Initial stabilization measures on West Seattle Bridge completed

West Seattle Bridge Interior – Post-tensioning Strands, November 2020. (SDOT / Flickr)

Late last week, the Seattle Department of Transportation announced that it had completed initial emergency measures to stabilize the West Seattle high-rise bridge.

The completion of this work sets the course for the next repair phase, which is to take place later in 2021. The emergency stabilization work of the past eight months was necessary to complete the repairs and the remaining work, SDOT stated in a written notice.

West Seattle Bridge has been closed since March 2020 after engineers found growing cracks. While a task force and city officials were considering whether to repair or replace the bridge, SDOT began the stabilization work that helped stop the cracks.

Stabilization measures included adding steel tension cables, carbon fiber jacketing, releasing and replacing Pier 18 bearings, and an intelligent monitoring system. Going forward, SDOT will continue to monitor and periodically inspect the West Seattle Bridge. Full bridge repairs will depend on how the now stabilized bridge reacts to seasonal temperature changes.

Since Mayor Jenny Durkan has decided to repair the bridge, it should be open to the public again in 2022.

Right now, SDOT says it is “taking a number of steps to keep traffic going in West Seattle and the Duwamish Valley,” which includes “dozens of bike, cargo and traffic mitigation projects to improve mobility.”

The lower bridge is currently operating with limited capacity, limited to emergency vehicles, transit, cargo, vanpools, employer shuttles, and a handful of people, such as dock workers and businesses in West Seattle. The aim is to keep this low bridge as free from traffic jams as possible.

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Photo control is now also active on the low bridge and for ticket drivers who use the bridge between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. who are not part of the restricted group. However, there is a push to allow rescue workers and patients access to the bridge.

Chris Sullivan of KIRO Radio contributed to this report.