West Seattle, Washington
28 Thursday
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
“We know we CAN fix the bridge – the question is, SHOULD we.”
That revelation from SDOT‘s top bridge engineer was a big piece of news that emerged at the second meeting of the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force this afternoon.
Also, in response to a CTF member’s question, SDOT said the city and state are working on a disaster declaration in relation to the bridge closure.
Before we get to our summary of the meeting, held online/by phone – the task-force roster is here; co-chairs are Paulina López, executive director of the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, and Greg Nickels, former Seattle mayor and longtime Admiral resident. We recorded video which we’ll add when it’s ready (added 9:14 pm – here it is:)
Here’s the slide deck:
First presenter was Matt Donahue, SDOT’s interim director of roadway structures (bridges and more), with a ‘state of the bridge” update.
This Wednesday, the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force meets for the second time. With the get-to-know-each-other session last week (WSB coverage here) out of the way, this time around, the advisory group’s focus is expected to include (according to a preview on last week’s agenda):
– Engineering update
– Repair/replace bridge decision
– Recommendations for traffic mitigation/traffic plans
– Low bridge policy
Readers interested in watching live asked for an earlier heads-up on the link this time, so we’ve just obtained it from SDOT – you’ll be able to watch here, 1-2:30 pm Wednesday (June 17th). A link to an online comment form will be part of the meeting.
An update today from WSDOT: The start date has been pushed back for the 1st Avenue South Bridge work that will require up to 14 overnight northbound-only closures, as announced earlier this week. WSDOT spokesperson Tom Pearce says the work is now set to start the night of July 12th (almost a week later than previously announced). The state, which owns and manages this particular bridge, says the closures are needed to “replace 14 sections of steel bridge decking.” The West Seattle low bridge will be open to all during those closures.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Metro believes it can handle the demand for bus service that will eventually arise due to the West Seattle Bridge closure.
That’s despite its plans for long-term cuts.
We covered a briefing this morning with Metro officials as they announced that some service will be restored June 22nd, both for buses and the Water Taxi. But – the September “service change” will see some long-term bus cuts, especially with an eye toward the end of some funding Seattle has been providing via the Transportation Benefit District.
First – here’s the full Metro announcement, regarding the entire system. An excerpt:
The transit services in operation in September will be about 85% of pre-COVID levels, providing an estimated 11,000 weekday trips on 121 bus routes. Service will focus primarily on a network of all-day routes throughout King County, including preserving frequent service on Metro’s busiest routes, while restoring peak service sufficient to meet returning demand to the extent possible given the current financial challenges. The cuts are made with direction from the City of Seattle in expectation that the Seattle Transportation Benefit District will discontinue revenue collections at the end of the year. (Metro says it still is awaiting something “definitive” from the city on whether a renewal measure will be pursued.)
While some weekday peak-period commuter routes will be restored, many peak routes will remain suspended in anticipation that long-term commuter ridership demand will take time to recover as many large employers continue having employees telework. Night, evening, and weekend service also will be significantly reduced.
Two West Seattle routes will not come back at all in June or September – the 22 and 37. Metro says those were the lowest-ridership routes on the peninsula even pre-COVID-19 (although some riders have pointed out the chicken-and-egg nature of ridership dropping because of cuts). The only West Seattle routes listed as NOT facing long-term cuts are 21X, 128, and the 131. And beyond September, Metro expects to need to make more cuts, as its projected revenue loss through 2022 – between taxes and farebox – is $615 million.
Metro, by the way, is looking at late June/early July for reinstating fares – they have some safety measures to implement in the meantime.
Since the Metro announcement did not specifically mention response to the West Seattle Bridge closure, that was our question.
“We’re very well aware of (those) challenges,” Metro GM Rob Gannon replied, saying Metro has been “working nonstop” on related issues since the closure, coordinating with the city. He left the specifics to Metro’s Bill Bryant, who promised that WS riders “will see real improvements” on June 22nd and September 19th. He also noted that – for WS and elsewhere – Metro has the ability to increase service on routes quickly, “if we see a spike.”
The expectation that they can meet West Seattle demand is also based on the expectation of relaxed social-distancing guidelines. Metro in the meantime stresses that it’s doing what it can to increase confidence n safety. But it’s been talking with the city regarding increasing West Seattle demand and while the service might not be “as convenient as in the past” or cover the previous span of hours, “it will be adequate to provide the needed capacity.”
