ROAD-WORK ALERT: Myers Way closure this weekend

May 19th, 2023 Tracy Posted in Traffic, White Center news Comments Off on ROAD-WORK ALERT: Myers Way closure this weekend

The Seattle Department of Transportation will be repaving Myers Way S. all weekend, between Olson and 2nd SW, and it’ll be closed to everything but transit starting at 7 am Saturday.

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TRAFFIC ALERT: Onramp to Highway 509 closed Saturday

February 16th, 2023 Tracy Posted in Traffic, Transportation, White Center news Comments Off on TRAFFIC ALERT: Onramp to Highway 509 closed Saturday

From WSDOT:

Heads up White Center/West Seattle folks for your weekend travel!

Saturday, February 18th 6 am-6 pm
SR 509 northbound on-ramp from Myers Way S. CLOSED

Repair on extensive guardrail damage
Detour to SB SR 509 to Glendale/5th exit and enter NB SR 509

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ROAD WORK: Paving ahead for Myers Way

September 19th, 2022 Tracy Posted in Traffic, Transportation, White Center news 1 Comment »

Announced today by King County Road Services:

Sept. 21- Oct. 3: Expect delays on Myers Way S from S 99th St. to S 108th St.

Crews will temporarily close single lanes on Myers Way S between S. 99th St. and S. 108th St. for paving. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; Sept. 21 through Oct. 3. Flaggers will guide traffic through the work area. All intersecting streets and driveways to remain open at all times.

Dates are subject to change and work may be postponed due to weather.

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ROAD WORK FOLLOWUP: 15th SW reopened at Roxbury

June 16th, 2022 Tracy Posted in Traffic, White Center news Comments Off on ROAD WORK FOLLOWUP: 15th SW reopened at Roxbury

Last week, Metro sent conflicting messages about the status of 15th SW at Roxbury, but now it’s official:

The intersection has reopened completely, according to the latest RapidRide H Line update sent by Metro. And if you have questions about other work zones, here’s a perfect chance to ask:

Join us for our next virtual construction office hours on June 23, 2022, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on ZOOM
We hope you’ll join us on Zoom to learn more about the project and ask questions! These are informal events; we welcome you to come and go as you please.

How to join the meeting:

To join online: Launch Zoom meeting (Meeting ID: 867 4154 5962)
To join by phone: 1-253-215-8782 (Find your local number here)
To request interpretation services for these virtual events, please contact us before the meeting via phone, at 206-257-3079, or email us at rapidride@kingcounty.gov

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WEEKEND TRAFFIC ALERT: Paving on SW 106th

January 13th, 2022 Tracy Posted in Traffic, Transportation, West Seattle, White Center news 1 Comment »

Among the sections of local roadways where potholes have emerged and/or worsened since the recent snow, ice, and record rainfall is SW 106th. This weekend, Seattle DOT plans to repave two blocks of that street – here’s the alert:

On Saturday and Sunday, we will be repaving two blocks of SW 106th St between Seola Beach Drive and 32nd Ave SW. [map] We’ll begin this work as early as 7 AM and expect to be done by 3 PM. If you are driving on SW 106th St during this work, impacts include single lane reductions. Please anticipate traffic delays. We do not expect impacts for people walking and biking in the area.

Though this is within Seattle city limits, it’s a much-used route between White Center and West Seattle, so we thought you’d want to know.

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TRAFFIC ALERT: Southbound 15th SW to close at Roxbury next week

September 30th, 2021 Tracy Posted in Traffic, White Center news 1 Comment »

The work to get ready for converting Metro Route 120 into the RapidRide H Line continues. Some work next week will close southbound 15th SW south of Roxbury. Here’s the flyer; here are the key points:

Starting as soon as October 4, crews will be working to install new underground utilities at the southeast corner of the 15th Avenue SW and SW Roxbury Street intersection. This work is expected to last through October 8.

During this work:
-15th Avenue SW will be closed to southbound traffic at SW Roxbury Street 24 hours per day during this work.
-Detours will be in place for people driving, walking, and rolling. This includes a detour of Metro Route 120 from this section of 15th Avenue SW.
-Sidewalk and crosswalk closures will be in place.
-Access to driveways and businesses will be maintained.

