West Seattle, Washington
18 Thursday
As usual, the city’s out with its weekend traffic advisory for big events – just so you’ll know what to expect. Not that you want to go TOO far – this weekend’s big events here include West Seattle Outdoor Movies‘ seasonal debut on Saturday (“Ferris Bueller” at dusk) and the West Seattle Garden Tour on Sunday (plus, next door in White Center, the Jubilee Days Street Fair all weekend) – but in case you have to leave, here’s what SDOT sent late today, after the jump:Read More
Just in from SDOT – the planned overnight closures of the westbound Spokane Street Viaduct, rescheduled for this weekend, are now CANCELED completely, because of “material availability.” No new dates, yet.
(Photo by Patrick Sand for WSB)
6:20 PM: A “heavy rescue” call at West Marginal Way SW/SW Dakota (map) is for what scanner traffic describes as a flipped car, with at least one person seriously hurt (described as a man, about 20). More when we get to the scene; avoid the area TFN.
(Photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
6:41 PM: That section of West Marginal Way will likely be closed a few hours. Since the victim is seriously injured, the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad is being called out, according to what police tell us on the scene. One more thing: They say a German Shepherd was in the car with the victim, and got out after the collision. The dog was last seen going south on West Marginal Way. If you see one or capture it – please contact police! It’s described as male, short-haired, with a collar and tag.
9:44 PM: We still don’t have any word on whether the dog was found. Nor do we know how the victim is doing – but we are adding a photo shared by A. Bocchetti, showing the Seattle Fire crews working to take care of the victim after the crash:
We haven’t heard whether West Marginal has reopened, but we’ll go check in a little while.
1 AM UPDATE: West Marginal is open again, but the search for the crash victim’s dog continues. Sarah, who e-mailed a photo you can see on the WSB Pets page, says they have not been able to get close enough to capture the dog, whose name is Cooper. “Please urge neighbors to keep alert,” she says. She also says the injured driver is in stable condition.
7:55 AM: Cooper was found overnight, according to another note from Sarah.
Just in from SDOT – the overnight closures of the westbound Spokane Street Viaduct (the West Seattle Bridge between I-5 and 99) have been delayed:
The westbound lanes of the Spokane Street Viaduct will not be closed overnight tonight as originally planned. The dates for overnight closures have changed to July 15-17. Also, July 14 a single westbound right-lane of the Spokane Street Viaduct (I-5 to SR 99) will be closed. Details are as follows:
• July 14 (11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m.): One westbound right-lane of the Spokane Street Viaduct (I-5 to SR 99) will be closed
• July 15-16 (11:30 p.m. to 7 a.m.): The westbound lanes of the Spokane Street Viaduct will be closed completely and the I-5 off-ramps to the Spokane Street Viaduct will be closed. Southbound SR 99 to westbound West Seattle Bridge will remain open.
• July 17 (10 p.m. to 5 a.m.): The westbound lanes of the Spokane Street Viaduct will be closed completely and the I-5 off-ramps to the Spokane Street Viaduct will be closed. Southbound SR 99 to westbound West Seattle Bridge will remain open.Also, July 18 – 28, Sixth Avenue S at S Spokane Street will be closed overnight, from 9 p.m. each day until 5 a.m. the next morning. See www.seattle.gov/spokane for more details on this project.
For the second time today, there’s trouble if you’re trying to head back to West Seattle via southbound I-5. A crash is reported at/on the ramp to the westbound West Seattle Bridge from SB I-5.
4:30 PM: Avoid the westbound Spokane Street Viaduct – truck trouble has backed it up to I-5. We’re trying to find out if it’s the same truck we tweeted about while stuck in traffic in the same spot two hours ago. Anyway, bottom line, avoid the I-5-to-99 section of the bridge TFN.
4:41 PM: Thanks to those who are sending photos, including Brad, whose pic we just added. Looks like the same spot where a truck was stuck in the 2 pm hour.
