Lower Spokane Street Bridge closed all weekend for repairs

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is closing the Spokane Street Swing Bridge, also known as the lower bridge, all weekend to complete repair work.

As a consequence, the high bridge will be the only direct route from West Seattle to Downtown Seattle during the closure. The low bridge will be closed to all traffic, including bikes and pedestrians.

More on the Spokane Street Swing Bridge: Nine-day closure coming to Lower Spokane Street Bridge

SDOT is reinstalling the newly refurbished hydraulic turn cylinder that was removed in April. The 33-year-old bridge has been undergoing upgrades since 2022 and is expected to continue into 2025.

“The turn cylinders are a key component that helps the low bridge open and close when ships need to pass by on the Duwamish Waterway,” SDOT wrote. “This closure is part of our ongoing work to rehabilitate the low bridge’s systems. We have already completed bridge strengthening, earthquake safety upgrades and modernization of the control and communications system. We are continuing our work to replace aging cylinders, hydraulics and electrical components.”

The Spokane Street Swing Bridge was built in 1991, serving as a crucial link across the West Duwamish Waterway, especially for pedestrians and bicyclists.

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Both the King County Metro bus service and West Seattle Water taxi service will not be affected and will act as an alternate transportation method to work around the bridge’s closure.

“We appreciate your patience and understanding as we complete this crucial work to keep the low bridge reliably operating today and in the future,” SDOT stated.

To stay informed about the project, sign up to receive project updates here or visit SDOT’s website.

Contributing: Chris Sullivan, KIRO Newsradio

Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.