(WSB photo, January 8th)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Two months short of two years since the West Seattle Bridge closed, no date is set yet for its reopening, aside from “mid-2022.” SDOT‘s contract with the company fixing it, Kraemer North America, says they’re supposed to finish their work no later than June 30th. Testing will follow. And at some point around the reopening, a community celebration is expected (as we first noted in October). What kind of celebration? That’s up to the community – so a brainstorming session today officially kicked off the planning.

The West Seattle Chamber of Commerce and Junction Association convened a call with dozens of neighborhood advocates and businesspeople to invite ideas and to solicit volunteers for planning committees. The many ideas ran largely along two paths – celebrating the bridge itself, and welcoming visitors back to the peninsula. Celebrating the community members who’ve endured bridgelessness for two years should also be a goal, it was suggested. One big event? Multiple events? Merge the celebration with already-planned events like West Seattle Summer Fest, which is expected to return July 15-17, or the West Seattle Grand Parade, also likely to return this summer? Celebration on the bridge? Somewhere else, like a park or stadium or street? This was a “no bad ideas” type of conversation, so every suggestion and question was duly noted.

The executive directors of the WSCC and WSJA, Whitney Moore and Chris Mackay, said they’d had some preliminary conversations with SDOT, describing the department as “open” to possibilities, but with one big stipulation, which SDOT itself noted in October: The actual bridge reopening can’t be delayed in any way. If a celebration is planned on the bridge for a certain Sunday, for example, and the bridge is deemed ready to go on the preceding Friday, sorry, the bridge won’t wait, the WSCC and WSJA leaders say they were told. So that is a factor to consider. The only thing they said SDOT could say for sure in terms of a timeline is the same thing the city said in October – that they’ll know one month in advance.

P.S. Wondering if money is budgeted for a celebration? The WSCC and WSJA said no. (We are checking with SDOT to see if that goes for the city too.) So that could mean sponsors will be sought to cover any costs. That’s another reason why volunteer help is being sought now. If you’re interested in helping, contact WSJA or WSCC.

(SDOT photo, January 8th)

Raising the second work platform for the West Seattle Bridge repairs is more complicated than raising the first one, so while preparation work will continue this Saturday, the two east-platform halves won’t go up until January 29th. That’s what we found out from SDOT after asking for an update. “This Saturday, crews will complete electrical prep work, which includes temporarily removing existing light poles and other electrical equipment that will be in the path of the platform hoist,” SDOT spokesperson Mariam Ali told WSB, adding that a “traffic detour will be in place both weekends.” That’s the previously announced detour for people accessing Terminal 102 at the south end of Harbor Island.

(Added: Frame-grab from SDOT cam atop bridge today)

The West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force was convened by former Mayor Jenny Durkan, so its members have been wondering if her successor would keep it going. We’ve been following up on that, and the decision just in is, yes. Mayor Bruce Harrell‘s office tells us the CTF members have just received this:

Dear West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force Members,

Thank you for your commitment and dedication to Seattle — I deeply appreciate the service you’ve provided to your communities and to the City as a whole as members of the Community Task Force. As we continue to work toward a mid-2022 re-opening of the West Seattle Bridge and measure our progress toward restoring it to full capacity, I believe it is critical that this effort continue to benefit from the input and guidance of a cross-section of West Seattle and Duwamish Valley community members.

It is clear to me that you have developed expertise on the issues surrounding the closure and the repair project methodologies and milestones. Just as important, the Task Force has come to be known as a trusted conduit for sharing information about the repair project and traffic mitigation measures to the community, while also providing a means for community members to voice their concerns and ask questions of City staff and contractors about ongoing work. Again, thank you.

With these benefits provided by the Community Task Force in mind, I would like to accept your gracious offer to continue meeting until the repairs of the West Seattle High Bridge are complete and traffic is restored. I would also like to extend a special thank you to your co-chairs, Paulina López and former Mayor Greg Nickels, for their steady leadership and bringing this request to my attention.

I hope each and every one of you will be willing to continue your service to the City on the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force. Please consider yourselves reappointed as Community Task Force members through the completion of the High Bridge Repair project. I have directed my staff, along with SDOT project staff, to work with you on developing an appropriate meeting cadence between now and the day this summer we can celebrate together the reopening of the bridge.

Sincerely,
Bruce A. Harrell, Mayor

Now the question is when the group will next meet for its monthly briefing, as the repair work continues. We’ll add that information when we find out.