On Twitter, one driver says it’s truly a dead stop … and some people are out of their cars (as seen in the photo tweeted by Rob, added above).
4:56 PM: WSDOT says via Twitter that the stuck semi is FINALLY being towed off the Spokane Street Viaduct – still will take the backup a while to clear, though. The truck apparently lost a wheel (we had noticed a flat while passing it in 2 pm hour). Thanks to Ashley for the photo above showing the truck (and tow crew).
6:13 PM: Sounds like all’s getting back to normal – let us know if you’re experiencing otherwise. Meantime, just added the photo above this paragraph, taken by Danny McMillin – note the skateboarders on the new construction alongside the jammed-up road. (Click to see a larger version.)
A reminder before we get back to West Seattle Summer Fest coverage – three nights this week, the westbound Spokane Street Viaduct (that’s the West Seattle Bridge between I-5 and Highway 99) will be closed overnight, 11 pm-5 am, Tuesday-Thursday nights. (That also means the exits to The Bridge from I-5 will be closed during the shutdown.) It’s part of the ongoing SSV-widening work; here are the details on SDOT’s “On the Move” site.
SDOT is out early with this weekend’s citywide traffic alert – and two of the big events are right here on the peninsula, West Seattle Summer Fest (with road closures starting 6 pm tomorrow) Friday-Sunday and the Seafair Pirates’ Landing on Saturday. Read on for the full list:Read More
So far, haven’t heard any reports that today’s big downtown event led to traffic chain reactions, so that’s good news. But WSDOT wants you to know in advance that next weekend, there’s another of those double closures – the 520 floating bridge and the Mercer offramps. “Expect region-wide congestion,” they warn. More here.
In case you missed the repeated mentions here and elsewhere last week – tomorrow’s the day the Lions Clubs International Parade of Nations happens downtown, with road closures, detours, and bus-route changes. Here once again is the city’s official alert. No way to tell if it will cause any sort of domino effect like the motivational-speaker-event jam a month ago, of course, but we’ll be tracking.
Be careful! A tree has fallen onto the eastbound (bridge-bound) lanes of Admiral Way near the West Seattle Bridge, according to notes we’ve received. Thanks to those who e-mailed to let us know about it. Off to check out the scene.
5:38 PM: It’s been cleared, so all is OK now.
SDOT has sent word of upcoming closures small and large – from a lane on the West Seattle Bridge, to overnight closures of the westbound Spokane Street Viaduct (the bridge between Highway 99 and I-5). The SSV closures are set for the nights of July 12th-14th; details here, along with word of some 1st Avenue South closures, all part of the ongoing Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project. Then, next Tuesday, you’ll see a lane closure near the Fauntleroy end of the bridge; details here, along with some Harbor Island work next week.
Both the big downtown parade on Tuesday (reported here yesterday) and West Seattle’s own Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade on Monday (here’s our latest preview) are on the SDOT citywide-traffic-alerts list for the next five days – read on to see where you’re likely to find a lot of vehicles and people (oh, and zombies too):Read More
No SDOT alert yet, but with the memory of the KeyArena-event-traffic-nightmare day still fresh, we thought you might want early warning (and if you’re off, you might even want to go watch): Next Tuesday, what’s described as the biggest parade in Seattle’s history is set for downtown, 10,000 people parading as part of the Lions Clubs International convention. It starts from Seattle Center at 10 am, proceeding along 5th Avenue, and includes other road closures. It’s complicated, so go here for the full breakdown; the source page is here, including this map of the parade route.
ADDED 4:41 PM: SDOT is now out with its official advisory – read it after the jump:Read More
Not a surprise, given the Alaskan Way Viaduct closure (and other traffic effects of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon) – but in case you were hoping for better – sorry! Just got that photo via Twitter from @206sportsfan. The Viaduct is supposed to be fully open again by 4 this afternoon.
