(File photo)
In our Monday conversation with SDOT‘s West Seattle Bridge project director Heather Marx, which brought first word of the high-bridge repair milestone, we also asked about the low-bridge work. You might recall that the same contract with Kraemer North America includes work on the low bridge. What they’re focusing on right now, Marx said, is reinforcement of the bridge – with work similar to what’s happening with the high bridge, epoxy injection into cracks and carbon-fiber wrapping. That’s separate from the other projects planned for the low bridge. Those include replacement of the communication system and routing cables under the Duwamish River, boring mini-tunnels (4″ wide) to thread the cables beneath the river. Taurus Power & Controls, Inc. is the contractor chosen for that work. SDOT is also replacing the bridge’s hydraulic pump/cylinders, and addressing electrical problems that led to recent trouble rendering the bridge inoperable for a while. “By the end of the year, the low bridge should be good,” Marx summarized. (More detail on the projects are on this city webpage.)
And just in case you needed to hear it again, yes, Marx reiterated, the low-bridge restrictions will be lifted as soon as the high bridge reopens. So where will those enforcement cameras be redeployed? Not decided yet. Since state law allows transit-lane camera enforcement, might the cameras be redirected up there? Not currently planned but not out of the question.
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