FOLLOWUP: West Seattle low-bridge testing after cylinder removal

(SDOT photo, Sunday night)

On Sunday we told you about the removal of a leaky 7 1/2-ton cylinder from the machine house of the West Seattle low bridge, now in its third week of closure to surface traffic. SDOT says it’s now testing “how the bridge works with a single cylinder,” and that means you might be seeing some bridge movement. This testing, according to SDOT, will enable them to “make an educated estimate of how much longer repairs will take.” The cylinder itself is to be overhauled at a hydraulic-repair shop.

3 Replies to "FOLLOWUP: West Seattle low-bridge testing after cylinder removal"

  • Your Friend January 9, 2023 (6:20 pm)

    Thank you to all of the people doing this work.

  • DC January 10, 2023 (10:32 am)

    Seems like a bad idea to try to run the bridge on just one cylinder when the bridge could hardly run on two and is already stressed and in need of repairs… 

    • Chemist January 10, 2023 (6:41 pm)

      The low bridge was designed to be able to operate at reduced speed with 1 cylinder per leaf and they’re going to do a thorough maintenance job on it in 2023.  If it can no longer operate on 1 cylinder, now is the time to find out so it can be restored to design expectations. 

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