(WSB photo, September 17)
Two months ago tonight, the barricades and signs came down and the West Seattle Bridge opened back up, two and a half years after its sudden shutdown. We checked in with SDOT this week on two matters – first, what are the current traffic volumes? Not long after the reopening, traffic was reported to be about two-thirds what it was pre-pandemic. This week, SDOT spokesperson Mariam Ali replied to us that it hasn’t changed: “Traffic volumes on the West Seattle Bridge are still approximately two-thirds of what they were in 2019. (~60k vehicles per day vs. ~90k per day in 2019).” Also: “Volumes on the Spokane Street low bridge corridor are roughly half of 2019 levels. (4,500 vehicles per day vs. 9,000 vehicles per day in 2019).” (We haven’t yet checked on the 1st Avenue South Bridge or South Park Bridge – our main interest was the high bridge.) We also asked about the ongoing inspections, when the next one was scheduled, and whether any new cracks had been seen. Ali replied, “(Today) will be the next scheduled inspection. No new cracking other than normal new construction shrinkage is occurring. The electronic monitoring is ongoing 24/7.”
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