As for the Water Taxi, Bryant said it will return to its full “winter schedule” – 5 days a week, commute dayparts – on June 22nd, with the shuttle routes returning too. Longer term, they are considering adding a second boat for the WT – the dock at Seacrest could handle up to 3 sailings an hour. What about shuttle routes that cover more of the peninsula than the standard two? That’s not in the plan for June or September, Metro says, but is under consideration for longer-term planning.
Again, this briefing wasn’t specifically about West Seattle transit – it was Metro’s systemwide announcement of June/September plans – so we expect to hear more specifics in the “Reconnect West Seattle” plan that SDOT has promised. Metro also will have more details soon on the June 22 increases system-wide.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The three-dozen-plus members of the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force have begun their “long journey.”
That’s what one co-chair called it, as the group met for the first time via videoconference and phone this afternoon.
It was mostly a meet-and-greet session, devoted to introductions as well as a statement of purpose, underscoring that this group will be advising, not deciding. The major piece of new information presented by SDOT was the timeline/scenarios released separately, and reported here, during the meeting – basically, that we’ll have a new bridge either in mid-decade, or, if this one’s life can be extended a bit through repairs, early next decade.
First, here’s the meeting slide deck (also here in PDF):
(added Thursday) Here’s the meeting video:
SDOT director Sam Zimbabwe opened. “This is the top issue for SDOT,” he reassured everyone, “a huge undertaking and a complex set of issues.”
While the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force is holding its first meeting, SDOT has published an update on potential timelines/scenarios – if the bridge is not fixable and has to be replaced, for example, a replacement could be in place as soon as 2024. The full post is here; below, key excerpts:
…To ensure that the public has a similar baseline understanding of the bridge and related work as the TAP and Task Force, we want to share with you an update on current bridge work and what it means, in the broadest of terms, for when and how we might restore travel capacity across the Duwamish. The estimates shared below reflect best estimates at this time and are very much subject to change as we continue to gather additional information. They are helpful, however, for showing where we are right now and what pathways and corresponding crossroads sit before us.
The first step to determining the future of the bridge is to complete testing and analysis to understand the condition of the bridge and how it continues to change.
We learn more about the bridge’s condition every day. This past weekend, crews suspended by ropes and safety harnesses descended from the edge of the bridge to drill precision holes in the concrete and collect core samples. The concrete samples, extracted from several locations along the superstructure, will be tested to determine how resistant the concrete is to corrosion.
Soon, we will have enough information for an informed discussion about whether to repair or replace the West Seattle High-Rise Bridge.
We expect to complete our analysis on the structural stability of the West Seattle High-Rise Bridge in late June or early July. This information is critical to understanding whether repairs to the bridge are possible and provides important information needed to decide what is best going forward.
Our ultimate goal will be to restore the critical transportation connection of the West Seattle High-Rise Bridge as quickly as possible, in the safest, most effective way that puts the needs of the community and urgency of the situation front and center.
Critically, we will not be making this decision alone, and will work closely with elected leaders, partner agencies, our new Technical Advisory Panel of engineering experts, and the new Community Task Force representing affected communities in West Seattle and the surrounding areas.
While we do not have all of the information yet, we are beginning to better understand what tradeoffs and rough timelines could look like for repairing or replacing the bridge.
Just as we shared in April that we do not anticipate the bridge reopening in 2020 or 2021 if repair is possible, today we want to share what the corresponding timeline might be for replacement, should we collectively choose to move in that direction.
While we still do not know exactly how long it would take to repair or rebuild the bridge, and which path is best based on data and structural analysis, we do have a sense of the pros and cons of several options we want to share today, as we prepare to share a much more technical set of considerations in the coming weeks.
If repairs are feasible, they would take until 2022 at the earliest.
Repairs would potentially mean fewer lanes of traffic than the bridge carried before and would only extend the life of the bridge by approximately 10 years, when the bridge would still need to ultimately be replaced.
While these are some significant tradeoffs, this could also offer some big advantages. In addition to allowing vehicles back onto the bridge sooner, reopening the bridge for up to a decade could also give us more time to work with regional partners on the potential design, construction, and funding for a long-term solution to restore capacity across the Duwamish in a more deliberative fashion.
If repairs are deemed not feasible, constructing a new bridge could take, very roughly, four to six years (reopening approximately 2024 – 2026).
