West Seattle photographer’s new views of South Park Bridge work

| South Park | West Seattle news

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With our recent traffic woes, more than a few West Seattleites might have wondered how things are going with the new South Park Bridge. Gatewood photographer/pilot Long B. Nguyen answers the question by sharing these two views from over the project. What’s left of the old bridge – closed a year and a half ago, its drawspan removed – is right next to where the new one is being built; the squares you see in the water are the “main bascule piers” for the new bridge, according to its official county webpage. It’s expected to open in mid-2013. Here’s the view from directly overhead:

P.S. If you’re interested in ground photos, King County Road Services is working with a photographer to document the progress – you’ll find plenty of photos, including some from just two weeks ago, here.

WS Neighbor February 3, 2012 (9:46 pm)

New Southpark bridge planned to open mid-2013?? It was supposed to be just two years. Instead, it will be three years that this small community has suffered financial losses most of us cannot imagine. No way this would happen with the Magnolia Bridge.

WSB February 3, 2012 (10:03 pm)

The construction started in May 2011 – so that will be two years of construction. At the time the bridge closed almost a year earlier, they weren’t even sure they would get full funding for a replacement, but, the county insisted they had to close it anyway … TR

jens February 3, 2012 (11:46 pm)

Thanks Long

Westside J. February 4, 2012 (12:23 am)

So they couldn’t do what they have thus far with the old bridge still operating?? Even if they had to begin construction years ago before they closed it?? The old
Bridge was there and ailing for quite a few years before they all the sudden decided it wasn’t safe any more, I worked on boats my whole life in the marina in it’s shadow.

Snow Wimp February 4, 2012 (7:31 am)

Wow, that bridge is coming along nicely.

miws February 4, 2012 (7:32 am)

Westside J, As I recall, in a nutshell, the main concern was the repeated openings and closings.

Apparently, at least part of the problem was an alignment issue of the two halves of the bridge. They’d pretty much done about as much grinding down of the parts of the bridge deck that had to mesh together as they could.

Mike

sophista-tiki February 4, 2012 (8:01 am)

So many things wrong with how (they) handled all of the road/bridge construction getting in and out of West Seattle in the first place.Thre south Park bridge should never have been out of commission at the same time as the viaduct construction hell. I cant wait for thr South park Bridge to open again, But you know whats next, new bridge, under developed waterfront property close to down town, crappy townhose and multi use condo towers here we come. Must destroy quaint and charming neighborhood to cram more people in per sq in. Seems to be the way they do things around here. Only its called ” cleaning it up”

Tracy White February 4, 2012 (8:05 am)

What else are they supposed to do with the population continuing to grow? Until such time as people stop having babies, “progress” is going to continue!

Smart than you February 4, 2012 (9:47 am)

Umm remember the mudslide year. When homes where going into the Puget sound? It took out the magnolia bridge too. It was shut down for two years. So yes DOT would do it to the rich people in Magnolia.

Lura Ercolano February 4, 2012 (10:24 am)

I love seeing these pictures. I love that the community has a first class news business keeping us informed.

I think that’s really the only thing that would be different in Magnolia. They don’t have the WSB.

dsa February 4, 2012 (11:19 am)

I’m thankful to WSB for providing a conduit to raise the awareness that crossing is part of the fabric of Seattle. Without our collective voices I doubt 2013 would have been on the horizon for a completion date.

DF February 4, 2012 (12:57 pm)

My great grandfather early in the last century use to bring produce by horse drawn cart to sell from his farm in south park to pike place market along. Bridges like this was vital to our grass roots here in Seattle. The photographer Stamets I saw some of his work large scale and black and white of the previous bridge and other notable such structures in the NW. All done documentary style, amazing.

Snow Wimp February 4, 2012 (7:05 pm)

A positive shout-out to public servants, engineers, and contractors for getting things done quickly.

Good golly, it must be frustrating to hear the whining and should-have-beens, and arm chair “quarterbacking” by the so-called experts.

An enormous amount of positive things get accomplished in Seattle.

I get a big kick out of the chronic whiners. Ohhh. That bridge should have been finished years ago. Who needs a beautiful set of stairs from 61st? Why isn’t MY street plowed when we get snow? Why is the West Seattle Bridge closed – the city should have called me personally.

And my favorite: The Seattle teachers are just too lazy to want to make up the two snow days.

Well, I will make one final observation: who in their right mind would want to be a teacher and listen to the whining by a handful of pathetic ingrates? Not me. Say what you will, but teaching is a tough job. Heck, it would be hard to take a teaching job even if they taught for one month and had the other eleven months off. Non-stop complaining by a handful of people that simply have no clue.

Ingrates: How would you like to be YOUR teacher? YUCK.

WSB February 4, 2012 (7:13 pm)

Snow, I think you may inadvertently have sparked an idea there about the bridge-closure calls. Robo-calls have been deployed for lesser matters than a weekendlong bridge closure.

VBD February 4, 2012 (9:19 pm)

It shouldn’t be overlooked that the first picture includes a the former site of the historic Boeing buildings where thousands of planes were built, including most of the B-17s that fought in WW2, as well as B-29s and B-52s. The 2-40 and 2-41 buildings were quite historic, but are now gone, as evidenced in the photo.. Sad.

http://www.wavy.com/dpps/entertainment/photo_galleries/gallery-in-us-boeing-tearing-down-historic-plant-2-jgr_3580512

DF February 4, 2012 (10:44 pm)

Thank you very much for the link VBD.

By and by February 5, 2012 (8:54 am)

Thank you, Snow Wimp, for calling out all the self-imagined brainiacs and big thinkers who plague this town. When everyone thinks they’re the smartest kid in the room, and in love with the sound of their own voice, it’s hard to get anything done. That, much more than the “Seattle process” (which was developed by the brainiacs) is what causes everything to take forever.

The result, unfortunately, is that the ones who scream the loudest and longest are the ones who get their way.