SEATTLE (AP) — The West Seattle Bridge will open Sunday, Sept. 18, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation.
The date is the most specific milestone set by the city since the bridge closed more than two years ago due to safety concerns and provides weary West Seattle travelers with a beacon of hope.
The city previously set the week of Sept. 12 as its window for reopening the bridge but hedged the announcement with caveats about possible unanticipated hiccups in the final stretch of construction.
The date provided Thursday reflects the progress crews have made in recent months, most notably the final post-tensioning of nearly 50 miles (80 kilometers) of new cable, which compress the span of the bridge to strengthen the concrete, The Seattle Times reported.