TRAFFIC ALERT UPDATE: West Seattle low bridge closed again

4:36 PM: Thanks to Scott for the tip and photo. The low bridge is closed again for repairs. SDOT expects two phases – closed to all surface traffic including bike/foot traffic until about 6 pm, open to bike/foot traffic after that but closed to motor vehicles, no ETA for full reopening.

ADDED 5:38 PM: More info from SDOT:

The Spokane Street Swing Bridge is closed to motor vehicle traffic as technicians work to replace a broken motor in the bridge locking mechanism. We will do our best to keep the bicycle and pedestrian path open whenever possible, although it may sometimes be necessary to close the path for short periods of time for public safety while repairs are being done.

SDOT technicians are currently working hard to reopen the bridge to vehicular traffic as quickly as possible. Repairs are expected to be completed over the weekend. The exact time when the bridge will reopen is not yet known.

The broken motor is on the western side of the bridge and drives one of the pins in the bridge locking mechanism. This motor broke on the afternoon of January 23, resulting in the bridge being closed for several hours until technicians developed a temporary solution. Technicians are now working to remove the massive motor and install a replacement part as well as assess for other damaged that may have occurred when the motor broke. This issue is unrelated to previously identified maintenance needs on the Spokane St Bridge.

6:21 PM: Looking at the live camera, it does NOT appear the bicycle/pedestrian/etc. path has reopened yet.

11:59 PM: Still hasn’t. Maybe in the morning, says SDOT’s latest update:

Crews made good progress on Spokane Street Swing Bridge repairs this evening. We have successfully removed the broken motor and are in the process of installing the replacement parts.

The bridge will be left open for ships overnight (closed to all land travel) because there are ships scheduled to pass through this evening. We hope to reopen the bike and pedestrian path tomorrow morning (Saturday, Jan 25) and will do our best to maintain bike access for most of the day if possible. We will not be able to reopen the bridge to motor vehicles until the repairs are complete.

4 Replies to "TRAFFIC ALERT UPDATE: West Seattle low bridge closed again"

  • bolo January 24, 2025 (7:06 pm)

    Thank you WSB. Is WSB the only place we can find timely status of the bridge?

    • WSB January 24, 2025 (7:35 pm)

      I linked to the SDOT cameras, which is where I’m checking, and anybody can do that. 7:33 and path still seems to be closed, so I guess the hope of reopening that after a few hours didn’t work out.

  • Bill G January 25, 2025 (11:00 am)

    Detour routes for bikes via the 1st Ave bridge:Eastbound (out of West Seattle):https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44716933Westbound (into West Seattle)https://ridewithgps.com/routes/49548412

  • Yoni January 25, 2025 (12:45 pm)

    FYI – took bike over to downtown around 11 but omw back at noon, ped path was closed and I had to take the water taxi.

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