Throughout the day, we’ve been observing the one-year anniversary of the West Seattle Bridge’s sudden, shocking closure. One last report as promised: So what’s happening now?

(Slide from presentation at this month’s Community Task Force meetingO

REPAIR DESIGN: SDOT‘s consulting firm WSP is designing the repair work that is expected to start this fall. The design work reached the 30 percent milestone earlier this month.

ACCEPTING REPAIR BIDS: Along with the design milestone, the city announced that it is accepting bids from prospective contractors to handle work on both the high and low bridges. That process is under way now; the deadline for submissions is April 12th.

SEEKING REPAIR FUNDING: The price tag SDOT has announced for its entire “program” – including high and low bridge repairs and traffic mitigation – is $175 million. When that figure was announced, we asked SDOT for a breakdown of where the money’s coming from, and this was the reply:

SDOT has secured $124M in funding sources, including:

Federal grants ($14.4M for high bridge rehabilitation and $1.5M for Reconnect West Seattle)
Seattle Transportation Benefit District ($8M)
City of Seattle REET-backed bonds ($100M)

We are actively seeking federal grants, such as Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA), and local partnership funding opportunities. We are closely monitoring the development of potential Washington State transportation packages.

INFRA is a federal grant program administered by USDOT. The grant is for highway and freight projects of regional significance. We are requesting $17-21M for the West Seattle Bridge Program.

This new post on SDOT Blog gets into details of the INFRA application, and invites you to sign on to a “community letter” of support.

RECONNECT WEST SEATTLE PROJECTS: On and around the detour routes, SDOT has a long list of small-ish projects it’s working through, from traffic-calming to pothole-filling.

ENCOURAGING MODE-SHIFT: The city also continues to warn that as schools, businesses, and offices reopen, traffic will become unbearable unless some people mode-shift to non-single-occupancy-car travel at least part of the time.

(Bicycle rack on West Seattle Water Taxi – photo by Paul Dieter)

Ideally, the city says, the single-occupancy car’s share of daily travel would be down to 35 percent while the bridge is out – less than half its pre-closure, pre-pandemic 81 percent share.

SO WHEN WILL THE BRIDGE REOPEN? SDOT first said on April 15, 2020, that it didn’t expect the bridge to reopen before 2022. That was 7 months before the mayor’s November 19, 2020 decision to repair rather than replace. Now, four months after that, the estimated reopening date remains “mid-2022.”

One of the ways in which people have coped with the West Seattle Bridge closure – one year ago today, and expected to continue for another 15 months or so – is through humor, in the “laughing because otherwise we would cry” mode. Above, one of the signs that popped up around the peninsula in the early going – photographed today in the window at Beveridge Place Pub. A popular meme is that the bridge outage has turned the peninsula into an island – that gave birth to stickers sold to raise money for the West Seattle Food Bank. And remember the T-shirt design contest? Three designs won a community vote last summer from among 63 entries:

NOAH BELL-CRUZ – Greetings from Accidental Island

MIKE SHAUGHNESSY / BRADI JONES – Mind the Gap

REBECCA DAHLIN – So Close Yet So Far

The West Seattle Junction Association, which organized the design contest, says the winning T-shirts are still available at Click! Design That Fits (4540 California SW; WSB sponsor), Alair (3270 California SW), Capers Home (4525 California SW), Wild Rose (4529 California SW).

(WSB file photo)

At their March meeting, some members of the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force voiced hopes the city would make a grand statement on the first anniversary of the bridge’s sudden shutdown. We’re told this SDOT Blog post is the only statement planned for today – so we’re republishing it here as we continue marking the anniversary:

Dear West Seattle and Duwamish Valley communities,

It’s been a tough year. Just as the COVID-19 pandemic began to take its toll around the globe, your communities suddenly faced another major challenge: the emergency closure of the West Seattle High-Rise Bridge on March 23, 2020.

Here we are. One year later.

While closing the bridge was a necessary step for public safety, the effects of the closure have been widespread and undeniable. All of you have been affected. Your trips have taken more time; your routines have been disrupted. Traffic patterns have changed, with detours sending people driving onto neighborhood streets that weren’t intended for so many cars.

