The Seattle Department of Transportation through the offices of City Councilmember Herbold and Pederson held a digital town hall meeting via YouTube on Wednesday, April 22. It was moderated by Brian Callanan. SDOT Director Sam Zimbabwe and SDOT Director of Mobility Heather Marx took part.

"There's never a good time to close a bridge" Zimbabwe said. He emphasized the bridge is not in danger of imminent failure. He urged people to sign up for Alert Seattle to be kept up to date on anything urgent taking place.

Zimbabwe explained again that the growth of the 8 angular shear cracks in the walls of the the cement girder had accelerated including one that had grown four and a half feet. He explained it was not a maintenance issue but it remains unclear exactly what caused the cracks to form.

They are beginning the process of designing the shoring for potential repair but first they plan to address the locked bearing at Pier 18. It's compressed laterally and it's creating stresses throughout the entire bridge.

Stabilizing the bridge is the first job so Pier 18 will be addressed first.

SDOT posted a blog article on Pier 18 here.

Traffic mitigations that have been put in place will continue to evolve Zimbabwe said.

Those include:

• Traffic signal installed at Highland Park Way SW and SW Holden St
• Detour route signage to 1st Ave S Bridge improved
• Signals at the five-way intersection connected to citywide system for remote monitoring adjustment. Repave intersection.
• Stripe, sign, and smooth alternative routes
• Additional measures to be identified

The questions from the audience:

Why not proceed immediately with demolition instead of shoring?

The cost of going immediately to demoltion is an order of magnitude larger than the cost of stabilization which is also a safety issue.

What about increased foot ferry service such as the West Seattle Water taxi?

Herbold responded and said she's talked with Joe Nguyen and Joe McDermott and some port commissioners about ferries in general but there's nothing concrete yet. Zimbabwe said he has spoken to Washington State Ferries as well but no one "has any answers just yet" regarding dock capacity and slip capacity but that "No on is saying no."

What are the chances of combining a new bridge and light rail?

Zimbabwe said, "Nothing is of the table," and that they have gotten many good ideas and thoughts from people aroud the community. He said the Sound Transit construction schedule starts in 2025. Herbold said "it does look like if we want Sound Transit to include an adjustment into their Enviornmental Impact Statement and that they might be able to leverage some of their dollars, though it might take more time.

A Covid-19 front line physician expressed concern about the time it takes to get to the hospitals

Heather Marx said they will work with Metro transit but that once "we decide who can use the bridge" wil potentially create a bottleneck for traffic. We need to make sure our first responders get into and out of West Seattle.

What about setting time frames for when people can cross the bridge

Marx said, "We just don't know enough in terms of a data stream.. if it looks like theres a situation where we could open up the low bridge at off peak hours we could do that. She re-emphasized the need to keep it open.

Are any of the original designers and builders available for consulting?

Zimbabwe said there are still some people around who were involved but that they are looking for the best technical experts to help diagnose what is taking place with the bridge. It's a complicated structure it will be complicatd to repair.

Will tech companies with their own shuttles be allowed to use the low bridge?

Herbold said that Amazon runs four shuttles a day but that they have not yet decided if these are regarded if these are transit but Marx said as of now, they cannot. They are continuing to watch the volumes but right now they are limiting the access.

What about the Duwamish Bike Trail? Will there be improvements?

They are looking at where and how to make improvements Zimbabwe said.

Is putting a toll on the bridge to pay for it an option?

Nothing is off the table Zimbabwe said but that tolls have a lot of pros and cons. Herbold said the would meet with Pramila Jayapal on Friday to explore federal funding.

As new homeowner how will this affect home value. Will there be property tax breaks?

Herbold said it would be up to the King County Assessor who bases the value on surrounding property sales and that the assessment can be challenged.

What is the plan to manage the traffic on Roxbury and on Olson Place SW.?

Our current grid can't handle the load Marx said. She urged people to "really think through" what they can do since "Tnere are no amount of spot improvements that can replace the high bridge"

West Seattle Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Julia Jordan asked about health care facilities.

Herbold said the WSJA is working with a local health care provider to see if there is interest in locating a hospital in the Junction. Marx said they are keenly aware of the need for healthcare for the people of West Seattle which is why they are limiting traffic on the low bridge. Marx also pointed out that Highline Hospital is located in Burien.

Why was no plan implemented after discovering the cracks in 2013?

Zimbabwe said they identified that the bridge had cracks in 2013 but they were not progressing quickly. "It took some additional monitoring, maintenance, and modeling," but said it was "in large part due to their monitoring they could make this difficult decision."

He emphasized that the speed of the crack growth happened so quickly, (the same growth in three weeks that had previously taken three years) they were forced to make the decision to close.

Assuming West Seattle Bridge will be out has SDOT spoken to the Army Corps of Engineers to build a temporary bridge?

Zimbabwe said they "have to keep the waterway open which is why they open the low/swing bridge."

Can some of the Rapid Ride C buses continue on to Ballard?

Though it's up to Metro "We're open to every possibility and you can transfer from the C to the D line now on Third Avenue."

What about drivers using residential streets as detours at high speed?

Marx said this is a perennial question and urged drivers to be very cautious and drive slowly. she said they are installing the 25 mph speed signs on more and more roads. "You need to drive these neighborhoods like you live there."

Can the bridge withstand a moderate 5.0 to 6.0 earthquake?

Zimbabwe said "we live in an earthquake zone..." We are concerned about its stability which is why we are working on contingency plans."

What about the stability of the 1st Ave South bridge?

It's  a very new bridge but there is some maintenance work to be done by WSDOT, replacing the grid work this year.

Will ships be halted during commute times?

The terms of the permit the City has with the Coast Guard mandate that they open anytime a vessel wants to pass. Marx said the Coast Guard recently issued a request that vessels not attempt to cross at commute times. Herbold said they have requested something "a little bit stronger" but Marx said some of the vessel traffic is determined by tides. She said they would need to make a "deviation request" to the maritime community.

Will there be a Park N Ride area on the west side of the bridge?

Marx said there is a space underneath the bridge though it's tough to get to. She urged people to catch the bus closer to where they live.

Can Roxbury be restriped to create a dedicated HOV lane?

"We're open to all sorts of those ideas" said Zimbabwe. Herbold said she hears a lot about Roxbury and is working with people in the community to make sure traffic moves more safely on the detour routes, to "break the peninsula" into districts.

My family lives on Alki and my wife is pregnant? What if something urgent happens do I need to call an ambulance?

Marx said she could not imagine that the police would have an issue with emergency transport.

Did the piling work at Terminal 5 cause the problem with the bridge?

"We don't think so" said Zimbabwe. The work was going on last fall and they did not see any damage to any other structures. Herbold said she has talked with the port regarding the pile driving work happening regarding the vulnerability of the bridge.

What is a ballpark time range on replacing the bridge?

The truth is we just don't know what that timeline would look like. They are working from a financial timeline, construction timeline and more but do not know right now if they could re-use the existing columns or would have to start over.

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