Tag Archives: detours

Getting Around

Columbian Way ramps to West Seattle and southbound I-5 closed this weekend

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by Broch Bender, WSDOT

If you’re traveling from Beacon Hill to West Seattle or southbound I-5 this weekend, plan ahead. The S. Columbian Way shortcuts to the west and south will be off-limits to traffic around-the-clock for WSDOT bridge expansion joint replacement work. (Keep in mind, the detour may add five or ten minutes to your Costco run or West Seattle Junction jaunt.)

Here’s what’s closed: 10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18 through 5 a.m. Monday, Jan. 21

  • S. Columbian Way to southbound I-5
  • S. Columbian Way to West Seattle Bridge
  • S. Columbian Way to 6th Ave. S. (AKA: Route to Costco)

The signed detour will direct Beacon Hill drivers south on 15th Ave. S. to a turn-around point on Corson Ave. S. From there motorists can access southbound I-5, or follow signs to West Seattle and 6th Ave. S. using northbound I-5.

Residents living near I-5 may hear loud construction work, especially at night. Crews will shroud the work zone with noise-deadening shields, but if it’s too noisy, residents can pick up a free pair of earplugs at the Jefferson Community Center (3801 Beacon Ave. S.) or call the project’s 24-hour construction noise hotline at (206) 440-4DOT (4368).

Getting Around, Health and Safety

WSDOT warns neighborhood: construction to be noisy

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Enjoy holiday peace and quiet while you can. According to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), neighbors living near I-5 need to prepare for noisy construction work over 11 weekends starting on January 4, 2013 and ending in April. This is to replace 31 steel expansion joints in ramps on northbound I-5 near Georgetown, and between I-5 and the West Seattle Bridge, 6th Avenue South, South Spokane Street, and Columbian Way South.

WSDOT warns that nearby neighbors may hear jackhammers, sawcutters, air-powered tools, and other noise. Work crews will use noise shields when feasible. If you want to ensure your sound sleep, free earplugs are available to nearby residents; call 206-440-4699 for more information.

Along with the noise, there will be complete closures of the affected ramps during work weekends, and occasionally during the week. Detours will be provided.

See more about the project here.

Getting Around, Other Neighborhoods

Airport Way South Viaduct Construction to Begin November 28

The Airport Way South Viaduct in neighboring Georgetown, just north of South Lucile Street, will be closed to all traffic beginning on November 28 for up to 14 months while the bridge is rehabilitated by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT).

Vehicles and pedestrians will be detoured to Fourth Avenue South via South Lucile and South Industrial Way, and bicycles will be detoured all the way west to First Avenue South via South Lander Street. (Which seems like a heck of a long detour.) Denver Avenue South and South Dawson Street between Lucile and Fourth will be used as a northbound truck detour route. See a map of the detour routes here.

Crews will work from 6 a.m to 5 p.m. weekdays, as well as on some nights and weekends. Expect traffic delays in the area.

The rehabilitation project includes seismic retrofitting of the 83-year-old bridge just west of Beacon Hill and I-5. The viaduct bears 13,000 vehicles daily.

The project website is here.

Getting Around

Construction to detour traffic 7/8-9 near Cleveland HS

Street improvements in Georgetown will force traffic to be detoured past Cleveland High School on the nights of July 8 and 9. Be prepared for congestion and delays in the area, and when driving down to Georgetown.

Here is the explanation from the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT):

On Thursday and Friday July 8 and 9, SDOT’s contractor will work at night to repave Ellis Avenue South and South Albro Place between East Marginal Way South and Stanley Avenue South. If weather is favorable, this work will take two nights to complete, from 7 p.m. each night through 5 a.m. the next morning.

During this nighttime work, one lane will remain open for westbound traffic on Albro Place and for southbound traffic on Ellis Avenue. However, these streets will be closed to northbound and eastbound traffic during the night, and traffic will be detoured over I-5, and then circled back to Albro Place. More specifically, the detour will direct traffic from East Marginal Way South onto Corson Avenue South, then to South Lucille Street, then to 15th Avenue South, and then to Swift Avenue South to return to South Albro Place.

Uniformed police officers will assist traffic.

There may be short-term cross street and driveway restrictions (two to four hours). Bus stops may be closed or relocated. There will be parking and loading restrictions near the work zone. Please note — vehicles parked on the street in No Parking zones will be towed.

Drivers should expect traffic congestion and delays, and may want to consider using alternate routes.


View Detours, July 8 and 9, 2011 in a larger map

Getting Around

Closures complicate trips to West Seattle, Sodo

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Getting to West Seattle and Sodo from Beacon Hill is going to get more complicated, starting tonight. As we’ve reported previously, the Fourth Avenue South off-ramp from the West Seattle viaduct will be closing permanently starting at 10:00 pm tonight, eventually to be replaced by a new off-ramp at First Avenue South.

Spokane Street (at surface level) will be closed from First to Sixth avenues, though business access will be preserved. The eastbound lanes will reopen sometime in 2010, and the westbound lanes will be closed for the duration of the project.

In more short-term closures, the northbound I-5 ramp to the West Seattle Bridge will close at 10:00 pm tonight and reopen at 5:00 am on Monday. The ramp from westbound Columbian Way to the West Seattle Bridge will also be closed for the entire weekend.

Fourth Avenue South will be closed entirely between South Horton Street and Industrial Way South from 10:00 tonight until 5:00 am tomorrow morning, with possible further restrictions as needed, and the same stretch of road will be reduced to one lane in each direction for at least a month after that. This may include full closure of northbound lanes at night.

Expect detours and congestion both on I-5 and in the Sodo area over the weekend. See maps and further info here, and more about the project here.