We’ve taken steps – and will continue to do so – to help ease some of the strain. Later this week, we’ll talk more about where we’ve been over the past year and where we’re headed. We remain laser-focused on repairing and reopening the High Bridge in mid-2022 so the closure no longer weighs heavily on your day-to-day life.

But this message today isn’t about what we at the City have done. It’s about what you and your neighbors have endured. Today, we simply want to thank you for your perseverance over the past year.

“A year later after the West Seattle Bridge closure as we struggle to keep our communities safe and healthy from road traffic and additional emissions for both of our communities Georgetown and South Park, I am pleased to say we have been centering community voices and concerns prioritizing equity and environmental justice and will continue to make sure this is a key element moving forward. Thankful for our community and our SDOT partners.” – Paulina Lopez, West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force Co-Chair and Executive Director of Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition

“It has been a long, hard year for folks in West Seattle and Southwest Seattle. But finally we see a light at the end of the bridge.” – Greg Nickels, West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force Co-Chair and Former Mayor of Seattle

“Thank you for your patience as we work to repair this critical piece of Seattle’s infrastructure. We know that the bridge closure has deeply impacted communities and business, and we appreciate your flexibility in learning new ways to get around. Thank you to all the community members who have helped guide our efforts, through emails, surveys, and public meetings. You have helped set us on a path to success.” – Mayor Jenny A. Durkan

“Better days are ahead. After successfully completing stabilization measures on the bridge late last year, we’re preparing to hire the construction team that will rehabilitate the bridge and work to reopen it to traffic. As that work proceeds, you’ll continue to see us in the community telling you what’s happening, humbly asking for your feedback, and steadfastly making improvements.” Sam Zimbabwe, Director of the Seattle Department of Transportation

This remains a long emergency and remain committed to staying on schedule and reopening a safe bridge as soon as possible. Still, we recognize that this is one of many losses you may have endured this year, and you’ve had to look for new and novel ways of coping and coming together as a community. We hear you and we will continue to do everything we can to return the bridge to service and supporting all of the communities affected by detour traffic.

As mentioned in this pictorial look back that we published earlier today, we’ll look later today at where things stand and what’s next. Our entire year of coverage is in this WSB archive, newest to oldest.

(Illuminated traffic sign shortly after the closure began, March 23, 2020)

One year ago tonight – at 7 pm March 23, 2020 – the West Seattle Bridge was closed, just 4 hours after the city announced it was unsafe for traffic. The last-minute word of that 3 pm briefing came minutes after a reader emailed us to say they just heard a rumor the bridge had to close for a year-plus of emergency repairs. We found it hard to believe … but it was true. Hours later, crews were blocking off the bridge entrances:

(35th/Fauntleroy bridge entrance, March 23)

West Marginal Way – a street some West Seattleites had never traveled – was suddenly a major route to and from the peninsula.

(West Marginal Way traffic beneath the bridge, March 24)

Traffic through Highland Park increased dramatically. Within a week, a rush-installed signal was up at the long-suffering intersection of Highland Park Way and Holden.

(March 29)

In April, we learned the bridge wouldn’t reopen before 2022. By May, ramps were more enduringly blocked off:

(May 2020, Delridge onramp)

Police – and later, cameras – worked to enforce restrictions on the low bridge:

(April 2020 reader photo by Dean)

Streets beyond West Seattle filled with cut-through drivers to and from alternate bridges; though SDOT was working on mitigation plans, South Park neighbors took action of their own:

(June 2020 reader photo by Robin)

Work began to keep the bridge from falling down before the replace-or-repair decision could be made:

(June 2020 SDOT photo – taking samples off side of bridge)

(July 2020 – workers atop and under the bridge)

In case of complete cutoff, emergency personnel made sure they could get to West Seattle no matter what:

(June 2020 Airlift NW/Seattle FD drill at Alki Playfield)

Winter came. Still bridgeless, but the stabilization work was done, and the work platforms came down by year’s end.

(November photo by Tony Welch)

In February, a spooky sight as the traffic-free bridge filled with February snow, unplowed

(February 14 image from SDOT camera over the high bridge)

And now … in spring … the empty bridge awaits permanent repairs:

(Reader photo by Mike Burns)

Later today, more anniversary coverage, including where things stand now.