ADDED WEDNESDAY: SDOT says the next meeting is set for February 10th, 4-6 pm.

12:53 PM: That’s the first half of the first work platform hoisted up under the West Seattle Bridge today. We photographed it from the low-bridge walking/biking path around 11:30 am, just as it was reaching the top. This half is under the south side of the bridge; the other half was scheduled to go up a few hours after the first one – we’ll check back later this afternoon. As noted in our Friday preview, the hoisting operation is not affecting traffic.

2:22 PM: Watching this “live” SDOT camera, we’re noticing that it appears crews are now moving the second half of the platform into place for hoisting now – look at the lower right of the screen.

5:13 PM: Returned to the area just before dusk for the photo above – second half in place. We’ll find out this week about the timetable for installing the other platform, on the east side of the main span.

That was the scene on the high-bridge camera just after 4 pm, as crews working on the bridge repairs look ahead to a big job tomorrow – the first of two work platforms will be raised on Saturday morning. SDOT says the platform on the west side of the main span will be raised in two sections, one sometime after 8 am, the other a few hours later. SDOT says this is not expected to affect traffic, so no road closures are planned. The east-side platform-raising – at least a week away – might have some traffic effects, though. For more details on how the platforms work and why they’re needed, see our report on the briefing the project manager from contractor Kraemer NA gave to the bridge Community Task Force last year.

(SDOT camera image, midday today)

From SDOT today, an update on West Seattle Bridge work:

Last week, crews completed the hydro-blasting work. This created access points for the work platforms to hang from and openings in the bridge deck to access the inside of the bridge.

We’ve also been working to attach rigging that will hold the work platforms in place underneath the bridge. These components consist of 10- to 14-foot-long metal cables that are being fed through the holes in the bridge deck. Next, we’ll install stairs and scaffolding inside the bridge.

In the coming weeks, we’ll begin core drilling on the inside of the bridge at Pier 16, where we’ll install post-tensioning cables to reinforce the strength of the bridge’s concrete. We’ll also be relocating utility lines at this location to make room for the additional post-tensioning cables.

(SDOT photos)

We’re continuing to build the work platforms, which we expect to will hoist up to the underside of the bridge in January. These platforms create a workspace to complete epoxy injections and carbon-fiber wrapping on the outside of the bridge.

Heads up that there may be limited weekend traffic impacts on SW Manning St and E Klickitat Ave while we raise the work platform on the east side of the bridge – stay tuned for more details about timing in future updates.

Here’s an SDOT graphic showing where those platforms will go up:

The contractor’s project manager provided an in-depth briefing of the work plan at this month’s Community Task Force meeting (WSB coverage here).

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Tired of getting just toplines about the West Seattle Bridge “final repairs” that are getting under way now?

The project manager from repair contractor Kraemer North America presented a detailed briefing during this month’s West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force meeting Thursday evening – the video recording should open below to the start (55 minutes into the meeting):

The key points and images from his presentation top our report:

CONTRACTOR PRESENTATION: Adam Dour, Kraemer’s project manager for the West Seattle Bridge Corridor projects, spoke – he said he was also involved with the rehab work last year, First, he described his company as a “bridge contractor – our specialty is bridges – we’ve been doing this for 110 years.” They’ve worked with state and local agencies around the region and country. He presented an overview of both the high and low bridges

For the high bridge, the green line on the top graphic is the pst-tensioning, and the blue and purple (interior) highlighting shows the epoxy injection and carbon-fiber polymer wrapping.

Other improvements – the project includes bridge deck overlay on the west end (Fauntleroy), removal and replacement of existing expansion joints, while some will be rehabilitated – “Bridge 131EA” will get some wrapping too near SR 99. “Not shown but equally important,” as Dour described it, the replacement of 4,000 feet of jersey barriers and 10 overhead sign structures.

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(Image from West Seattle Bridge cam, 11 am today)

Three West Seattle Bridge notes:

EMERGENCY TRAINING: We’ve been reporting on SFD training at a redevelopment site north of the bridge. Now we have word from SDOT that responders will be training ON the bridge the next few mornings:

The Seattle Fire Department will be conducting training exercises and safety drills on top of, and inside, the West Seattle Bridge each morning this week. The public can expect to see emergency first-response vehicles and workers on the bridge each morning until Thursday, December 9. People may also see fake smoke coming from inside the bridge during a drill that will simulate the challenges of conducting a rescue operation inside an enclosed space with limited visibility.

