WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE CLOSURE: Councilmember Herbold’s updates; SDOT reiterates low-bridge restrictions

(WSB photo, low-bridge enforcement earlier this week)

5:35 PM: If you’re not on Councilmember Lisa Herbold‘s email list, you can read her latest update on the West Seattle Bridge closure here. Along with some recaps of other recent developmenss, the roundup starts with an update on how one public-safety agency is reviewing how the high-bridge closure is affecting response levels:

With the length of the bridge closure uncertain, but not short, ensuring good access to fire and EMS services in West Seattle is of vital importance.

My office inquired with Fire Chief Scoggins about Fire and EMS response in West Seattle during the closure of the West Seattle Bridge. Chief Scoggins noted in an update,

“The Seattle Fire Department is currently conducting a comprehensive GIS analysis of the impacts on fire and EMS response times due to the closure of the West Seattle Bridge. We expect that analysis to be completed by April 17.

“The analysis includes a review of response times before and after the bridge closure, how often and when the lower bridge opens for marine traffic as well as the delays caused by rail traffic.

“During the Spokane Street Viaduct construction project another ladder truck was added in West Seattle with funding provided by the Seattle Department of Transportation. This deployment model is just one of several options we will be considering.”

Read the rest of the update here.

9:20 PM: In her post, Councilmember Herbold mentions an announcement SDOT was to make today reiterating the low-bridge restrictions. That’s finally appeared tonight on SDOT Blog.

Krawl April 10, 2020 (5:50 pm)

I feel we shouldn’t have to pay property taxes until the bridge is fixed. It’s their negligence that caused this.

Karl Tull April 10, 2020 (7:00 pm)

I agree with no or significantly reduced property taxes for West Seattle. It is certain that our property values have taken a steep nosedive— we’re now an island off the heart of Seattle with a crappy commute 😢
- Question Authority April 10, 2020 (11:11 pm)
  
  Boo Hoo about your value because I’ll bet you moved to WS by way of that bridge and now your unhappy about your choice.
  - ? April 11, 2020 (8:29 am)
    
    Wtf? Why would you say this? That’s really rude. You don’t know why they might have moved there, and even so, they could not have predicted this due to the 0 warning SDOT provided about the bridge.
  - Question Stupidity April 11, 2020 (6:11 pm)
    
    Question Authority, I question your intelligence. If all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail.
KBear April 10, 2020 (7:28 pm)

“Their negligence”—Who’s “they”? The bridge was built decades ago. We pay taxes for the common good. If anything, taxes will need to be raised to fix this, and you and your fellow tax scolds can jolly well pay your share.
- Andy April 10, 2020 (7:57 pm)
  
  Their as in SDOT! I don’t understand how you can defend them! The cracks started in 2013. Yes, these type of bridges are design to have cracks, but at some point it was getting worst. Even if it wasn’t a structural issue, I would have identified the cause and fix it before allowing it to get to this point. Do you drive your car until the engine blows up or do you take it in as soon as there is a sign of an issue appear?
  - 98116 April 10, 2020 (8:54 pm)
    
    No bridge will be without some manageable defects over time, but it started splitting exponentially, so they shut it down. Not sure that the engineers that built it in the 80s would have guessed Amazon would be dumping people into this neighborhood by the thousands with a mile of traffic just parked on the bridge every morning. There had always been a chance of the bridge dying, that’s the risk you take living here. If you don’t want to pay taxes, ask Bezos to put some tax money down and repair it. He doesn’t pay any taxes to benefit the community.
WSJ April 10, 2020 (8:36 pm)

1) you will pay less tax if your property values go down by being assessed less. But they won’t go down significantly, and you know that. 2) a very small % of your taxes go toward SDOT. But any excuse to whine about your taxes and government, I guess!
Simply April 11, 2020 (9:19 am)

How about you pay your property tax like everyone else, AND a toll on the bridge!

sna April 10, 2020 (6:29 pm)

I just rode over the low bridge on my bike. I get why restrictions are in place so transit and emergency vehicles don’t get stuck, but now I counted like 5 vehicles a minute across the bridge. Running the bridge at 200% capacity is a bad answer, but so is running it at 10%. Perhaps open it up for 3+ person carpools?

JVP April 10, 2020 (7:19 pm)

^^^ That’s a really good point and a great idea!
CAM April 10, 2020 (7:25 pm)

The carpools that are expressly disallowed at the moment by the stay at home order?
- Alki April 10, 2020 (9:16 pm)
  
  Don’t confuse people with logic. How would the police determine who is a family carpool vs friends that shouldn’t be carpooling? No answer that works for sure.
Aerial Observer April 10, 2020 (8:04 pm)

The lower bridge must be kept clear for emergencies. There are NO hospitals in West Seattle. None.
- Some Guy April 11, 2020 (4:52 pm)
  
  The doctors and other medical professionals that need to get to the hospitals to take care of you and your family when you have a heart attack, stroke, or get in a car accident might live in West Seattle, however. I’m sure you won’t mind if it takes an extra 20 minutes or so for them to get there. Try not to bleed too much while they’re waiting at a few red lights.

Bambi April 10, 2020 (6:34 pm)

When two interchanged were damaged/collapsed during the northridge earthquake in CA … after a 14.5 million dollar bonus offer they were rebuilt in 74 days. If it’s possible to rebuild after a collapse that quickly it seems reasonable that the ws bridge could be repaired quickly if bonuses are offered.

