Seattle’s First Avenue Bridge to get new bearing, masonry pads
Mar 5, 2021, 1:12 PM | Updated: 1:22 pm
Seattle’s First Avenue Bridge is under repair this weekend, which will cause plenty of traffic congestion.
KIRO Radio reporter Tracy Taylor says the bridge will be reduced from four lanes to two, and southbound lanes will be fully closed overnight.
The closure was initially scheduled as a 15-day 24/7 restriction, but was adjusted to a 5-day restriction.
WSDOT will close all southbound lanes of the bridge beginning at 9 p.m. Friday. Lanes will reopen by 6 a.m. Saturday. On Wednesday, two of the four southbound lanes will be closed 24 hours a day through the following Monday.
Crews are working to replace the bearing pads, which allow the structure to move and flex with changing weather and traffic conditions. The masonry pads, that the bridge’s girders rest on, will also be replaced. They’ve in use since the bridge opened in 1996.
You can hear Tracy Taylor several times an hour every afternoon during the Tom and Curley Show on KIRO Radio. Be sure to follow Tracy on Twitter.
