SEATTLE — The West Seattle High-Rise Bridge and the lower Spokane Street swing bridge are the beneficiaries of an $11.2 million federal grant, according to state transportation officials.
The money will be used to make significant structural repairs to both bridges, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported June 29.
“Investments for this important safety project are essential to meeting our aggressive timeline and re-establishing mobility across the region,” Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said in the release. “We greatly appreciate the U.S. Department of Transportation’s partnership to focus on one of the highest priority projects for the region and state.”
The West Seattle Bridge was closed in March 2020 due to large cracks that emerged along the center. As a result, the city restricted access to the Spokane Street Swing Bridge to ensure freight, transit and emergency vehicles could access West Seattle.
With the city’s decision to repair the bridge, officials expect it to reopen sometime in 2022. Once repaired, the lifespan of the bridge is estimated to be between 15 to 45 years. Before closing, it carried an average of 100,000 vehicles and 25,000 transit riders a day.
The money was awarded to the city through the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America discretionary grant program, which the U.S. Department of Transportation launched in 2017.
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