Followup: No formal request yet for “low bridge” change

March 12, 2010 at 4:51 pm | In Spokane St. Viaduct project, Transportation, West Seattle news | 15 Comments

(Thursday night photo by Christopher Boffoli)
As reported here a week ago, May 17 is now set as the date when the city will permanently close the 1st Avenue South/South Spokane onramp to the westbound West Seattle Bridge – and that means no access to The Bridge between I-5 and Highway 99 until the new 1st Avenue South on/offramp opens more than a year and a half later. In the meantime, more traffic will be using the “low bridge” – including rerouted Metro buses – so it’s been suggested that the city should reopen its request for restrictions on marine use of that bridge during rush hours. (In 2008, the U.S. Coast Guard rejected a request for permanent restrictions.) This week, we checked with the city regarding the status of a new request to the USCG; SDOT communications manager Rick Sheridan tells us today it hasn’t been formally filed yet:

SDOT is interested in temporarily prohibiting evening rush hour openings of the Lower Spokane Street Swing Bridge starting in May, when a new phase of work begins on the Spokane Street Viaduct. While we believe this proposal has merit, we also understand there might be impacts to some marine users. We are currently in conversations about it with the marine industry, the Port of Seattle and the US Coast Guard, which is an important coordinating step prior to submitting a formal request to the Coast Guard.

City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, chair of the Transportation Committee and main backer of the previous proposal to restrict rush-hour openings, says he’s aware of this and “willing to help.”

15 Comments

  1. this is a great shot

    Comment by roguedelux — 5:46 pm March 12, 2010 #

  2. I agree, great picture – concrete movement -
    Christopher & the WS Blog should do a gallery show of his pictures from the blog & then auction of the pictures for a great cause – …..hmmm

    Comment by waman — 5:49 pm March 12, 2010 #

  3. It *is* a great shot. We are lucky to be able to publish some of Christopher’s work. He shot this last night when helping check out the “low bridge malfunction” situation, ironically … I never got around to adding one to our story from last night but was glad to have the chance to use in this one today – TR

    Comment by WSB — 5:51 pm March 12, 2010 #

  4. Absolutely fabulous foto!

    Comment by Kayzel — 6:01 pm March 12, 2010 #

  5. Thanks TR for following up on the low-bridge issue with the city. This is going to go very quickly from “important” to “urgent” when they close that onramp.

    Comment by KSJ — 6:01 pm March 12, 2010 #

  6. I love the photo too. :)

    Comment by ad — 6:40 pm March 12, 2010 #

  7. that is an oddly beautiful photo.

    Comment by HelperMonkey — 7:02 pm March 12, 2010 #

  8. Absolutely beautiful photo! I wish Christopher sold his photos, I would have bought several by now. :-)

    Comment by LS — 7:12 pm March 12, 2010 #

  9. They could have staged the construction schedule and re-opened the old (previously closed) Fourth Ave westbound on-ramp; while the First Ave on ramp got reconstructed.

    Would that cost more, yes. Does re-routing traffic and the resultant congestion cost anything? You better believe it does.

    Comment by dsa — 7:35 pm March 12, 2010 #

  10. What a SPECTACULAR image!!!!!!!!

    Wow, Christopher. lately your captures are just so..so….GOOD!

    I think the idea of a gallery of shots is a really neat idea.
    If we are voting, that is my vote.

    Comment by d — 10:28 pm March 12, 2010 #

  11. lets not forget that they are about to close the South Park Bridge. We are about to be trapped in WS.

    Comment by sophista-tiki — 8:10 am March 13, 2010 #

  12. dsa-
    I agree with you, and actually wrote last year to the city about temporarily using the 4th Ave onramp during the construction & removal of the 1st Ave onramp (safety issues would be better if all of the westbound traffic merged into one lane left before 4th Ave onramp). Of course, they would not consider it, responding back that the 4th Ave onramp & exit ramps were connected (which they were not).

    Now it’s too late- the ramp is gone & we are stuck with no reasonable access to the WS bridge from anywhere south of the city. The city’s solution of “just” accessing 99 South or I-5 to the bridge, is absurd, and the lower bridge will be a nightmare also.

    Comment by tk — 10:23 am March 13, 2010 #

  13. Thanks for the compliments! A higher-resolution image from that set is available for free downloading (personal, non-commercial use only please) at this link: http://bit.ly/d2HNYG

    Comment by cjboffoli — 11:08 am March 13, 2010 #

  14. I was told a number of years ago that the Fourth Ave westbound on-ramp was closed because of the many accidents that took place there. So I do understand why that is not an option. I rather spend more time getting home than getting badly injury or killed

    Comment by Mike — 1:54 pm March 13, 2010 #

  15. Mike
    The Fourth Ave westbound on-ramp was closed because it was too close to the First Ave westbound on-ramp.

    Please remember how old the Spokane Street Viaduct is. It was constructed for much slower and lower volume traffic. In fact the Fourth Ave northbound off ramp used to serve both eastbound and *westbound* traffic.

    If the city had thought about it and cared they could have maintained access to West Seattle. But as TK said above they responded with nonsense to the suggestion.

    Comment by dsa — 1:17 am March 15, 2010 #

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