But then, the construction would be done, and the new bridge could last for 50-75 years, depending on what type of replacement option was selected.
There are many types of replacement bridges to consider, and the decision will likely depend on several factors including cost, timeline, and the health of the infrastructure around the current bridge. In addition to construction, the approximate four- to six-year timelines include public input, design, planning, and permitting.
Again, we will know more as to whether or not repairs are feasible later this summer, once we complete our analysis on the structural stability of the bridge. Any decisions before then would be imprudent, but has and will not preclude our efforts to prepare for all pivots that data might suggest.
In addition to completing testing and analysis, another immediate step for both repair and replace scenarios will be to stabilize the bridge.
We are continuing to gear up and prepare for the stabilization work that will be the essential next step for public safety, no matter what path is ultimately chosen. While we may be able to adapt and scale back some aspects our stabilization plans if we move towards replacement, we would still need to strengthen and support the bridge in order to safely demolish it prior to replacement work commencing.
This work will begin this summer and will likely consist of three phases …
Details on those phases, and what happens next, are in the full SDOT post. Meantime, we are covering the Community Task Force meeting, and will have that report later this afternoon.
=(May photo courtesy Kevin Freitas, originally published on Twitter)
As we’ve mentioned several times, the new West Seattle Community Bridge Task Force has its first meeting at 1 pm today. From SDOT, here’s how to watch/comment:
This first meeting will be an opportunity for panelists to meet each other, establish some basic ground rules, and get a broad overview of efforts on the bridge, on the ground, and in the community. Then, next week, the Task Force will dive more substantively into the issues at hand.
Please use (updated link) this link to listen and watch the meeting.
Once the meeting begins, we will be provide a link to a comment/question form for members of the public and media. SDOT staff will be monitoring these comments throughout the meeting and will share them with the moderator and co-chairs as needed, and to all Task Force members following the meeting.
Here’s the agenda, which includes dates and topics for the next two meetings.
While SDOT decides whether/how to replace the closed-since-March West Seattle Bridge, it’s also working on how to move people off/onto the peninsula in the meantime. Last night’s Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council meeting revealed that effort now has a name.
“Reconnect West Seattle” debuted as PPNC got a bridge briefing from SDOT’s project leader Heather Marx (who repeated her commitment to brief anyone any time anywhere). Some of it recapped what’s been reported to date:
Marx noted again that the big decision – is the bridge fixable or not? – is getting closer. But in the meantime, with the “stay-home order” over and gradual “reopening” under way, it’s time to shine the spotlight on traffic “mitigation.” So that’s where “Reconnect West Seattle” comes in, both as a peninsula-wide plan “with ambitious mode-split targets” and as a collection of neighborhood-specific strategies – which, as we’ve reported before, will focus on four areas:
“Community priorities are going to need to inform all those plans” – in other words, the prioritization process that we’ve also noted previously:
Your chance to weigh in should happen before long – here’s the timeline:
In subsequent discussion, Marx mentioned one other timeline point: We should hear by the end of the month about some changes in low-bridge access, as has been hinted.
Q&A: Are the cracks still growing? Yes, but “the bridge is not in imminent risk of failure.” That said, it’s not stable enough to, for example, carry emergency traffic. (Yes, vehicles are on it – the SDOT crews doing work such as inspections.)
Is the low bridge compromised? No – the recent closures were to repair and upgrade its communication technology, not for mechanical/structural problems.
Is SDOT going to take a serious look at the “immersed-tube tunnel” proposal? Yes, said Marx, the tunnel idea is “very much in play,” and n fact the Request for Qualifications for a potential bridge-replacement design team has been amended to reflect that. “We will absolutely investigate the tunnel as an option.”
So what’s next?
West Marginal Way improvements will largely be for freight, she said. The signal work is to continue expanding what can be adjusted in real time, remotely, from SDOT HQ. And the two advisory groups are beginning their work – the Technical Advisory Panel has its first meeting today, and the Community Task Force has its first meeting tomorrow.
(PPNC also got an update on Terminal 5, with Port of Seattle reps – we’ll write that up separately.)
6:07 AM: Good morning – the 78th morning without the high-rise West Seattle Bridge. Again today, we start with a road-work reminder – the Delridge Way repaving-and-more work is scheduled to continue, depending on how the weather goes; here’s our preview.