This is a planned training exercise and should not be a cause for alarm. Completing this safety training exercise is an important first step in resuming construction on the bridge. This is one part of the larger safety plan to keep workers and the public safe during construction and keep the project moving smoothly by preventing accidents and ensuring that we are well prepared to respond to any unplanned situations.

SPEAKING OF CONSTRUCTION: Since crews working on the bridge last week were hydroblasting attachment points for new work platforms (WSB coverage here), we asked SDOT how soon those platforms will go up. Spokesperson Ethan Bergerson says, “We’re working to finalize the permits which will allow us to schedule the installation of the work platforms. We’ll be able to say more specific timing once that has been done.” We also asked SDOT if the concrete strike will affect bridge work; spokesperson Mariam Ali says no – “Concrete is not a major part of the current work stage on the West Seattle Bridge.”

TASK FORCE MEETING THURSDAY: The next scheduled public briefing on the bridge will be at 4 pm Thursday, during the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force‘s monthly meeting. The viewing link is here; we’re hoping to get the agenda tomorrow. (Added: Here it is.)

A little over one hour after today’s “final repairs have begun” briefing about the West Seattle Bridge (WSB coverage here), SDOT allowed media crews onto the bridge to photograph the work. It was our third visit in three months. SDOT has been saying that the first work would include hydroblasting attachment points for the work platforms, and that’s what was happening this afternoon.

Before the actual blasting, workers were measuring and marking:

These workers are with Rampart Hydro Services, a Pennsylvania-based company that describes itself as “the world’s leading hydrodemolition firm.” Their work will be done before the platforms go up next month (we’ve asked SDOT for a more specific date). Much of the rest of the $45 million dollar repairs will subsequently be happening beneath and inside the bridge.

As we reported in our coverage of this morning’s briefing, the city and contractor Kraemer North America agreed to a “substantial completion” date of the end of June, and SDOT says completion of work would be followed by up to two weeks of testing before reopening the bridge to traffic.

P.S. Adding two notes – more explanation on the repair work is here; next public update will be during the Community Task Force meeting on December 9th.

11:05 AM: Just under way, livestreaming above, the mayor and SDOT are announcing the start of “final repairs” on the West Seattle Bridge, 20 months after it was abruptly closed for safety concerns. We’ll be reporting today’s updates in two parts – first, this online briefing; second, what we see and learn when media crews are escorted onto the bridge in a few hours (some of the work is already visible via this city webcam). We’ll add notes from this briefing every few minutes.

11:11 PM: Mayor Jenny Durkan thanked the “residents and businesses of West Seattle” and the Duwamish Valley for enduring the bridgelessness. She said it’s “exciting” that “we are closer than ever to reopening the bridge.” She described the project as “on time and on budget.” $19 million in federal funds and $9 million in port funding are assisting in covering the cost. “We know how much impact this has,” she reiterates. She describes the work as “extensive,” adding 91 tons and 46 miles of steel cable, two football fields of carbon-fiber polymer, among other things, to the bridge, which she says will be restored “to as close to new as possible.”

SDOT director Sam Zimbabwe got into the details. He says steel cables (post-tensioning strands) will be installed throughout the bridge, which will be wrapped in carbon-fiber polymer, with cracks being injected with epoxy. And “while we have contractors on the bridge” they’ll do “major maintenance” including replacing expansion joints, repaving, and replacing signs. He also noted the low bridge is getting carbon-fiber wrap and epoxy injections too.

11:22 AM: They’re in Q&A now. We asked about the projected completion date in the now-finalized agreement. End of June 2022, said Zimbabwe. Are there incentives for finishing sooner? No, he said, partly because of federal rules.

Mike Lindblom of The Seattle Times asks why they didn’t just keep Kraemer North America, which also was the contractor for stabilization, on to continue with repairs, Zimbabwe says he doesn’t think that would have saved time – he says the process of designing the repairs and assembling the funding was done in parallel and would have still required time post-stabilization. He insists, “I don’t think we’ve lost any time in this.”

11:35 AM: We also asked whether the bridge is going to reopen a lane or two at a time in mid-2022 as had been suggested before. No, said Zimbabwe, they expect that when it reopens, they’ll reopen it fully – after a period of up to two weeks for “load testing” among other things, Zimbabwe was also asked about whether reopening the bridge partly, early, could have been possible. He said no – it needs this next round of repairs to be able to safely carry traffic. He also said the repairs are expected to restore the bridge to where it should have been at this point – 40 more years of life.

