LIGHTS OUT: Next round of Seattle City Light repairs beneath the West Seattle Bridge

Thanks to David for tipping us to this by sharing an email discussion he’s been having with Seattle City Light and others. As the utility continues to deal with increased wire theft – as noted by The Seattle Times recently – it’s working to fix the resulting lights-out situations on, under, and around the West Seattle Bridge (among other places). Part of David’s exchange with SCL included this reply from a utility employee:

On the West Seattle Bridge, the streetlight crew attempted to splice together the wire that is left in an attempt to restore power to the control cabinet. That attempt failed and the only option left is to replace the entire run. This would restore the two separate circuits that feed the control cabinet. This requires coordination with SDOT because they have some control wires in the same conduit which have also been cut.

In the meantime, we have a traffic control plan and a permit to make a repair to the undermount lights, this is scheduled for the overnight Wednesday, 2/19/2020. The bike path has three sections, east, Harbor Island, and west, that will be handled separately. The plan is to start on that after the bridge upper deck lighting is completed.

The update also noted that crews have been working “7 days a week since October to address theft-related outages.” We followed up with SCL spokesperson Julie Moore to find out more about what’s planned tonight. She tells us the main work is actually planned this weekend:

We’re working to energize the undermounts along the lower deck of the bridge, though may be able to energize some on the upper level as well. Work will generally occur between 26th Avenue Southwest and Delridge Way. We’re doing prep work over the next couple days, but the actual work and any necessary no parking/lane closures will occur between 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

A wider look at the wire-theft problem is under way as part of a city-budget action last November by District 1 Councilmember Lisa Herbold, who wrote about it here.

8 Replies to "LIGHTS OUT: Next round of Seattle City Light repairs beneath the West Seattle Bridge"

  • rpo February 19, 2020 (8:47 pm)

    The lights on the eastbound (south) side on the bridge have been off for three years now right where admiral goes under the bridge. Anything to get them operating would be great. Visibility is pretty bad at night in the rain there. 

  • Steve February 19, 2020 (11:02 pm)

    They won’t last. The drug addicts take them to sell to the corrupt recycler’s who continue to buy the copper.

  • Mj February 20, 2020 (7:29 am)

    Damn this is so frustrating, I want the thieves to be caught, prosecuted and made accountable.  It’s time for old school punishment make the perps work in jail until they make enough to pay the cost to repair the damages they caused.

  • JV February 20, 2020 (9:51 am)

    The street lights for the sidewalk and on-ramp at the bus stop (by the Fire station) for West Seattle freeway eastbound have been burned out for months. Vagrants camped in tents have been under the on-ramp for months. The city has just ignored problems at this intersection despite numerous reports at their website.

  • Shadowtripper February 20, 2020 (3:58 pm)

    Please change the Seattle laws protecting the criminals…. Install cameras!   It’s not an invasion of privacy, it’s become, in this world, a necessary evil.   Never going to be enough police to patrol our streets… one person watching 50 cameras can do wonders to slow down these thieves by dispatching police to the site or identify them.  The world has changed and Big Brother is needed as long as perpetrators run free.

    • AMD February 20, 2020 (5:45 pm)

      If cameras stopped crime, package theft wouldn’t exist.

      • SKE February 21, 2020 (10:01 pm)

        AMD You are 100% correct. I am so sick of watching my video footage of other victims video footage of them being ripped off !! It was never like this and now that it is it is going to take a lot of work to turn it around. I for one have had more than enough of this Bull****!!

  • face February 22, 2020 (9:58 am)

    maybe we should redesign the lights with a new “shock” feature that can only be turned off by City of Seattle when they are installing / or when they require maintenance.  This way, when the criminals climb up there to steal them again, they will receive a shock that inspires them not to steal. 

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