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TRAFFIC ALERT: Utility work early Friday on 509, 99

August 25th, 2021 Tracy Posted in Traffic, Utilities, White Center news Comments Off on TRAFFIC ALERT: Utility work early Friday on 509, 99

If you’re planning to travel on 509 and/or 99 early Friday, be aware of this alert from Seattle City Light:

Seattle City Light crews will be replacing overhead fiberoptic cables over State Route (SR) 99 and 509. The reliability work will result in traffic impacts on Aug. 27.

To complete this work safely, Washington State Patrol troopers and construction crews must intermittently conduct rolling slowdowns of traffic in both directions of SR 99 and 509 to ensure safe work operations and passage for motorists. Traffic will be intercepted and escorted at slow speeds up to 15 minutes as crews pull overhead cables across the freeways. Traffic will return to normal speeds once vehicles pass the work area.

Rolling slowdowns will occur from 12:01 a.m. to 4 a.m. on Friday, August 27. Construction will impact vehicle traffic on SR 99 and 509 in the following areas:

State Route 99

Northbound: South 116th Way/Tukwila International Boulevard to South 96th Street
Southbound: South Kenyon Street to South 100th Street

State Route 509

Northbound: South 96th Street to South 128th Street
Southbound: South Kenyon Street to South 106th Street

Side note: This is the kind of work that went awry in the early morning hours of August 18th, leading to a major power outage and highway closure.

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TRAFFIC ALERT: 15th/Roxbury signal out

August 24th, 2021 Tracy Posted in Traffic, White Center news Comments Off on TRAFFIC ALERT: 15th/Roxbury signal out

2:25 PM: Just got word from Metro spokesperson Al Sanders that the signal at 15th/Roxbury is out because “the crew on the RapidRide H line construction hit a conduit near 15th and Roxbury, taking out power to the signal.” He says SDOT and Seattle City Light are “working to repair the break” and in the meantime they will get an officer to direct traffic (if one’s not there already).

5:17 PM: Just went by to check – still out. Sanders says it might be a few more hours.

8:01 PM: Fixed.

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TRAFFIC ALERT UPDATE: Night work for RapidRide H Line preps postponed

August 23rd, 2021 Tracy Posted in Traffic, White Center news Comments Off on TRAFFIC ALERT UPDATE: Night work for RapidRide H Line preps postponed

Just in from Metro, “Tonight’s and this week’s planned night work at the two locations (Roxbury/15th; 102nd/15th&16th) will be rescheduled to a later date.” (That’s a reference to the work we previewed last week.) No new date set yet.

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TRAFFIC ALERT: Upcoming work as part of RapidRide H Line preparations

August 19th, 2021 Tracy Posted in Traffic, White Center news 2 Comments »

(Metro photo, 15th/Roxbury)

From Metro, some specifics about upcoming work as part of the RapidRide H Line preparations:

One-block closure: Starting as soon as Aug. 23, work crews will close 15th Avenue SW between 106th and 107th streets to all general traffic. Access to businesses along this corridor will be maintained. The closure is expected to last until October 2021. During the closure, crews will construct:
-infrastructure for the future RapidRide H Line stations.
-new sidewalks, curbs, and ADA compliant ramps
-a new pedestrian signal crossing at SW 107th Street.

The southbound bus stop at 15th and 106th Street and northbound stop at 15th and 107th Street will be closed during construction. Please use stops north of 106th or south of 107th streets

Nighttime utility installations: Starting as soon as Aug. 23, crews will be working at night to install new underground utilities across the width of 15th Avenue SW from the southeast to southwest corners of the 15th Avenue SW and SW Roxbury Street intersection. Nighttime work in this location is expected to be ongoing through the end of August. During this work:
-The sidewalk and both lanes of traffic on 15th Avenue SW will be closed from the intersection south to mid-block between SW Roxbury Street and SW 98th Street
-Crews will be working weekday nights between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.
-Detours will be in place for people driving, walking, and rolling
-Access to driveways and businesses will be maintained.

Daytime sidewalk and curb construction: Crews will be installing new sidewalks and curbs along 15th Avenue SW near the SW Roxbury Street intersection starting as soon as Aug. 23. This work is expected to be ongoing through early September. During this work:
-Crews will be working weekdays between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
-Sidewalk and traffic lane closures will be in place
-Detours will be in place for people driving, walking, and rolling
-Access to driveways and businesses will be maintained.