Now on to the cameras for the 5-way intersection, and the restricted-access low bridge just east of it:
The main detour route across the Duwamish River is the 1st Avenue South Bridge (map) – here’s that camera:
The other major bridge across the river is the South Park Bridge (map) – this camera shows the SP-side approach:
Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed for info about any of those bridges opening for marine traffic.
You can see all local traffic cams here; locally relevant cameras are also shown on this WSB page.
TRANSIT
Metro – Check the Twitter feed for any breaking service changes. Otherwise – still on the reduced schedule and reduced capacity; check here for next departure
Water Taxi – Reduced schedule continues
Trouble on the roads/paths? Let us know – comment or text (but not if you’re driving!) 206-293-6302.
The District 1 Community Network‘s June meeting was, like many local meetings this spring, mostly about the West Seattle Bridge. Here are our toplines from the meeting held by videoconference and phone last week:
SDOT’S BRIDGE UPDATE: The department’s new communications director Michael Harold, a Morgan Junction resident, recapped his first day on the job – arriving at work March 23rd to learn his new place of employment was about to announce the West Seattle Bridge would be shut down TFN. Now, the department remains in extensive data-gathering mode: “This is not a thing where you can make guesses,” he said, in explaining why that’s necessary before a decision on what’s next. They’re pursuing multiple paths in the meantime – stabilization among them, and as we reported the day before the D1CN meeting, the search for a team to “design a potential replacement.” Harold again stressed that the potential 10-year contract is because “there is a scenario in which” they might fix the bridge but only get 10 more years out of it so they’d have to be working on replacement. He added that “we are considering many options … the goal is to get people back across the water as quickly and efficiently as we can do it.”
NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC MITIGATION: Danielle Friedman from the Department of Neighborhoods talked about the neighborhoods affected by the detour traffic, and said four would be engaged in prioritization plans:
2:32 PM: As previewed – the Seattle Fire/Airlift NW drill is under way at Alki Playfield, first of 4 drills in West Seattle this week.
2:41 PM: The helicopter has lifted off. Next drill, 2 pm tomorrow at Walt Hundley Playfield in High Point. Viewing was OK today *around the edges of the field* so it should be tomorrow too.
ADDED 5:31 PM: More details, photos, and video:
Airlift Northwest (corrected) has a base in Bremerton – its helicopter can get here in as little as six minutes and carries trauma nurses as well as blood and plasma.
SFD plans to use the four drills – continuing 2 pm Tuesday and Thursday at Walt Hundley, back at Alki 2 pm Wednesday – for different local SFD crews to practice a helicopter transfer. Deputy Chief Ron Mondragon talked about it after today’s drill:
The helicopter was on the ground less than half an hour (longer, though, than it would have taken for an actual patient transfer).
SFD stresses that this kind of transport is expected to be rare – if it’s required at all – but they need to be ready just in case.
Several local groups have heard lately from the retired civil engineer who suggests an “immersed-tube tunnel” could be a better way of crossing the Duwamish River if the West Seattle Bridge needs to be replaced. Now Bob Ortblad invites you to his own presentations of the idea. He asked us today to share this announcement:
All who are interested in the West Seattle Bridge
Duwamish Crossing – Bridge or Tunnel
Wednesday 7:30 PM
June 10, 17, or 24Join Recurring Zoom Meeting
us02web.zoom.us/j/81632786315
Meeting ID: 816 3278 6315Bob Ortblad will answer questions and update the presentation.
In our most recent conversation with SDOT’s bridge-project leader Heather Marx, she said no potential alternatives have been ruled out.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
What role might boats play in the West Seattle Bridge crisis?
That was the major theme as the West Seattle Transportation Coalition met by teleconference and phone last week, with guests speaking on behalf of the two waterborne transportation systems that already serve West Seattle.
You can watch the archived video of the meeting here; below, our report:
WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES: Government-relations director John Vezina and communicator Hadley Rodero were the guests. They addressed some points that have come up repeatedly in West Seattle Bridge-related discussion:
*Does/did traffic from ferries help clog the bridge? This slide addressed that:
The advocacy group West Seattle Bridge Now – which we first told you about in April – has expanded its online presence. It now has a website at wsbridgenow.com, and it’s produced a short video to emphasize the bridge’s importance to the community:
The announcement is from WSBN’s Kevin Broveleit:
West Seattle Bridge Now is launching a website to keep the community connected to the latest information on solutions to the closure of the bridge. The group plans to grow the website into a comprehensive resource with project updates, event calendars and most importantly how to get involved and make your voice heard in the planning process. On the site you can sign up for email updates, and follow West Seattle Bridge Now on social media.