WSB April 11, 2020 (1:13 am)

The project wasn’t done in 74 days – it was finished 74 days early, at twice the cost
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-04-06-mn-42778-story.html
but that’s an interesting tale of a highly prioritized, sped-up project…

TJ April 10, 2020 (7:40 pm)

The bridge was only opened 36 years ago, way less than it’s life. Nope, they can’t raise taxes for this. Just reshuffle money around. It’s a fix, not a tear down and rebuild.

KM April 10, 2020 (8:11 pm)

I just read her letter and appreciate her questions about the pile driving–I know a lot of people had questions about this, and I was curious as well.

WSB April 10, 2020 (8:17 pm)

Perhaps you missed it, but we asked that and published the answer a week ago (pretty much the same verbiage from SDOT):
https://westseattleblog.com/2020/04/terminal-5-new-round-of-pile-driving/
- KM April 10, 2020 (9:33 pm)
  
  I did miss your report, so thanks! I’ve not read every story on the bridge developments, so I always appreciate seeing information a few places in a developing story. Clearly, I wasn’t THAT curious :-)
Alki April 10, 2020 (9:18 pm)

The pile driving is having no impact per the multiple stories on the blog over the last week. Good question though.

Mj April 10, 2020 (10:11 pm)

Opening the low bridge to motorcycles could be done. They are easy to distinguish from other vehicles.

Wendell April 11, 2020 (8:07 am)

+1
shipwrecked_and_comatose April 11, 2020 (10:22 am)

Yes! Unlike cars, we can pull over on a narrow bridge and make plenty of room for an ambulance or hook-and-ladder truck to pass. My bike and I are actually slightly narrower than your average American pedestrian.

AlkiMom April 10, 2020 (11:34 pm)

I’m pregnant and extremely anxious about getting to Swedish when I go into labor. Are there any provisions for emergency trips on the lower bridge? Coming from Alki, it can take an additional 20-40 minutes to get to the 1st Ave bridge, which would be unbelievably stressful in the midst of labor.

AMD April 11, 2020 (7:59 am)

You’d follow the same rules for laboring parents (congratulations, by the way) that people who live anywhere else do: you know how long it takes to get to the hospital based on where you live and the route you would take (or you could time it, as many people do). If you feel you can get yourself to the hospital in that amount of time without issue, drive yourself. If you don’t think you can get yourself to the hospital in that amount of time without an issue, call an ambulance. That’s the case with or without the bridge, whether you live on Alki or Shorewood, or Tiger Mountain, or Ballard when the tunnel is closed.
Tsurly April 11, 2020 (8:22 am)

It doesn’t sound like there are exceptions for emergencies like that, but you should do it anyway. If SPD is controlling the intersection during the time you need to cross the bridge, I can’t even remotely imagine they would detour someone in labor. IMO, this is a prime example of why the low bridge needs to be clear.

Mj April 11, 2020 (7:19 am)

AlkiMom – if you are in labor and your partner and you use the low level bridge and get pulled over you may end up getting a SPD escort to the hospital, a ticket very unlikely.

AB83 April 11, 2020 (10:31 am)

Opening up the lower bridge for workers that work on Harbor Island and live in West Seattle is the only exception that should be made that’s the way we’ve always gone

Tsurly April 11, 2020 (3:30 pm)

No, walk or ride a bike if you want to use the low bridge to get to Harbor Island.
- AB83 April 11, 2020 (5:29 pm)
  
  do you even know what you’re talking about there’s no bike lanes on Harbor Island and there ain’t no sidewalks to walk on
  - Tsurly April 11, 2020 (7:20 pm)
    
    No bike lanes, but there are sidewalks everywhere: on Klickitat, 16th Ave, 13th Ave, Florida, Lander, etc. Not sure what you are talking about
    - AB83 April 11, 2020 (9:36 pm)
      
      Well i ain’t walking going to continue to use a lower bridge until I get Told not to buy law enforcement

Rob April 11, 2020 (11:34 am)

Are they (WSDOT?) considering rerouting the vashon ferry to dowmtowm? That would.seem like a logical way to take a lot of of traffic strain off the new detour routes.

1994 April 11, 2020 (8:10 pm)

Every option and idea should be considered by SDOT, WashDOT and WA Ferries. I hope they are reading the comments. Everyone should be made to participate in detours. Reduce the # of ferries from Southworth & Vashon, making sure they are full, route them to downtown. If feasible, all lanes on the 1st Ave S Bridge could be converted to a one way traffic flow northbound in the AM and all lanes southbound in the PM. I-5 traffic to downtown needs to remain on I-5 and not take the ‘back route’ of 599 which they claim is a faster route to downtown then staying on I-5.

Brandon April 11, 2020 (1:03 pm)

I chuckle when I’m heading to Marginal Way from Admiral and the signs saying take the high level bridge is flashing because the low level is closed.

Elinor April 11, 2020 (1:56 pm)

My house in West Seattle, near Lincoln Park, burned to the ground in a 4 alarm fire which took down 3 houses. 100 firefighters stood around not able to do anything…why? NO water in the pipes! Had to bring water in on trucks. City of Seattle said they have no liability for this…overbuilding our sewer and water lines…so don’t count on anything from the City…there is no accountability for our tax money given.