Seattle bridge repairs required

Major repairs are required for the West Seattle Bridge.
By MJ Woof August 24, 2020 Read time: 1 min
Costly repairs are needed to the West Seattle Bridge – image courtesy © Mariana Ianovska, Dreamstime.com

Major repair work is needed for the West Seattle Bridge. Estimates suggest that the necessary work could cost from US$160-$225 million.

Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is securing the financing required for the work. Funding is being sourced from the city’s budget as well as from loans.

The cracking in the bridge, which opened to traffic in 1984, appears to have been caused by a number of factors. The bridge carries more traffic and more heavy trucks than it was originally designed for and an extra lane was added some years ago. The bridge also suffered from a jammed bearing, as well as coping with an earthquake and creep in its concrete structure, resulting in a reduction of tension in the steel reinforcement.

Finance & Funding

Related Content

  • Tackling Florida’s highway congestion
    August 5, 2016
    Congestion is a major problem in certain areas of US state Florida. Large number of commuters and tourists means that central Florida’s Interstate 4 (I-4) highway suffers particularly from congestion. Its proximity to Disneyland means that the traffic often comes to a complete standstill. A 2012 report from the Texas Transportation Institute ranked Orlando 13th in the US for traffic congestion, with more than 1.5 million daily trips on I-4. The report estimates that each frustrated commuter wastes about 45
    Read More
  • Highway project in Texas required demolition equipment
    May 1, 2018
    A contractor in Texas has used equipment from Brokk to help out with a tricky highway project. Upgrading work has been carried out on a 6.4km-long stretch of I-35 in San Antonio between Loop 410 NE and Loop 410 S. This stretch of the route was carrying around 185,000 vehicles/day and was suffering increasing levels of congestion at peak periods. Travel times lengthened by 65% during rush hour, while ramps on opposite sides of the interstate caused additional congestion and safety issues. In one section, t
    Read More
  • Clever approach to reducing bridge vibrations
    November 14, 2013
    Reducing vibrations on a bridge, supplying high-quality binders to emerging countries and helping small and medium players with warm mix, this month’s stories showcase some innovative bitumen technology solutions - Kristina Smith reports The Kessock Bridge in the Highlands of Scotland has become the third bridge in the UK to be resurfaced with Gussasphalt. A dense mastic asphalt containing Nynas Endura N5, a polymer modified binder, Gussasphalt has been designed to have a longer life than standard mastic as
    Read More
  • Ohio increases bridge maintenance programme
    November 8, 2013
    The US state of Ohio plans to invest US$120 million in repairing and replacing over 200 county and city-owned bridges over the next three years. The funds are being made available through the state’s efforts at overhauling highway funding by reducing overhead costs and improving efficiency at the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). Work is expected to begin on the first 40 bridges next year. ODOT will work with local officials to identify the remaining bridges to repair or replace in the following yea
    Read More

Highlighted Content