Broveleit tells WSB that among other things, the group is getting weekly briefings from SDOT’s bridge-project leader Heather Marx. WSBN also has representation on the city’s new Community Task Force, which will meet for the first time next Wednesday.
P.S. In case you’ve lost track with everything else that’s been happening, the most-recent major development is the city’s search for a design team in case the bridge needs to be replaced – here’s our report from Tuesday.
It’ll be an unusual sight at Alki Playfield (above) and Walt Hundley Playfield during four afternoons next week when a helicopter lands for an emergency drill. The Seattle Fire Department has notified people near both fields about the plan, and one resident let us know about it – we’ve subsequently obtained from SFD the letter they are circulating:
The Seattle Fire Department is partnering with Airlift NW and Seattle Parks to provide airlift transport of patients during the West Seattle Bridge closure under extreme circumstances. This is occurring in response to the anticipated traffic impacts during peak travel times, which could delay SFD’s ability to provide transport via the typical method of a medic unit for critical patients. The frequency of helicopter transports is expected to be very low (only a few times per year, if any) but is an added capability of the fire department to serve West Seattle residents. Additionally, as previously announced, the department is dedicating an extra medic unit (Medic 26) and ladder truck (Ladder 13) during the bridge closure.
To prepare for this added helicopter capability, the department is holding a drill at the Alki and Walt Hundley Playfields in early June. From 2-3 p.m. at the below dates and locations, neighbors in the area will hear and see a helicopter land at the playfield, and firefighters simulate a patient transport hand-off.
• June 8: Alki Playfield – 5817 SW Lander St.
• June 9: Walt Hundley Playfield – 6920 34th Ave. SW
• June 10: Alki Playfield – 5817 SW Lander St.
• June 11: Walt Hundley Playfield – 6920 34th Ave. SWThe site will be secured by Seattle Fire and Police personnel. To adhere to social distancing guidelines, the fire department encourages residents to not gather at the site, but instead watch the activities from the livestream on Facebook on the first day of the drill June 8, or from your doorstep.
As we reported earlier this week, the added SFD units mentioned above are now on duty. Meantime, SFD tells us they’ll have more to say about the helicopter drill plan tomorrow.
10:27 AM: Just published on the city website this morning – a solicitation for potential bidders to design a replacement in case the city determines the West Seattle Bridge can’t be fixed. The solicitation suggests the design could cost $50 million to $150 million and could be a 10-year project. From the solicitation:
CITY OF SEATTLE
REQUEST FOR STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS
CONSULTANT SERVICESProject: SDOT 20-018 West Seattle High-Rise Bridge Replacement Design
The City of Seattle, through Seattle Department of Transportation, requests Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) from qualified engineering firms for SDOT 20-018 West Seattle High-Rise Bridge Replacement Design .
This contract is estimated to be approximately $50 Million to $150 Million. This is anticipated to be a multi-year phased contract, for approximately ten years, as needed to deliver a partial or full replacement of the bridge. More detail to the schedule will be developed during the course of 2020 as scope direction is confirmed and, in an attempt, to accelerate the design and construction to the greatest extent practicable. It is anticipated that this contract will receive federal funds and therefore will proceed under this assumption.
On March 23, 2020, the West Seattle High-Rise Bridge was closed to vehicle traffic. This bridge is the City’s top arterial by volume, typically carrying an average of over 100,000 cars, trucks and buses every week. The bridge’s deterioration at an accelerated rate required a full closure for the safety of all users. Since that time, SDOT has continued to inspect and monitor the structure. There is a currently a design and construction team under contract working on the necessary steps to stabilize the structure and reduce the risk of failure. Next steps are to separately investigate a repair to the bridge for opening to traffic and to develop a replacement design. This solicitation is to obtain a comprehensive engineering team(s) to design a replacement of the West Seattle High-Rise Bridge. Core functions include: Alternatives/Analysis/Planning, Structural Bridge, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Architecture, Marine Design, Environmental and Permitting including Army Corps of Engineer and Tribes, Right-of-Way services, Survey, Planning and Traffic Analysis, Geotechnical Engineering, Project Management, Communications, Grant Writing Services, Construction Phasing, Constructability and Real Property Services. This work will require extensive coordination and coordination with stakeholders, partners (such as the Sound Transit and the Port), and elected officials, including a project specific Technical Advisory Panel, and other consultants and contractors.
