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 | |
| Coordinates | 47°34′16″N 122°21′00″W |
| Carries | 7 lanes |
| Crosses | Duwamish Waterway |
| Locale | Seattle, Washington |
| Other name(s) | Jeanette Williams Memorial Bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | segmental, cantilever |
| Total length | 2,607 ft (795 m) |
| Clearance below | 140 ft (43 m) |
| History | |
| Designer | Andersen Bjornstad Kane Jacobs, Inc. |
| Opened | July 14, 1984 |
| Rebuilt | 2020–2022 |
| 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.