FOLLOWUP: Here’s what SDOT says went wrong with West Seattle low bridge

(SDOT camera image, Wednesday)

As reported here, the West Seattle low bridge was closed to surface traffic for about four hours on Wednesday. It already was scheduled to be out of service this coming weekend for repairs; we asked SDOT today what went wrong yesterday and whether that will affect the weekend plan. Here’s how spokesperson Mariam Ali explained it:

Yesterday, a driver attempted to maneuver around a closed gate, which led to a circuit breaker being tripped and temporarily affecting the gate system. The issue was quickly resolved, the Coast Guard was notified, and electricians are completing final repairs today. There will be no impact on work scheduled for this weekend, and bridge operations are proceeding normally.

This weekend’s closure is set to start at 7 am Saturday and could last as late as 10 pm Sunday.

Eddie August 21, 2025 (4:38 pm)

“The issue was quickly resolved”. ???Hope they are able to identify and ticket the clown that caused the issue .

WSCurmudgeon August 21, 2025 (5:54 pm)

SDOT’s “Quicky” reminds me of Aeroflot’s “excellent on time record” in the USSR. It sounded great until you learned that “on time” was defined as within four hours of the scheduled take off or landing time. 🤦🏼‍♂️

Eric1 August 21, 2025 (7:32 pm)

Looks like there is room here for safety improvements. Seattle should install tire spikes for safety. Gates go down, spikes go up. You wouldn’t want an innocent driver to accidently go over the edge of an open bridge.

yourfriendlara August 21, 2025 (10:59 pm)

Do we know what time the scheduled closure begins? People are biking to Bike Disco Friday night and rely on this bridge to get home safely after midnight.