Nighttime drainage work: On Aug. 25 and 26, work crews will perform nighttime drainage work at SW 102nd Street between 15th Avenue SW and 16th Avenue SW. During this work:
-Crews will be working between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.
-Traffic will be reduced to one lane and be guided by flaggers.

Metro Route 120 is scheduled to convert to the H Line in fall 2022.

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ROAD WORK: SW Roxbury repaving this week

July 18th, 2021 Tracy Posted in Traffic, Transportation, White Center news Comments Off on ROAD WORK: SW Roxbury repaving this week

Heads up – SW Roxbury will be repaved between 24th SW and 25th SW this week, with King County Road Services and the Seattle Department of Transportation partnering on the project. The work is planned Monday-Tuesday, 7 am-4 pm. The alert says that “traffic will be reduced to one lane with crew members directing drivers.” Also: “For people walking, rolling, and biking in the area, sidewalk access will be maintained.”

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UPDATE: 16th SW blocked after crash, gas leak

July 9th, 2021 Tracy Posted in Traffic, White Center news 1 Comment »

6:08 PM: King County Sheriff’s Deputies are blocking off 16th SW in White Center south of Roxbury after a report of a crash and possible gas leak at 16th/98th. Updates to come.

6:24 PM: Deputies have just told dispatch “the gas is off” but the closure will continue for a little while until Puget Sound Energy arrives. Our crew is now there, and a fire captain tells us they’re talking with nearby businesses to get them to “air out” as the leaked gas dissipates.

6:41 PM: Added a photo of the car that hit the gas line on the north side of Beer Star’s building.

6:50 PM: Deputies just told dispatch that all but the 16th/98th intersection can reopen; cleanup there will take a while longer. Businesses will be reopening too.

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UPDATE: Fire callout at Viva Mexico

September 29th, 2020 Tracy Posted in Fire, Traffic, White Center news 4 Comments »

11:25 PM: 16th SW is closed at SW 106th because of a fire callout at Viva Mexico restaurant. On our way to find out more.

(WCN photo)

12:10 AM: When we got there, what had been a huge callout – more than 15 units initially – was down to just a few. No sign of smoke or flames, or exterior damage, so not a major fire. We will seek more followup info later today.

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TRAFFIC & TRANSIT ALERT: Roundabout work ahead

September 9th, 2020 Tracy Posted in Metro, Traffic, White Center news Comments Off on TRAFFIC & TRANSIT ALERT: Roundabout work ahead

From King County Roads:

Starting at 7 a.m. Friday, September 11 until 11:59 p.m. Saturday, September 12, street parking will be temporarily prohibited in the following White Center locations:

• North side of SW 100th Street between 4th Avenue SW and 8th Avenue SW

• North and south sides of SW 106th Street for 100-feet east of 8th Avenue SW and first 100 feet east of 4th Avenue SW

The parking restriction is needed to allow King County Metro to reroute buses during roundabout painting work at the intersection of 8th Avenue SW and SW 102nd Street.

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STARTING SUNDAY: 1st Avenue South Bridge work closures

July 17th, 2020 Tracy Posted in Traffic, White Center news 1 Comment »

(First published on partner site West Seattle Blog)

(Reader photo)

By Tracy Record
White Center Now editor

The First Avenue South Bridge has some major work coming up: During 14 nights spread across three weeks, the northbound side will be closed for replacement of 14 of the bridge’s 96 deck panels.

The First Avenue South Bridge is actually two drawbridges – a little over half a mile long, built 40 years apart; northbound opened in 1956, southbound opened in 1996. And you should also keep in mind that it’s a state-owned-and-operated structure, so to find out more about the bridge itself, we talked with bridge-preservation engineer Evan Grimm at WSDOT (which has an FAQ page about the bridge here).

The state has ~3,000 bridges to maintain, and 40 inspectors who keep track of them – crawling under them, dangling off them, clipboards in hand. The bridges are routinely inspected every two years (that’s the federal standard, we’ve learned since the West Seattle Bridge closure). Bridges like this also get specialized inspections – underwater, for example, every five years. The state also has a full-time maintemance crew that Grimm says is “constantly out greasing gears, fixing broken wires,” etc., on bascule bridges. Even before the upcoming deck work, WSDOT was wrapping up a project upgrading mechanical and electrical equipment on the 1st Avenue South Bridge.

