District 1 City Councilmember Lisa Herbold shared this news on Friday Jan. 29 in her newsletter to constituents:
On Thursday, the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) Executive Board voted to approve $14.4 million in funding for the West Seattle Bridge project.
Thank you to PSRC Executive Board members Council President González, Councilmembers Lewis and Strauss and Mayor Durkan for their work at the Executive Committee. Thanks also to members from King County, Pierce and Snohomish Counties, for affirming the importance of the West Seattle Bridge as a critical regional asset.
Thanks to PSRC Transportation Policy Advisory Board members, Council President González, and Councilmembers Juarez and Pedersen for their work on the PSRC Transportation Policy Advisory Board for making the recommendation to move this funding to the Executive Board for final action.
The Council received updates on Monday about potential funding at the state and federal level.
At the state level, the House Democrats Transportation Revenue Package proposal includes $6.7 billion for state and local capital projects, with $1 billion reserved for the I-5 Crossing Bridge. Other projects are to be determined, which isn’t unusual at this point. The State Senate Transportation Chair’s proposal includes a placeholder for the West Seattle Bridge listed at $25 million. I appreciate the state legislature’s transportation funding proposals. While proposals can evolve over time, it’s good to see funding proposed or potentially available for the bridge.
At the federal level, the City’s Federal Goals for 2021 include seeking federal funding for the bridge.
During the update on federal issues the Council heard on Monday, I asked about the potential for funding for the West Seattle Bridge. The City’s federal lobbyist noted the Biden administration plans to first act on a coronavirus relief package. After that, they will move to work on an infrastructure bill for which the bridge could be a good candidate.
SDOT posted a summary of the bridge stabilization work they completed in December, and the eight months of work. Here’s a visual that shows where the work has taken place:
