WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE: Checking in, two months after reopening

(WSB picture, September 17)

Two months in the past tonight, the barricades and indicators got here down and the West Seattle Bridge opened again up, two and a half years after its sudden shutdown. We checked in with SDOT this week on two issues – first, what are the present visitors volumes? Not lengthy after the reopening, visitors was reported to be about two-thirds what it was pre-pandemic. This week, SDOT spokesperson Mariam Ali replied to us that it hasn’t modified: “Visitors volumes on the West Seattle Bridge are nonetheless roughly two-thirds of what they had been in 2019. (~60k automobiles per day vs. ~90k per day in 2019).” Additionally: “Volumes on the Spokane Road low bridge hall are roughly half of 2019 ranges. (4,500 automobiles per day vs. 9,000 automobiles per day in 2019).” (We haven’t but checked on the 1st Avenue South Bridge or South Park Bridge – our major curiosity was the excessive bridge.) We additionally requested in regards to the ongoing inspections, when the subsequent one was scheduled, and whether or not any new cracks had been seen. Ali replied, “(At the moment) would be the subsequent scheduled inspection. No new cracking aside from regular new development shrinkage is happening. The digital monitoring is ongoing 24/7.”