As for the project that starts this weekend to replace deck panels, Grimm says it’s necessary because some of the deteriorating panels are “giving us fits.” They’re trying to extend the life of the bridge – again, this is on the northbound side, now 64 years old, and Grimm notes that when it was built, they might have considered 75-80 years as a likely lifespan. “But as we look to the future, it might be a lot longer,” due in no small part to the cost of replacement.

Of those ~3,000 WSDOT bridges, by the way, only a handful are this type – primarily in Seattle and out in Aberdeen, Grimm noted. But he says with pride, this one is “a really cool bridge.”

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ... about the upcoming work on the 1st Avenue South Bridge:

-Starts Sunday night (July 19th)
-10 pm-5 am each night of work
-Northbound full closure – you won’t be able to get onto NB 509/99 from the West Seattle/South Park onramps
-Southbound remains open
-14 nights of work are planned, Sundays-Thursdays (no work on Fridays or Saturdays)
-West Seattle low bridge is open to all traffic during those hours, and you can cross the Duwamish River via the South Park Bridge, too

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ROAD-WORK ALERT: Roundabout painting next week

June 26th, 2020 Tracy Posted in King County, Traffic, Transportation, White Center news Comments Off on ROAD-WORK ALERT: Roundabout painting next week

Announced today by the county:

Beginning 7 a.m. Tuesday, June 30 through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, July 2, parking will be temporarily removed to make room for Metro bus re-rerouting during roundabout painting work on SW 100th and SW 106th streets between 8th Avenue SW and 4th Avenue SW.

Parking will be temporarily removed in the following locations:

• North side of SW 100th Street between 4th Avenue SW and 8th Avenue SW

• Both sides (north and south) of SW 106th Street, 100-feet east of 4th Avenue SW and 100-feet west of 8th Avenue SW in White Center

This will allow King County Metro enough room to reroute buses while road maintenance crews paint the roundabout at the intersection of 8th Avenue SW and SW 102nd Street. Buses will remain rerouted for the full three days to allow time for the paint to cure. This work is weather dependent.

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WHITE CENTER TRAFFIC ALERT: Roundabout work closes intersection

October 28th, 2019 Tracy Posted in Traffic, White Center news Comments Off on WHITE CENTER TRAFFIC ALERT: Roundabout work closes intersection

The 8th/102nd roundabout project has shut down that intersection through Wednesday (October 30th), according to King County Roads. It’s expected to reopen by 8 pm Wednesday.

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ROAD-WORK REMINDER: 8th/102nd roundabout

September 6th, 2019 Tracy Posted in Traffic, Transportation, White Center news 1 Comment »

Though the county had announced that work on the 8th/102nd was starting next month, apparently it didn’t, because we received word from Local Services today “that roundabout construction work on 8th Avenue SW and SW 102nd Street in White Center will begin next Monday, Sept. 9 (see alert). The work will last through early November and will require flaggers, who will guide both vehicle and pedestrian access.”

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FYI: Crash investigation off 509

August 31st, 2019 Tracy Posted in Burien, Crime, King County Sheriff's Office, Traffic, White Center news 2 Comments »

If you’re headed southbound, an FYI from KCSO:

The photo and update are via Twitter: “Collision investigation in Burien near S 128/ SB on-ramp 509. Suspect vehicle fleeing a shoplift struck a truck at a high rate of speed. Police were not involved prior to the collision. Suspect vehicle passenger critical injuries. EB S 128 will be closed while MARR investigates.”

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ROAD-WORK ALERT: 8th/102nd roundabout work starts soon

August 19th, 2019 Tracy Posted in Traffic, Transportation, White Center news 4 Comments »

King County will start work next week on the next planned roundabout, 8th/102nd, and issued an alert today:

Construction of a roundabout requiring weekday lane restrictions. Work will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. beginning Tuesday, August 27 through Monday, October 21. Work outside the traveled way may occur 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Flaggers will guide traffic through the work zone with priority given to buses. Pedestrian access will be maintained and facilitated by flaggers. Expect delays.

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