Feds fail to fund South Park Bridge replacement proposal

King County Executive Dow Constantine says he’ll keep pushing for federal help to replace the South Park Bridge – which the county has said will have to close, , potentially as soon as this summer, if money can’t be found to keep it open. This, as word comes that the county did NOT get the “TIGER” grant (explained here) it was seeking (here’s a national overview on what DID get funded – locally, it included the city’s “Mercer Mess” $30 million request). We’re pursuing other details on this, but for starters, read on for Constantine’s statement (followed by, added 3:19 pm, Councilmember Jan Drago‘s statement):

First, Constantine’s statement:

“I am very disappointed for the people of King County that our application for federal stimulus funding to replace the South Park Bridge was not approved.

“While the bridge competed against a lot of other worthy projects, replacing this key transportation link is imperative to the economic health of affordable, diverse neighborhoods and the hundreds of industrial businesses that depend on direct vehicular access to State Route 99 and Interstate 5. It may not be a glamorous or high-profile project, but it’s one that is vitally important to our economy and our society.

“I am determined to pursue funding for this project through future TIGER grant cycles, the jobs bill, other federal appropriations, and the state Legislature. I thank Senator Patty Murray and the Washington delegation for their unwavering support of federal funding for this project. It’s my hope that their hard work will keep the South Park Bridge near the top of the list in future funding cycles.

“I will also keep working with the King County Council to explore funding options that can provide a local match to federal funding opportunities for this and other unfunded projects around the county.

“Under the Road Services Division budget adopted by the Council last fall, the bridge is scheduled to be closed at the end of June, and eventually removed.”

ADDED 3:19 PM: Statement from Councilmember Jan Drago, recently appointed to represent the 8th District, which includes West Seattle, South Park, White Center, and other areas:

“I was disappointed to learn that the South Park Bridge project did not receive any federal stimulus grant money. While I am glad to see that the hard work and coordination at all levels of government did reap some rewards by way of $30 million in federal dollars for the Mercer Street project—a critical regional connection that will bring much needed jobs and economic stimulus to our area—we have scores of other infrastructure projects in King County and throughout the Puget Sound region that lack funding.

“I look forward to working with the King County Executive, my fellow Councilmembers, the city of Seattle and our state and federal leaders on solutions for the South Park Bridge project that will protect the safety of all drivers, and provide freight capacity for the Duwamish area.”

24 Replies to "Feds fail to fund South Park Bridge replacement proposal"

  • CB February 17, 2010 (11:53 am)

    Mayor McGinn must be very pleased about this.

  • k February 17, 2010 (12:02 pm)

    Without replacement this will be devastating for this neighborhood.

  • Paul February 17, 2010 (12:22 pm)

    Without replacement this will be devastating for ALL OF SEATTLE!!!

  • sam February 17, 2010 (12:26 pm)

    that IS disappointing- with the bridge, it’s safety issues, but the ‘mercer mess’ is more about traffic, convenience, and beautification for the growing SLU neighborhood (pedestrian safety too, I guess). however, it seems like an unsafe bridge that will have to close should have priority over that.

  • KBear February 17, 2010 (12:44 pm)

    “Mayor McGinn must be very pleased about this.”

    Let’s start a petition for a tunnel under the river. Just to p*ss him off…

  • dsa February 17, 2010 (1:17 pm)

    Someone, and I mean someone locally needs to be held accountable for the current state of affairs in this situation. To blame the feds now for not having funding available is no excuse for extremely poor advance planning.

  • Jeff February 17, 2010 (1:42 pm)

    Nobody is ever held accountable dsa. For better or for worse, this is a one party town.

  • mikeHLandPark February 17, 2010 (2:07 pm)

    I feel bad for the businesses of South Park. They will lose the Boeing lunch business. I can’t believe Seattle sits by and watches this happen considering SP is part of Seattle as well as the eastern side of the bridge.

  • Chris February 17, 2010 (5:15 pm)

    You think Seattle cares about South Park?

  • Cathy February 17, 2010 (5:55 pm)

    Why would McGinn be pleased about this?

  • 4thGenWestSide February 17, 2010 (7:42 pm)

    You notice they did find money to give to Paul Allen’s area of town (Denny Way) to pretty it up for his big development. How much was it, $30,000,000? Sad. What a kick in the teeth for South Park.

  • flynlo February 17, 2010 (8:23 pm)

    I see that both Senators Murray & Cantwell are blowing their horns over the Mercer St. grant. But what would you expect. If Paul Allen and Joe Sixpack called, who do you think they would respond to? It seems to make no difference that the Mercer St “fix” will do very little, if anything, towards improving commute times but it sure will look pretty!! South Park Bridge scores a 4 out of 100 on the Federal Highway Administration bridge ranking scale. Approx. 23% of Seattle’s population resides west of the Duwamish. Closure will remove 20% of the access routes over the Duwamish. Come on folks, let ALL of your elected representatives know how you feel!
    Even replacing the Magnolia bridge would make more sense than the Mercer St. fix.

