(2023 SDOT photo)

SDOT will close the low bridge to all surface traffic for up to three days starting next Friday morning, to re-install a cylinder. Here’s the announcement:

The Spokane St Swing Bridge (commonly known as the “low bridge”) will be closed from 7 a.m. Friday, October 25 to 10 p.m. Sunday, October 27. Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will be re-installing a hydraulic turn cylinder which was removed in April 2024 for repairs. More details and photos are available on this SDOT Blog post.

The bridge will be closed to people driving, biking, and walking. The West Seattle High-Rise Bridge will remain open while the low bridge is closed and is the primary option for people getting to and from West Seattle by car or bus.

This is one of several aging cylinders which SDOT is repairing over time to prevent issues like the 3-week bridge closure in January 2023. There are several types of cylinders which work together to lift and rotate the bridge.

Additional phases of this bridge rehabilitation project are expected to continue through 2025. Additional short-term closures will be needed as part of our ongoing preventative maintenance work on this bridge.

Replacing the cylinders is part of a longer series of projects to repair, maintain, and upgrade the low bridge …

Read about those projects here.