Getting Around

Updated info on this weekend’s I-5 closures


View I-5 Closure December 12-13, 2009 in a larger map.
The section marked in red will be closed December 12 until the next morning. The marked on-ramps will also be closed.

(This is an updated version of an article posted last week. The locations of some of the closures are going to be slightly different this time.)

Getting to and from Beacon Hill via Interstate 5 could be a bit more difficult this weekend. Six miles of northbound I-5 through south Seattle will be closed on Saturday night for workers to install new overhead sign bridges.

All lanes of northbound I-5 will be closed from 11:30 pm Saturday, December 12, to 8:00 am Sunday, December 13, between Boeing Access Road and I-90. Street. On-ramps in the area will start closing as early as 9 p.m.

These on-ramps will be closed from 9:00 pm Saturday to 8:00 am Sunday:

  • Boeing Access Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Way S. to northbound I-5
  • Swift Avenue S./S. Graham Street to northbound I-5
  • Corson Avenue/S. Michigan Street to northbound I-5
  • West Seattle Bridge/Columbian Way to northbound I-5

There will be a signed detour to direct drivers to exit at Martin Luther King Way (exit 157) to Airport Way, and back onto I-5 via Edgar Martinez Drive/SR 519. Consider taking alternate routes like I-405 or SR 99 to avoid long delays and backups.

You can see more about the new overhead sign bridges here. The sign bridges are funded by the Alaskan Way Viaduct program, and are intended to improve traffic flow during the demolition and replacement of the Viaduct. The signs will be activated next summer.

Getting Around

Northbound I-5 to be closed near Beacon Hill next two Saturday nights


View I-5 Closure December 5-6 2009 in a larger map
The section marked in red will be closed the next two Saturday nights. The section marked in blue will be closed December 12 until the next morning. The marked on-ramps will also be closed.

Getting to and from Beacon Hill via Interstate 5 could be a bit more difficult over the next couple of Saturdays. Six miles of northbound I-5 through south Seattle will be closed on the next two Saturday nights for workers to install new overhead sign bridges.

All lanes of northbound I-5 will be closed from 11:30 pm Saturday, December 5, to 8:00 am Sunday, December 6, between Boeing Access Road and Spokane Street. On-ramps in the area will start closing as early as 9 p.m.

These ramps will be closed from 9:00 pm Saturday to 8:00 am Sunday:

  • Boeing Access Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Way S. to northbound I-5
  • Swift Avenue S./S. Graham Street to northbound I-5
  • Corson Avenue/S. Michigan Street to northbound I-5

The following Saturday, all lanes of northbound I-5 will be closed from 11:30 pm December 12 to 8:00 am December 13 between Boeing Access Road and I-90.

There will be a signed detour to direct drivers to exit at Martin Luther King Way (exit 157) to Airport Way, and back onto I-5 via Edgar Martinez Drive/SR 519. Consider taking alternate routes like I-405 or SR 99 to avoid long delays and backups.

You can see more about the new overhead sign bridges here. The sign bridges are funded by the Alaskan Way Viaduct program, and are intended to improve traffic flow during the demolition and replacement of the Viaduct. The signs will be activated next summer.

Getting Around

15th Ave S closed, will reopen by 5:00 pm; Beacon Ave partially closed on Saturday

We reported a couple of days ago that 15th Avenue South would be closed between South Atlantic Street and South College Street for repair this Saturday.

However, Marybeth Turner from SDOT reports that the plan was changed, and if you live in that area, you might already have noticed:

The plan for performing the paving work on 15th Avenue South this weekend fell through. When the crew chief found that he had the crews and equipment available today, he seized the opportunity and went ahead with the work. They expect to have the street completely open by 5:00 p.m. I apologize for the lack of warning about the schedule change.

In further street construction news, paving crews will work in the 5300 block of Beacon Avenue South on Saturday, starting at 8:00 a.m. The street will be closed to southbound traffic between South Bennett Street and South Brandon Street until 8:00 a.m on Sunday. A detour will be provided. The crews will repair pavement that was previously excavated for work on underground utilities.

Thanks for the updates, Marybeth!

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: Street repair, home values, and the Great Seattle Fire

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Courtesy of Seattle Municipal Archives
Courtesy of Seattle Municipal Archives
  • The Seattle Department of Transportation will be working on 15th Avenue South this Saturday, June 6, from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, repairing pavement. The street will be closed to all traffic except for local access, pedestrians, and bicyclists, between South Atlantic Street (on the north) and South College Street (on the south). 14th Avenue south is the detour route. The street will open to northbound traffic at 3:00 pm, and for both directions at 6:00.
  • June 6 is also the 120th anniversary of the Great Seattle Fire. Commemorate it by checking your smoke detectors and fire extinguishers.
  • While housing in the rest of King County lost value last year, Beacon Hill and Rainier Valley home prices went up, perhaps a result of the soon-to-be-open light rail line. This news gives at least one Beacon Hill resident reason to smile.
  • Art On Airport, an artists’ open studio event, is happening just down the hill in Georgetown on Saturday, June 13, from 11:00 am – 7:00 pm. Artists in the Sunny Arms Artists Cooperative, the Old Rainier Brewery and the 4810 Building will welcome visitors into their studios to see painting, sculpture, photography, and printmaking, as well as performing arts. It’s free and open to the public.
  • Following up on a post from December 12: the elderly woman found in her home on 26th Avenue South covered in maggots and filth, is now being cared for in a nursing home. Her daughter, Margaret A. George, has been charged with criminal mistreatment and theft. She is scheduled to be arraigned June 9 in King County Superior Court.
  • Don’t forget to check our events calendar to see what’s going in the next few days, including the SNAP Disaster Preparedness workshop on Thursday and the Beacon Hill Festival on Saturday!