(WSB photos, noontime today)
When we went over today for another look under the damaged ramp to Highway 99, we arrived just as that crew was ascending to the ramp’s underside. It’s been two days now since a 5′ x 4′ hole in the ramp took out tires on at least five vehicles before WSDOT ordered it closed. It’s a state-owned structure, as is Highway 99, to which the ramp leads from an exit on the eastbound West Seattle Bridge. WSDOT spokesperson James Poling tells WSB that repairs remain on schedule – that’s the schedule announced yesterday, 10 days, which would mean the work is expected to be done by May 13th. He says the lift we photographed carries workers 38 feet up from ground to ramp. So what exactly is happening now? Poling replied, “Most of the concrete removal is now complete. The next repair step is building forms underneath the deck and sealing the space between the girder webs. This will take about 36-48 hours.”
As we reported yesterday, the ramp was built in 1959 and last inspected in August 2022. It remained open to traffic during the West Seattle Bridge’s two and a half-year closure, still accessible via a ramp from surface Spokane Street, except for a week-plus closure to repair a deck hole about 100 feet from this one.
P.S. We found more information about the ramp via this inventory map – including its official name, E-N Ramp, and confirmation that its inspection schedule is every two years
| 19 COMMENTS