This is Pier 18, the support pier of the West Seattle Bridge where the ribbed section of the roadway meets the cantilevered section of the bridge. A lateral bearing here has been identified as the first element of repair to be addressed by SDOT.
Photo by Patrick Robinson
Editor’s note:
SDOT discovered that one particular spot on the West Seattle Bridge has become stuck, which appears to be magnifying the daily stresses on the bridge.
Specifically, the issue is with the lateral bearings at the top of the Pier 18 support columns. This isn’t the sole cause of cracking on the bridge, but our bridge experts think it is a major part of the problem.
The bridge has four main support piers that hold up the three highest spans of the bridge – the part that goes over the Duwamish River, between Harbor Island and West Seattle. Pier 18 is the support structure on the east side of the high-rise span on Harbor Island.
In our Page One photo of the bridge in the print edition last week, it showed what SDOT had previously told us was the Pier 18 view.
This information was wrong.
SDOT spokesperson Ethan Bergerson clarified the description in a blog post on the SDOT site.
