Seattle bridge repairs planned

Repairs are being planned for the West Seattle Bridge.
By MJ Woof December 1, 2020 Read time: 1 min
A repair plan has now been set for the West Seattle Bridge – image courtesy © Mariana Ianovska, Dreamstime.com
Further repair works are being planned for the troubled West Seattle Bridge in the US. The link had to be closed to traffic in March 2020 when cracks were found in the structure.

Repairing the bridge has been selected as the best option as this will cost in the region of US$47 million to carry out. By comparison, replacing the structure entirely would cost anything from $390 million to $522 million. The bridge carries around 100,000 vehicles/day, considerably more than it was designed for. Opened in 1984, the bridge later had an extra lane added.

The link has had issues in the past including a jammed bearing, as well as creep in its concrete structure and also had to cope with an earthquake.

Phase I of the repair programme is now being completed. But Phase II will require more time to carry out, with the repairs being completed by mid-2022.

The plans also call for the construction of a second bridge that will carry a light rail link, as well as cars and in addition, will have facilities for cyclists.
Maintenance

Related Content

  • Pre-stressed bridge decks use modular formwork system
    July 9, 2012
    Imaginative formwork, often using modular components, is helping to shape some challenging bridges worldwide. Patrick Smith reports Traffic volumes in and around Prague have swollen massively in recent years, pushing the existing road network to the limits of its capacity. To permanently ease congestion in the Czech capital's centre, a multi-lane orbital motorway is under construction as a high capacity bypass for central Prague and to link up all the motorways and other major highways radiating from the ci
    Read More
  • Mumbai’s new coastal transport link
    July 6, 2022
    Mumbai’s new coastal road presents an ambitious and challenging project that will help improve the lives of the city’s inhabitants - Mike Woof writes
    Read More
  • Turkey’s new Marmara Highway project
    June 8, 2017
    By the end of 2018, a shiny new strip of asphalt will skirt around Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul, providing a new transport connection.
    Read More
  • New Turkish bridge opens to traffic
    June 30, 2016
    Turkey’s new Osman Gazi Bridge has now opened for traffic. This bridge can carry 40,000 vehicles/day, while halving the travel time needed using previous routes. This is a six lane suspension bridge measuring 3km and spanning the Sea of Marmara. Construction has taken 42 months and the structure has been designed to cope with the risk of earthquakes. The project has been co-ordinated by Japanese construction company IHI, with Siemens handling the role of electro and mechanical contractor. Siemens has dev
    Read More

Highlighted Content