Camera enforcement going up on Lower Spokane Street Bridge
Dec 10, 2020, 7:31 AM
An officer directs traffic off the West Seattle Low Bridge in October 2020. (Photo courtesy of SDOT/Flickr)
(Photo courtesy of SDOT/Flickr)
Asking people to avoid the Lower Spokane Street Bridge hasn’t worked. Posting police officers at the bridge hasn’t worked.
So now the city is putting in photo enforcement, with plans to ticket drivers who shouldn’t be using the bridge.
The cameras were supposed to go up about a week ago, but there was a slight delay. They are going up Thurday, Dec. 10, and people can expect to see flaggers on the bridge. During the installation, travel will be reduced to one direction at time.
Why take this step?
The low bridge can only handle so many vehicles an hour. Ever since the West Seattle Bridge was closed in March, the low bridge has been reserved for emergency vehicles, transit, vanpools, employer shuttles and a few choice others.
That restriction runs between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. daily. But so many people are violating the restriction, the city has decided that a $75 ticket might be enough of a deterrent to get compliance. The city wants to keep the bridge free of congestion so emergency vehicles can get a straight shot out of West Seattle.
Mayor Durkan chooses to repair rather than replace West Seattle Bridge
Tickets for using the Spokane St. Bridge are expected to start going out Jan. 1, 2021.
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