West Seattle Bridge repairs slated to finish by mid-2022

SEATTLE — Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said Monday that repairs on the closed West Seattle Bridge are on schedule and the bridge should reopen for vehicular traffic sometime in mid-2022.

Durkan said in a news conference that the city is on time and on budget, adding that the city knows the timeline still seems too slow for the communities being impacted, KOMO-TV reported.

“We really are moving forward,” she said.

The city closed the bridge abruptly in March 2020 after questions were raised about its structural integrity following the discovery of cracks.

The bridge opened in 1984 and was projected to have a life of at least 40 years. The city opted to repair instead of replace the bridge to reopen it sooner for the thousands of motorists who use it daily.

A West Seattle High-Rise Bridge Cost-Benefit Analysis report concluded that the city could proceed with spending $47 million to repair the bridge.

The bridge closure has caused ongoing traffic gridlock in the area. Durkan said the bridge is an economic driver in the city and state.

“It’s not just a connection between the communities,” she said. “It’s one of the most important economic bridges we have in our region and in the western United States.”

Officials said the city secured $19 million in funding from the federal government to help pay for the needed repairs along with $9 million from the Port of Seattle.