11:44 AM: The briefing is over but you should be able to view the video on instant playback above. Look for our separate report later on what’s actually happening on the bridge now (among the work, Zimbabwe said, is hydroblasting to prepare for the new work platforms to be hoisted).

2:41 PM: Back from the bridge, separate story later. The city’s post about today’s announcement, includes quotes from elected officials and others who were on the call but didn’t speak, is here.

(WSB photo, last week)

One week ago, after Mayor Durkan‘s visit to Husky Deli, we reported that we had talked there with SDOT director Sam Zimbabwe, who told us to “expect some good news right after Thanksgiving” regarding West Seattle Bridge repairs. That news is scheduled for Monday morning (November 29th), when he and the mayor will brief media reps at what the announcement calls an event “marking the start of (the) final phase of West Seattle Bridge repairs.” Contractor Kraemer North America. which also handled the stabilization work on the bridge last year, has begun on-site preparation work, SDOT said last week.

(WSB photo, Wednesday afternoon)

We went to southeast Admiral on Wednesday afternoon for that look at the 20-months-closed West Seattle Bridge, just in case some work was in view. Turned out not to be much of a viewpoint for that, but today we did get a brief update from SDOT on what its repair contractor is doing:

This week, crews started early site prep in advance of beginning final bridge repairs. Contractor Kraemer North America began loading work shacks and equipment for erosion control onto the high bridge to be ready for construction work.

The next activities you can expect to hear more about are hydro-blasting to create access for work platforms, as well as more details about those work platforms being assembled and transported to the bridge.

Last week SDOT told the WS Bridge Community Task Force that it was very close to finalizing the “maximum allowable construction cost” contract with Kraemer NA. But that hadn’t happened yet when we checked earlier this week.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

After the update on impending high-bridge repairs – as reported here – SDOT briefed the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force on the low bridge, West Marginal work, and more.

LOW BRIDGE PROBLEM POSTMORTEM: The recent trouble forced SDOT to do pump work that was already on the schedule for just days after the breakdown, noted bridge-program director Heather Marx. She also said the pump problem affected maritime traffic much more than vehicle traffic, delaying barges with cargo including perishable groceries for Southeast Alaska. So they expedited to November 4-5 a pump replacement that originally had been scheduled for November 9th. They also discovered “a filter had broken” and that added extra work – 16 barrels of hydraulic fluid had to be drained and replaced. There’s one more project ahead, a cylinder replacement planned December 10th-13th:

There’s no impact expected to vehicle traffic but openings for marine traffic will be restricted. Meantime, separate from all this, the controls upgrade for the low bridge is currently set for mid-2022, after the high bridge reopens.

LOW BRIDGE ACCESS: SDOT’s Maureen Sheehan led these updates. Here’s how access is going:

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First update from this afternoon’s West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force meeting is the latest on Topic A – the repair work that’s about to begin. (That wasn’t the only topic discussed, but we’ll get to the others in a later report.) From the slide deck, the announcement that the Maximum Allowable Construction Cost (MACC) contract is almost ready to be signed:

Bridge program director Heather Marx said, “You will see Kraemer North America [repair contractor] crews back on the bridge this month,” first bringing equipment and materials onto the bridge. They’re building work platforms offsite. Much of the current work happens inside the bridge or off the bridge – but she said you will see work crews, trailers, and equipment. Also ahead: Hydroblasting to create lifting points for the work platforms; there are old ones from the stabilization process but they have to create new ones for the “tail spans” – sections of the bridge on which work was not done during the stabilization process.

(WSB photo from August visit atop the bridge)

There will be some “short-term” low bridge, street, and waterway closures for the platform installation, and they’re promising lots of advance notice. Here’s the timeline:

Carbon-reinforced polymer wrapping starts around the first of the year, and low-bridge work – including more of that – also starts in the first quarter.

“As soon as we sign the contract, we’ll be free to talk about when the work is expected to be done,” Marx promised. Asked later if that contract would be viewable post-signing, Marx said it’s a public document, so yes. But she also said the work is “risk-loaded”:

The work also could go “better” than planned, she noted. The activities mentioned in the slide above include a planned “celebration” for the community – but she promised that will not delay the reopening.

Also addressed at today’s meeting – the low bridge, recent West Marginal Way work, and the study for a bridge replacement that’s likely 40 years in the future (more from SDOT Blog here). We’ll get into all those details in a separate report later.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Repair work to reopen the 19-months-closed West Seattle Bridge is now just weeks from starting.