An online Pre-submittal meeting is planned for Tuesday, June 9th at 1:00 p.m. Additional meeting details to follow.
The solicitation sets the deadline for “statements of qualifications” to be received by the city by June 30th. SDOT tells us they’ll have more to say about this soon.
10:44 AM: SDOT’s reply to our request for comment: “While we are making rapid progress on our efforts to stabilize and repair the bridge – an initial set of actions we must take no matter what, to preserve public safety – we need to have all pieces in place to quickly pivot if it becomes clear that fixing the bridge is no longer an option due to continued deterioration.” So today’s posting is “the start of our search for a team to design a potential replacement bridge while we simultaneously continue working towards a possible repair.”
11:25 AM: SDOT has now posted about this here. The post says in part:
… Eventually we will reach a critical decision point to repair or replace the bridge
We expect to complete our analysis on the structural stability of the West Seattle High-Rise Bridge later this summer, thanks to all the systems put in place over the past few weeks and months to gather more information. This information is critical to understanding whether repairs to the bridge are still possible or if we must instead immediately pursue some method of replacement for the high-rise span of the West Seattle Bridge. … We will share more about upcoming decision points in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, planning for all trajectories simultaneously allows us to be nimble at every step of the way.
12:06 PM: The 10-year timeframe has grabbed the most attention, and SDOT offers this clarification: “The solicitation is not suggesting that it could take 10 years to replace the bridge. We just need to build in in flexibility since there is a scenario in which we repair the bridge to last up to a decade and then still need to design a replacement bridge in that timeframe.”
12:38 PM: We just talked by phone with Heather Marx from SDOT. Next thing to look for: She says that within a few days, they’ll release a timeline and a decision tree to explain what’s next, and within a few weeks they should have enough information from ongoing bridge monitoring to know whether the bridge is “strong enough to repair,” or whether they need to just move on to replacement planning.
Is the bridge still cracking? Yes, but still at a slower rate than before it was closed March 23rd.
Where would bridge-replacement money come from? They’ve been in discussions with the city budget office.
Other processes continue in parallel – traffic planning (within a few weeks they’ll be able to talk about low-bridge restriction changes), for example.
And as for various ways in which the bridge might be replaced – bridge with light rail, underwater tunnel, other suggestions – Marx says nothing’s been ruled out yet. (Regarding light rail, which is supposed to cross the Duwamish River on its own high-level bridge, SDOT has been asked to appear before a Sound Transit Board committee meeting later this week.)
When the District 1 Community Network met a month ago, participants agreed the West Seattle Bridge closure needed some kind of community advisory group. Since then, one’s been announced, and that’ll be part of the discussion at D1CN’s meeting this Wednesday night (June 3rd). The agenda includes an informal West Seattle Bridge Update, plus a discussion of the new Community Task Force, and then a city Department of Neighborhoods rep will present a preview of the Neighborhood Traffic Project Prioritization Process that’s scheduled to start next week. Wrapping up the bridge discussion, the group will hear briefly from Bob Ortblad, who suggests an “immersed-tube tunnel” if the bridge needs to be replaced. Other topics include the proposed West Seattle Sports Complex and an appeal of the 4508 California SW development plan.
You’re welcome to be part of the meeting at 7 pm Wednesday:
*Link is here
*Meeting ID: 222 985 415
*Password: 625318 (only needed if you manually enter the meeting number)
Call-in info:
Phone number: 669-900-6833
Meeting ID: 222 985 415
Password: 625318
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
As we first reported last weekend, the mayor has set up a community advisory group for the West Seattle Bridge project, and it’s being formally announced today. So are details of the technical advisory group that was already in the works. We also have a general update on what’s up with the bridge, two months after it was closed.
First, the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force. It’ll be co-chaired by Greg Nickels, the West Seattle-residing former mayor who’s remained active in transportation advocacy, and Paulina Lopez, a longtime South Park community leader/advocate. From the announcement:
… we are launching the Task Force to ensure that the many voices and concerns of the community are not only heard, but consistently advocated for.
The group is comprised of elected officials and representatives from West Seattle businesses, neighborhood groups from the Junction to Georgetown to South Park to Highland Park to SODO, and industrial and maritime businesses and their workers.
