White Center Now: The blog about White Center

The big 16th SW project is about to start. First, work starts today on pipelines under part of 104th. Here’s the phasing as detailed by King County Roads:

Construction will last about six weeks in three phases. Expect detours, temporary road closures, and no-parking zones at different times. Businesses will remain open! The anticipated construction dates below are subject to change due to crew or material availability.

Phase 1: March 3 – April 18

Where: SW 104th Street Between 15th Avenue SW & 16th Avenue SW
What’s happening: Replacing drainage pipes under the north side of the road
Impact: Limited parking for duration of the project, lane restrictions
Access: Local access will be open, and businesses will remain open

Phase 2: March 11 – April 1 – Intersection Closure at 16th Avenue SW & SW 104th Street

Where: The north half of the intersection where 16th Avenue SW meets SW 104th Street will be closed to all through traffic, including pedestrians and bikes.
What’s happening: Pipe replacement under the intersection
Impact: The intersection will be fully closed for two weeks. More time may be needed, depending on weather and equipment availability.
Access: Local access will be maintained on 16th Avenue SW on both sides of the road closure, and businesses will remain open

Detour route:

Northbound (toward SW Roxbury St.): SW 102nd St → 15th Ave SW → 16th Ave SW
Southbound: (toward SW 107th St.) SW 106th St → 15th Ave SW → 16th Ave SW

Phase 3: April 2 – April 18 – Limited Parking on SW 104th Street

Where: SW 104th Street between 16th Avenue SW & 17th Avenue SW
What’s happening: Final pipe replacement under the road
Impact: Limited parking for 1-2 weeks
Access: Local access will be maintained, and businesses will remain open

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

(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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

(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

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.

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.

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.”

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.”