitter, SPD confirms “multiple arrests.” They also say they have “contacted” the driver involved in the hit-run incident noted in comments below this story.

6:52 PM: A closer look, from earlier. A group of West Seattle activists gathered at the Chelan Café to walk to join the protesters who marched from Westlake:

And as the marchers arrived around quarter past three:

For the 6 pm rally, demonstrators moved to Terminal 5, according to our partners at the Seattle Times, who also report that the arrests so far have numbered more than a dozen.

ADDED 10:54 PM: More images from tonight and this afternoon. First – Christopher Boffoli was there as more demonstrators were arrested tonight:

According to SPD Blotter, “Eleven adult subjects were arrested for various violations including Failure to Disperse and Assaulting an Officer.” Some if not all of them were processed at the Southwest Precinct here in West Seattle, according to SWP Operations Lt. Pierre Davis, with whom we spoke while he visited tonight’s Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council meeting to talk about the recent increase in burglaries. As the evening events wound down, Christopher got these scenes on video:

Here’s how Occupy Seattle’s website chronicled the afternoon/evening.

(WSB photo by Torin Record-Sand)

Just in case you were wondering – the resurfacing work along three blocks of California SW between Alaska and Morgan Junctions is NOT closing the road. We went out this morning to get a look at the work zone; crews were starting on the north end – at SW Findlay – and heading south toward SW Graham. One lane is open in each direction for the entire stretch. No parking on California on those blocks, though (and we saw what appeared to be one car getting towed from that zone). As SDOT announced last week, they found enough money in the “Rubble Yard sale” proceeds to add these three blocks of repaving work, which is scheduled to happen 9 am-5 pm daily through Thursday.

Two updates from SDOT for next week: The first night of the Fauntleroy Expressway closure for quake-safety upgrades – the southwest end of the West Seattle Bridge – will start later, because of the Monday night Seahawks game. So that night only, it’ll start 10:30 pm (9 pm the next two nights, as the map from our original report notes).

Second, the city is tentatively planning to close the westbound Spokane Street Viaduct (the bridge between I-5 and 99) every night from next Wednesday (December 14) through December 23rd. And there are surface closures planned just east of West Seattle, at East Marginal/South Spokane, Monday-Thursday nights, as well as a “tentative” plan to detour 1st Avenue S. at Spokane St. each night Dec. 16-22. (Got all that? We’ll have a reminder each day in the daily-highlights preview, as usual.)

Just in from SDOT – three more blocks of California SW in the treacherous stretch between Alaska and Morgan Junctions are about to get some help:

Next Monday through Thursday, December 12 through 15, Seattle Department of Transportation crews will be resurfacing California Avenue SW from SW Findlay Street to SW Graham Street [map]. The resurfacing work, which will take place from 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day, will involve grinding down the surface, making repairs to the street base and repaving the roadway. Traffic in both directions will be pushed to the opposite side of where the crews are working. All crosswalks and sidewalks will remain open. A Police Officer will provide traffic control at the intersection of California Avenue SW and SW Graham Street.

We’ll check with Metro for their rerouting plans.

ADDED 11:25 AM: Since SDOT has said it would love to repave more of California SW south of The Junction but didn’t have the money, we asked what was paying for this sudden project. SDOT’s Peg Nielsen tells WSB it’s from the “Rubble Yard sale,” city property sold for use as a staging area in the Highway 99 tunnel project. City Council President Richard Conlin wrote about it earlier this year.

ADDED 1:43 PM: Nielsen also provides an explanation of a question asked in comments – why just three blocks? – and what’s ahead:Read More

7:21 AM: Commute alerts so far this morning: It’s not on the 911 log (yet?) but we just got a call reporting a crash on northbound 99. And even if you’re not taking 99, be careful in the fog. It’s not foggy at WSB HQ near Lincoln Park, but the traffic cams show fog to the north.

7:34 AM: Russ’s description via Twitter from aboard a bus: “Viaduct is a disaster again this morning.” The cams don’t look as bad as they looked yesterday, though, at this point.

7:51 AM: Russ says things got better once they got on 99. Reminder for tonight’s commute home: Seahawks game at 5:20 pm.

8:42 AM: Mike just tweeted about a stalled car on the right side of the eastbound highrise West Seattle Bridge.