Members will help ensure transparency, clear communication, and broad community engagement and understanding around both traffic mitigation efforts and the future path forward for the West Seattle
High-Rise Bridge as we address new data, public input, fiscal challenges, and many other important factors that will inform consideration of repair versus replace scenarios.
Here’s who else is on the Community Task Force:
=(Photo courtesy Kevin Freitas, originally published on Twitter)
Two months ago tonight, on March 23rd, the West Seattle Bridge was closed because of collapse concerns, with only a few hours’ warning to the public. Will it ever reopen? The city has yet to announce whether it considers the bridge fixable. Here’s a quick look at some of what’s been happening in the meantime:
MAYOR ASSEMBLING COMMUNITY TASK FORCE: Earlier this month, as reported here, the District 1 Community Network suggested a stakeholders’ group of some sort was needed, to be sure the community has a voice in key decisions. Multiple sources have confirmed to WSB that Mayor Durkan is doing exactly that. Who’s on it, and what it’ll be charged with, we don’t know yet; we asked the mayor’s office for comment when we got first word of this, but no answers yet.
OTHER GROUPS: The West Seattle Chamber of Commerce also has a committee focused on the bridge closure, and the new community coalition West Seattle Bridge Now continues ramping up.
BUT WHAT’S HAPPENING *ON* THE BRIDGE? Monitoring instrumentation has been installed, and a three-scenario emergency-response plan spells out what happens if those instruments – or the daily inspections – show it’s on the verge of collapse. To try to avoid that, stabilization work is planned; SDOT announced the contractor for that three weeks ago.
GETTING AROUND WITHOUT THE BRIDGE: SDOT is working on neighborhood-specific traffic plans, which director Sam Zimbabwe says will be ready – at least in draft version – in early June.
WHERE TO GET UPDATES: SDOT has a catch-all page for its bridge updates and background info, here; all our 50+ bridge-related reports dating back to the closure announcement is archived here.
Heads up for next weekend – SDOT plans low-bridge work next Friday-Sunday (May 29-31), with some overnght closures:
We will be doing necessary maintenance work on the controls and communications systems that are used to operate the bridge. The work will be done at night to minimize traffic impacts and because some of the systems need to be turned off during the maintenance activities.
We will be closing the low bridge to vehicle, bike, and pedestrian traffic while we are working at night because we will not be able to open and close the bridge in a normal manner. As a result, roadway traffic, including freight and buses, will be detoured to the 1st Ave or the South Park bridges. The low bridge will also be closed to bicyclists and pedestrians, and emergency vehicles will have limited access across the low bridge. Waterway traffic will be maintained.
These restrictions will only be in place at night while we are working during the following hours:
• Friday night (5/29-30): 8 PM to 5 AM
• Saturday night (5/30-31): 6 PM to 3 AM
• Sunday night (5/31-6/1): 6 PM to 3 AM (if needed)During the day, transit, emergency vehicles, freight, bikes, and pedestrians will have access to the bridge.
If all or part of the West Seattle Bridge collapsed – how exactly might that happen? SDOT has just released a new memo from its consultant WSP, part of the ongoing work to determine the bridge’s future (or lack of one). Here’s the 7-page memo (4 pages of text and 3 of graphics), which warns, “This bridge’s issues are unique, and we are not currently able to indicate the likelihood of any of the potential failure scenarios”:
(It’s also here, in PDF.) If you don’t have time to read the whole thing, here’s the heart of it, from the SDOT Blog post releasing the memo:
… The memo identifies 9 proactive steps to prepare for, and potentially prevent, these worst-case scenarios. We have already begun work on all of them.
… The steps to better understand and monitor the structural integrity of the bridge include:
1. Continue the daily visual inspections of the bridge
2. Implement an automated intelligent monitoring system that collects data in real time
3. Implement localized data logging using an automated system that will report total deformation across multiple cracks
4. Undertake non-destructive testing of select vertical post tensioned tendons
All these steps are underway. We have conducted in-person visual inspections of the bridge every day since March 20. We have nearly completed installation of the intelligent monitoring system that includes 8 high-resolution cameras, 16 movement sensors, and 52 vibrating wire sensors to monitor cracking.
Our structural engineering consultant has completed about 30 percent of the 100+ non-destructive tests we plan to conduct. This includes using ground penetrating radar to create an image of cavities and voids deep within the bridge concrete and identify whether there is any corrosion around the steel support tendons. We look forward to sharing more about this incredible technology and the important role it plays in a future blog post.
