WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE: Updates Wednesday (and next week)

Your next chance for updates on the West Seattle Bridge and related projects/issues is noon tomorrow, when the Community Task Force meets online. Here’s the link to watch; here’s the agenda. Updates will include the 60 percent repair design milestone, the latest low-bridge access stats, and West Marginal Way (still awaiting the bike-lane decision). The meeting is scheduled from noon to 2 pm; if you can’t watch, just one week later, SDOT promises bridge updates at its community meeting (5:30 pm July 21st). P.S. The West Seattle Transportation Coalition, which usually includes bridge updates at its monthly meeting, will NOT be meeting this month – instead of its regular meeting, which would have been on July 22nd, they’re urging everyone to attend SDOT’s meeting.

Eldorado July 14, 2021 (8:21 am)

The only update I want to hear is ‘we are beginning construction on the repair tomorrow.’ !!! Entire skyscrapers have been built since March, 2020. Get it Fixed!

Jennifer G July 14, 2021 (9:48 am)

Exactly! Stop the studies and get on with it. It is incredible that a city of this size is allowing something like this to contained.
- WSB July 14, 2021 (10:54 am)
  
  Just to clarify, the current phase is design, not studies.
  - civilengineer July 14, 2021 (11:21 am)
    
    Why waste an opportunity to let ignorance get in the way of facts.

namercury July 14, 2021 (11:28 am)

As a professional civil engineer, I know that the primary
type of work needed for the fix (post tensioning) is well understood and has
been incorporated in hundreds of designs. There is no excuse for this
“snail-pace” design/construction progress except it is in line with
SDOT’s “we hate cars” philosophy! Also, I predict that as the
present forecast completion date nears, there will be “unanticipated
problems” that will postpone the completion date beyond mid-2022, again in
line with the present administration and SDOT’s “we hate cars”
program. I understand the negative inclination toward cars; it
would be better if we could all use alternate means; however, considering
Seattle topography and other real limitations were stuck with mostly
cars. Use realist incentives to get people out of their cars but don’t
blindly use ridiculously low speed limits and similar gimmicks to impede
practical auto travel.

AlsoAProfessionalCivilEngineer July 14, 2021 (12:29 pm)

I’d venture to guess the pace has more to do with project funding, not the technical aspects of the work. No contractor (design engineer or construction company) is going to work at risk until they have funding in place, and federal funding can be incredibly onerous to get. I think your insinuation that the project pace is based purely some anti-car political scheme is totally baseless.
flimflam July 14, 2021 (3:00 pm)

I’m going to go out on a limb and say there’s no way this is finished in 2022.
peter July 14, 2021 (10:24 pm)

very well stated. thank you.

Glen Swangren July 14, 2021 (2:05 pm)

The bridge should of been torn down and replaced with the underground tunnel design in my opinion. Would Of be done and lasted a long time. Alot less expensive too. I don’t think the repair will last long.

AlsoAProfessionalCivalEngineer July 14, 2021 (3:18 pm)

Good thing your opinion has no weight in the matter. The cost-benefit analysis estimated the capital cost of the tunnel to be $2.7 BILLION, the most expensive alternative.

Dave July 14, 2021 (5:55 pm)

The lack of urgency from SDOT is remarkable. They can’t even provide a firm completion date, other than “end of 2nd quarter in 2022. ” Then they gaslight us by saying that they’ve met every deadline – absurd thinking. How is it that they’ve installed dozens of speed bumps all over WS while the bridge languishes. Hopefully when we get a new mayor, we get a new SDOT that can deliver for the citizens.

Fed up July 14, 2021 (9:46 pm)

This never would have sat this long untouched in Chicago. It’s laughable that construction won’t begin until the fall. What a pathetic embarrassment.

Reed July 15, 2021 (7:01 am)

So move to Chicago.
- Fed up July 15, 2021 (2:01 pm)
  
  Used to live there but this is where my job is now unfortunately. And NO, I refuse to take my life into my own hands by buying an electric bike.

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