West Seattle Bridge

The West Seattle Bridge, officially the Jeanette Williams Memorial Bridge, is a cantilevered segmental bridge that serves as the primary connection between West Seattle and important highways such as State Route 99 (and the tunnel through downtown), the Spokane Street Viaduct, and Interstate 5. It was built between 1981 and 1984 after the previous bascule bridge was deemed inoperable as a result of being struck by the freighter Antonio Chavez in 1978.

West Seattle Bridge
The West Seattle Bridge from the west side, seen during a closure in 2020
Coordinates47°34′16″N 122°21′00″W
Carries7 lanes
CrossesDuwamish Waterway
LocaleSeattle, Washington
Other name(s)Jeanette Williams Memorial Bridge
Characteristics
Designsegmental, cantilever
Total length2,607 ft (795 m)
Clearance below140 ft (43 m)
History
DesignerAndersen Bjornstad Kane Jacobs, Inc.
OpenedJuly 14, 1984
Rebuilt2020–2022
Location

The high-level bridge was closed in March 2020 after cracks in the underside were found to be growing rapidly, necessitating a major repair amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Seattle Department of Transportation conducted repairs over a two-and-a-half-year period and reopened the bridge on September 17, 2022.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.