The steps to stabilize the bridge and potentially prevent bridge failure include:
5. Design and construct interim repairs at the distressed locations to arrest the crack propagation in the near term.
6. Repair the bearings at Pier 18 that are restricting thermal expansion and contraction movements of the structure.
7. Design, fabricate, and deploy temporary shoring to support the bridge in case of partial or multi-span superstructure collapse.
8. Evaluate full repair alternatives relative to the potential need for bridge replacement.
9. Design and construct full repairs if feasible or demolish the bridge and plan for a bridge replacement.
Meantime, as reported two weeks ago, there’s now an emergency-response plan for what would happen **if** a collapse seemed imminent – or close to it.
Three notes related to the West Seattle Bridge closure:
BRIDGE BARRICADES: Not sure how long these have been up, since we haven’t looked recently and they’re all a ways down their respective ramps, but a tipster pointed out that the access points to the high bridge now all have chain-link fence topped with barbed wire. We photographed two today.
This is in addition to the movable barricades originally placed when the bridge was closed on March 23rd.
BUS SURVEY: A reader who’s been talking with Metro to advocate for a bus route from West Seattle to the University of Washington has set up a survey. It’s NOT official but its results will be shared with Metro. If you want to take it, go here.
HISTORY PRESENTATION TONIGHT: Retired civil engineer Bob Ortblad, who’s stirred some discussion for espousing an underwater “tube” solution for the bridge (and has previously suggested one cross-Sound too), has a free online presentation coming up at 6:30 tonight: an updated version of his 2017 “Who Built Seattle?” lecture, plus “the lurid history of the West Seattle Bridge,” its “current demise, and controversial future.” Register here. It’s free but you’re also welcome to make a donation to fight sarcoma, of which Ortblad is a 12-year survivor.
This week’s West Seattle Bridge closure update in Councilmember Lisa Herbold‘s weekly newsletter includes 4 new updates related to traffic – first, the latest volumes at key points around the area:
Traffic levels continue to be high in the most recent counts on West Marginal, and are up slightly on the South Park Bridge, Roxbury and 15th, 35th and Raymond, and on East Marginal Way and 1st Avenue South. Citywide traffic levels are around 50% of normal volume.
Second, Herbold’s newsletter also says travel times for West Marginal Way SW are now available via the message boards at Admiral Way/34th SW, Fauntleroy Way/38th SW, and 35th SW/SW Snoqualmie.
Third, something related to the traffic-management planning mentioned in last night’s “Town Hall”:
SDOT is working on neighborhood-based traffic management plans to prepare for the significantly higher levels we can expect. Draft plans for the neighborhoods that will see increased traffic off the peninsula (e.g. South Park, Highland Park/South Delridge/Riverview/Roxhill, as well as SODO and Georgetown) will be released for public comment and further work with the community in early June; SDOT has met with a number of community groups and committed to further meetings to discussing the draft plans. SDOT is considering public suggestions. You can send ideas to SDOT directly at 684-ROAD@seattle.gov. I’m happy to pass on suggestions as well.
And fourth, regarding the oft-suggested idea of moving some ferry traffic from the Fauntleroy dock:
Washington State Ferries replied to my letter requesting they consider re-directing some of the ferry traffic from Vashon and/or Southworth, that usually travels to the Fauntleroy ferry dock, to Downtown Seattle instead; and that they consider trips from Fauntleroy to Downtown. Numerous constituents have written to suggest this.
Ferries replied they are “working with transportation agencies and stakeholders from across the city of Seattle and King County to better understand this dynamic situation, and together we are analyzing a variety of options to address this challenge.”
I appreciate Ferries’ reply, and commitment to work with the City, and analyze options.
Ferries also noted challenges related to their terminals include the limited capacity at Fauntleroy; the reconstruction of Colman Dock through 2023, reducing the number of operating slips from 3 to 2; potential impact to Seattle/Bremerton and Seattle/Bainbridge routes and those communities; the number of ferries they have available; and public input requirements for any schedule changes.
Ferries also notes that their most recent origin-destination study showed 60% of passengers aren’t heading downtown or points north (which is why my request was to “directing some of the traffic between Vashon and/or Southworth to Downtown Seattle”).
If you don’t already get Herbold’s weekly updates, you can find them – usually published Fridays – at herbold.seattle.gov.
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