  • dsa February 17, 2010 (8:45 pm)

    We trust our transportation officials and elected politicians to protect our infrastructure. This would include convincing Washington DC, the Federal Highway Administration that this bridge is not only a vital link, but part of the very fabric of our society. I suspect the fed saw the 1st South Bridge as a viable close by alternate. But I also expect King county failed to argue that 1st south is the *only* alternate in this earthquake etc. area.

    King county DOT (whatever they call themselves) failed, and the politicians failed. They need to be called out and replaced. If it had been a brand new bridge and collapsed due to design or faulty materials we would know their name in a heartbeat.

  • gary February 17, 2010 (10:40 pm)

    Why ask the Fed for the dough? They are broke. Let’s send Christine straight to China for the loan and cut out the middleman.

  • Mark February 17, 2010 (10:52 pm)

    Hey Seattleites, the proctologist called.

    He found your heads.

    I have been here for most of my days, so I am culpable as well.

    What the hell is wrong with us?

    We have many bright folks in this city, and yet those folks do not run for office. We inform ourselves with the likes of Eyman and the petulant, whiny, dolt Dori Monson, or conversely, some lefty-do-wrong.

    We remodel one stadium and blow up another, then build two more, before we even retire the debt of the first one.

    We dismiss a Mayor that actually got sh*t done, primarily because we can’t suck it up, shovel our own driveways, and install a set of chains on our vehicles.

    We have a bridge that is a vital connector to a nice little working class area of the city. It has been on our chore list for years, but we let it languish, and then desperately seek to get it funded by the feds.

    And what do we do?

    Continue in the murky din, with our heads deeply buried, nibbling on polyps.

  • Chris February 18, 2010 (8:45 am)

    Not to mention that during Viaduct construction the South Park Bridge will be(well, would have been) a very viable alternative route for a lot of us in south West Seattle.

  • michael February 18, 2010 (8:50 am)

    we dont need the bridge—-too costly——we need more
    tax breaks for the rich so they can buy more politicians !!

  • sam February 18, 2010 (9:06 am)

    fyi: Dow is going to be KUOW this morning (the 9:00 am program), wonder if he will bring it up

  • Sel February 18, 2010 (3:20 pm)

    I had crossed my fingers this wouldn’t happen. It was devistating enough when 14th Ave was being worked on. Didn’t the City get a clue then on how important that area is to those of us who live, work and/or do business there? That bridge is a life line just as much as the 1st Ave Bridge. I actually want to cry and I don’t even have to use that bridge as often any longer. I would complain bitterly if it became a toll bridge but that would still be better than no bridge at all.

  • Sel February 18, 2010 (3:31 pm)

    Just talked to a business owner in SP to sympathize and make an appt. He told me they were all assured over the last 13 years that the money would be there when needed, so the only problem was supposed to be over what kind of bridge. Any extra $ I make will definitely be spent in SP getting the best take-out spagetti, fantastic veg burritos, and to see the most trustworthy mechanics in town.

  • Jen February 18, 2010 (10:24 pm)

    My husband and I use the South Park bridge every weekday to commute to work via I-5. The bridge was closed for 3 days last week and traffic was a complete disaster. Didn’t anyone else experience this? So many trucks use the SP bridge and the closure meant they were re-routed onto 1st Ave. S bridge. The backup getting on to the bridge from 99 was a least a mile long. Closing the SP Bridge will make life much more difficult for all of us who use it.

    I for one will be contacting representatives in government and I hope that others will too. It is so unlikely that many people who live in SP will get very organized about this…most are simply trying to get by on a daily basis and don’t have time or energy to fight it. I’m not even sure who to contact in the government but I will try to find out and post the information here when I do.

  • Jen February 18, 2010 (10:41 pm)

    Here is the contact information for some of our officials. Please contact them and explain how the closure of the SP Bridge will affect our community.

    Jan Drago: jan.drago@seattle.gov

    Dow Constantine: kcexec@kingcounty.gov

    Mayor’s office: (206) 684-4000 (could not find an email address for the Mayor! Could that be right? No email to the Mayor? And he supposedly wants people’s input? Hmm).

  • gary February 19, 2010 (9:25 am)

    Obummer is spending a whole 7% of his stimulus pkge for infrustucture projects. Maybe he can divert some ACORN cash toward our bridge.

  • flynlo February 19, 2010 (11:20 am)

    Jan – You have to contact the mayor thru his web page – just as Nickels never published an e-mail address. They just want to make it more difficult for you to keep track of your contacts with them – this way you can’t cc yourself on the message!

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