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon is just getting under way, and one of the related road closures is a biggie – the Alaskan Way Viaduct, both ways. Here’s the update we published a few days ago, including a clickable map with all the marathon-related closures; the state says the Viaduct will be fully open again by 4 pm. As for other events affecting traffic around the city – here’s the weekly bulletin SDOT sent out on Thursday.
It’s a Thursday tradition in the summer – the SDOT list of what around Seattle might affect your ability to get from Point A to Point B over the weekend. It includes, of course, the Alaskan Way Viaduct closure and others for Saturday’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon – but there’s lots more. (Note: Saturday’s Morgan Junction Community Festival here in West Seattle isn’t mentioned but you can expect it’ll be busier at California/Fauntleroy, as there are vendors on both sides of California this year.) Read on for the SDOT list!Read More
It’s been atop our BIG STORIES list on the sidebar all week, just for easy reference, but in case you’ve missed it somehow, a midweek reminder: The Alaskan Way Viaduct is closed for much of Saturday because of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. And since the event starts in Tukwila, there are other road closures within miles of West Seattle that might affect you too (including, in SODO, part of 1st Avenue S.). The information is all on the marathon website, where we got the map shown above. Of course, with the Morgan Junction Community Festival and the Northwest Paddling Festival, you might not want to leave West Seattle on Saturday anyway – but if you do, consider yourself forewarned. Again.
If you missed – or forgot about – the alert earlier this week, here it is one more time: Big events this weekend PLUS closures for the I-5 Mercer exit *and* the 520 floating bridge = potential traffic backups around the region. So say the local transportation departments, including SDOT, which is out with its weekend roundup of what’s happening where. (The Alaskan Way Viaduct *is* open this weekend – but remember that NEXT Saturday, June 25, it is scheduled to be closed most of the day for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon.)
For surface-street drivers just east of West Seattle: The recent East Marginal Way/Spokane intersection alert included a note about another upcoming project on East Marginal Way, just north of that area. Word just in from SDOT indicates that will start to affect traffic this Wednesday:
A contractor working for the Seattle Department of Transportation will reduce East Marginal Way South between South Hanford and South Horton streets to one lane in each direction starting June 15 between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. In addition, the roadway will be reduced to one shared lane for both directions of traffic, controlled by traffic flaggers, at night between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m. The work requiring this traffic pattern is expected to be completed by June 17. Drivers should expect congestion. Access to nearby businesses will be maintained.
The purpose of the work is to prepare for the bypass route that is expected to be
open to traffic on June 20 for the E. Marginal Way @ S. Horton Street Bridge
project. For more information, please see the project Web
site.
This city map shows the work zone and the bypass they hope to have in place by this time next week:
6:39 PM: A crash that involves several cars is backing up traffic on the bridge. It’s reported on the Spokane St. Viaduct near the 4th Ave exit and one tipster says traffic is being detoured at 1st.
7:46 PM UPDATE: Multiple commenters say the scene is cleared, and the bridge cams seem to bear that out. (Thanks to everyone who e-mailed and texted about this.)
Before you hit the road – one more reminder of this weekend’s traffic alerts. First, the Alaskan Way Viaduct closure, now scheduled to start at 5 am Saturday and continue till 5 am Monday (we’ll publish an update if it’s reopened sooner, as it was last time); second, here again is the citywide list of events that might affect traffic (originally published here on Wednesday). You’ll probably want to check the city’s travel-time map before heading off the peninsula. And if you do spot any UNSCHEDULED major problems, please let us know – we’ll be on duty as always and ready to share the alert.
Besides the fact the Alaskan Way Viaduct is scheduled to be closed from late Friday through early Monday – there are a variety of reasons you might encounter traffic snarls this weekend if you head eastward. SDOT is publishing Friday-Saturday-Sunday weekend advisories in advance each week, and we’re getting back to sharing them with you each week – so here’s the one that just arrived:Read More
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