The Spokane Street Swing Bridge, also known as the West Seattle low bridge, reopened to traffic Friday afternoon after being closed for three weeks while Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) crews made emergency repairs.
The SDOT said the bridge reopen around 2 p.m. Friday after crews finished removing signs and barricades.
The bridge closed to all vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian travel on Dec. 23 after mechanical issues were intensified by a power outage during last month’s rare ice storm.
During the three-week closure, the department said crews removed a damaged 15,000-pound cylinder, repaired underground power conduit and replaced valves and hoses on the eastern bridge span’s hydraulic power unit.
The bridge’s eastern span was also reprogrammed to move using one less hydraulic cylinder during the closure. The SDOT said opening and closing the bridge for passing ships will take around 10-15 minutes longer than usual while the bridge runs with one cylinder.
Crews are expected to remove the temporary bike route on 1st Avenue South on Saturday.
“With more than 1,700 traffic cones and hundreds of signs involved, completing this all-day work on a Saturday is safer for crews and the traveling public, and avoids conflicting with weekday peak traffic,” the SDOT said.
While the temporary bike route on 1st Avenue South will be removed, the department said the temporary protected bike lane along West Marginal Way Southwest will remain in its current configuration. This includes the large orange barrels making the route.
The department said it is in contact with community members and nearby businesses about a protected bike lane along West Marginal Way Southwest.
During the closure, SDOT and King County Metro allowed travelers to use the Transit GO Ticker app to earn bus and water taxi trips for free, but the department said the program will end at 2 p.m. when the bridge is expected to open.
The SDOT said anyone who already used the code and still has unused reward points “will have six months to use their points as long as they remain active users of the app.” Click here for more information.