West Seattle Bridge won't reopen for 2 years — and might not be fixable

Seattle transportation officials announced on Wednesday the bridge won’t reopen this year or next. They say it might not be feasible to repair it at all.

In the “best-case” scenario unveiled by Seattle Department of Transportation head Sam Zimbabwe said repairs would add a decade to the lifespan of the bridge, but it would have to be replaced thereafter.

“We do not anticipate traffic returning to the bridge in 2020 or 2021,” Zimbabwe said. “We recognize that that is a major challenge for the whole of the West Seattle community.”

Rapidly lengthening cracks in several locations underneath the bridge led to its closure to all traffic on March 23. City officials, however, knew about its worsening condition since 2013.

City officials have known about cracks in West Seattle Bridge since 2013

Zimbabwe said the cracking has continued to grow since the bridge stopped carrying traffic, though it has slowed. Before any work to repair the bridge can begin, it must be stabilized and made safe to work on.

Temporary repairs could begin this fall, after design has been completed and materials procured for them.

Zimbabwe estimated that temporary stabilization work would cost $33 million. He added that it would be premature to speculate about the cost of a full repair, since engineers still have to determine whether it can be done at all.

“In any case, we will need to think about replacing the West Seattle high-rise bridge much sooner than anticipated when it opened in 1984, when it was built with a 75-year design life,” Zimbabwe said.

Seattle Department of Transportation April 15 presentation on West Seattle Bridge