That’s part of what the bridge’s Community Task Force heard during its monthly meeting, held online Thursday evening. Here’s how it unfolded:

BRIDGE-TOUR THOUGHTS: Since the advisory group’s last meeting, members had been invited to tour the bridge – in visits similar to the media tour we covered last month – and CTF co-chair Paulina López of the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition invited members to offer their thoughts.

(SDOT photos)

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Our full report on tonight’s West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force meeting will be out tomorrow, but first, here’s the most interesting thing we heard: Police “recently” busted dozens of drivers for trying to evade the low-bridge enforcement cameras by removing or obscuring their license plates. During SDOT‘s briefing for the CTF, one slide revealed these datapoints about the operation:

• Heard from community and observed unauthorized drivers crossing the low bridge with missing or obstructed plates during restricted hours

• Recent 3-day enforcement resulted in 47 license plate citations given, with a $231 fine

• SPD is periodically at the low bridge to enforce and reduce this type of illegal action and ensure adequate room on the low bridge for transit, freight, emergency vehicles, and authorized users

Bridge program director Heather Marx said those “three days” were more like a.handful of hours spread across three days. She called the violations “outrageous. … This is wrong and if you know (someone) who is doing this, tell them THIS IS WRONG.” Task Force co-chair Greg Nickels suggested making photos of the plates-not-visible violators public. Marx said that wouldn’t be legal, under the state law that authorized the enforcement cameras. State House Rep. Eileen Cody noted that she recalled that legislators were concerned about privacy when considering that legislation. Another elected official on the CTF, City Councilmember Lisa Herbold, suggested the city should ask the court not to let drivers argue down the fine for these violations – “they are intentionally doing a thing to obscure themselves from enforcement of the law and I don’t think the magistrate should be reducing the tickets for those folks.” We’ll be following up to see if more information is available about how many vehicles have been tallied with missing or unreadable plates.

(WSB photo from last month’s media tour of the bridge)

Tomorrow brings SDOT‘s next public briefing on the status of West Seattle Bridge repair planning, during the monthly online meeting of Community Task Force members. Here’s the agenda for the 4 pm Thursday (October 14th) meeting. Along with updates on the preparations for repair work, SDOT reps will present detour-route traffic and collision data as well as low-bridge information, including its upcoming work. Task Force members will also get a chance to talk about their recent tours of the bridge. Once the meeting begins, you’ll be able to watch the livestream by going here.

(WSB photos/video. Above, the repurposed shipping container covering entrance to bridge interior)

By Tracy Record and Patrick Sand
West Seattle Blog co-publishers

A year and a half after closing the West Seattle Bridge, SDOT is giving tours while getting ready for repairs. Among those who are being offered a firsthand look, according to an SDOT email shared with us by a source, are “members of the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force, Technical Advisory Panel, and our governmental partners and supporters.” Plus, this afternoon – the media.

We were up on the bridge five weeks ago, but that was part of a visit by dignitaries from D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell and Deputy Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg. Today’s tour was intended solely to give reporters and photographers (attendance was limited to one person per media organization, so it was one or the other) a firsthand look. That included another view inside the bridge, where most of the upcoming work will happen:

Among the SDOT reps leading the tour, roadway-structures director Matt Donahue, the man who broke the news to city leaders in March 2020 that he’d discovered cracking that necessitated the emergency closure.

Donahue and bridge program director Heather Marx recounted the explanation of “why the bridge broke” (as covered here in August). Once the bridge was stabilized last year, that took care of the cracking problem. Intensive monitoring continues, with a few visible signs on top of the bridge.

Today in fact, some SDOT staff was on the bridge for a monthly monitoring visit (which is in addition to electronic monitors in place that are watched remotely). We talked with Marx about the “early work” that’s been mentioned as starting soon:

We asked Marx for a list of what “early work” is likely to entail:

Core Drilling
Hydro Demo
Ground Penetrating Radar
Scaffolding
Carbon Fiber-reinforced Polymer
Tug Service
Electrical
Surveying
Deck Grooving
Waterproofing
Saw Cutting
Traffic Control

As was the case when we visited the bridge in August, some work is in evidence now:

(Updated: Crane truck ‘lowering equipment through the deck in to the north center span girder’)

SDOT still isn’t getting any more specific about the projected reopening than “mid-2022.” They’ve said that the contractor was providing schedule estimates as part of design milestones; we asked for that proposed schedule and were told earlier this week by an SDOT spokesperson that “it’s part of an active negotiation with our contractor, so we aren’t releasing it.”