WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE: What’s happening now, including one extra repair

SDOT says the West Seattle Bridge remains on track to reopen the week of September 12th, as announced almost six weeks ago. If you’re on the SDOT mailing list for the bridge and/or City Councilmember Lisa Herbold‘s newsletter list, you’ve probably seen the Friday updates on what’s been happening with bridge work. The last paragraph of last Friday’s SDOT update caught our attention:

… As we move through these final phases of repairs, we continuously inspect the bridge and check our work. Earlier this month during a routine crack inspection, we discovered a spall area that was about 2 by 9 feet. Spalling is when a part of the concrete surface naturally weathers, chips or breaks away. After looking into the spall, it’s clear that it is not related to the issues that are currently being repaired and it does not indicate any structural or systemic issues. We will be able to repair this spall with no impact to the bridge reopening schedule.

We asked for more information about that and photos if available. Here’s what we received:

(The spall) is the area on the exterior surface of the bridge that looks like flaking or separating concrete. To fix it, we will remove the unsound concrete, and then place forms and fill the void with grout. Once the grout has cured we will apply carbon-fiber wrapping, similar to other locations on the bridge.

As for what’s happening with the overall repairs, SDOT says crews have “finished installing the nearly 250,000 feet of steel cable needed for the new post-tensioning system inside the bridge (and) started the process of tightening the post-tensioning system by pulling on the cables with hydraulic equipment.” An additional note about current work comes from Councilmember Herbold’s Friday update, and it relates to this photo we recently received from a reader:

Herbold’s update explains:

The first two of six deck overlay pours are scheduled this week for the Fauntleroy Expressway leading up to the bridge. The first 10 of the 60 concrete panels being replaced are being poured this week as well.

The Fauntleroy Expressway is the southwest end of the bridge – and technically a separate structure.

935 July 19, 2022 (1:19 pm)

18 sq ft of spalling concrete missed until this “routine” inspection.

Creates concerns about other “missed” deficiencies. Given the track records of SDOT and bridges – zero confidence.

My two cents July 19, 2022 (2:44 pm)

Primary focus has been in the bridge repair. The spalling of concrete is part of the process doing regular maintenance checks and feedback. What concrete section of road doesn’t show some signs of this type of decay/erosion at some point. As this project is wrapping up the repair component it’s only logical that they then do the surface updates and corresponding maintenance/inspections at this point.
- Elroy July 19, 2022 (6:28 pm)
  
  JETPACKS FOR EVERYONE!
Boinsted July 19, 2022 (2:47 pm)

Don’t worry – Herbold is all over it.
- Derek July 19, 2022 (2:58 pm)
  
  Herbold hate is unwarranted and driven by the fringe around here.
  - Jeepney July 19, 2022 (4:40 pm)
    
    Pointing out an elected official’s flaws and shortcomings is not “hate”, it is an individual expressing their opinion. Just because you don’t agree with the opinion does not make it “hate”.
  - Question Authority July 19, 2022 (4:50 pm)
    
    Please pay better attention, her fan club is circling the drain and that fringe grows by the minute due to her actions, or lack thereof.
  - Jort July 19, 2022 (4:51 pm)
    
    Derek, she’s bad. Just because the anti-homeless comments section army doens’t like her doesn’t mean she’s actually good for West Seattle. She favors the status quo and believes in the “Seattle Process” like it’s a religious dogma. She is afraid to take bold or courageous stands and instead chooses to “virtue signal” professed ideals while, despite literally being in a position of power to do something about problems, chooses status quo inaction over uncomfortable changes every time. Lisa’s bad at her job, and we can do much better. Not that the comment section “voters” have a better alternative. Lisa dresses herself up in liberal clothes but serves wealthy, car-driver, homeowner, business interests at every opportunity. She’s a “In This House” yard-sign liberal. It’s gross.
    - Adam July 20, 2022 (7:02 am)
      
      Are we all seriously going to just pass by Jort explaining that homeowners and business owners are the problem?
    - 935 July 20, 2022 (9:05 am)
      
      Jort – I often chuckle to myself with your replies – but this one had me rolling… “She’s a “In This House” yard-sign liberal”. Truer words have never been spoken. Insufferable.
    - Derek July 20, 2022 (9:20 am)
      
      I don’t disagree that she’s an “In This House” liberal. But I will take her over the alternative the anti-houseless commenting car-driver “SFH Only!” types propose. That’s for sure. I am afraid the KOMO-watching types on here want poverty illegal. I rather someone attempt to tax Amazon for the awful corporation that it is than someone who is going to save awful SFH zoning.
  - wscommuter July 19, 2022 (4:53 pm)
    
    No – don’t “hate” Herbold, but do see her for the incompetent and opportunistic hack that she is. It’s fine if you think she’s doing a good job. The next election will reveal whether opposition to her is “fringe” or a majority.
  - Mike July 19, 2022 (4:55 pm)
    
    Herbold criticism is quite warranted, a sentiment felt and expressed by far more than “the fringe”. She is an elected representative who many feel has done a poor job. Including failing to make the bridge repair an urgent priority.
  - Mina July 19, 2022 (5:09 pm)
    
    Herbold hate absolutely warranted.
  - Spicy Eight Piece July 19, 2022 (5:24 pm)
    
    LOL. Derek thinks WE are all the fringe. Ha!
  - My two cents July 19, 2022 (5:28 pm)
    
    Herbold has done what for the community? ZIPPO, unless you count legislation that is overturned by the courts or maybe grandstanding in NYC to protest Amazon. Yep, really good representation .
  - Lee July 19, 2022 (5:42 pm)
    
    Many would say her supporters are on the fringe 😊
    - Lagartija Nick July 19, 2022 (7:53 pm)
      
      Funny that you guys think her supporters are the fringe when she wins elections with a MAJORITY of the vote. You guys are just loud.
  - Paul July 19, 2022 (5:47 pm)
    
    She has proven herself by her complete lack of response to basically anything. Not being mean, not being hateful, rather factual. She serves my business area and has done zero in her time in office to make anything better.
    - Peter Vann July 19, 2022 (7:04 pm)
      
      Her goal is not to help you, your business area, or make anything better. No, her goal is power, her own aggrandizement, and her activist, nihilist ideology which perpetuates more crime, homelessness, and squalor. She doesn’t care about you.
    - Derek July 20, 2022 (10:02 am)
      
      Peter loves hyperbole 🙄
  - Scubafrog July 19, 2022 (6:11 pm)
    
    Hate’s a strong word. For an elected politician who’s been partially responsible for destroying our police department – and who’s thus partially responsible for Seattle’s current rise in crime, dislike’s an appropriate’s adjective. Re “fringe”, I’d be interested to see objective data that shows Herbold’s approval over 30%. To that end, Herbold supporters at this juncture would be fringe. But I’m not making that assumption, because without hard, reliable data, it’s a fool’s errand to make that supposition either way. I’m not sure if I’m considered fringe. Up until the “defund” and “chop” sagas, I was rather fond of her (and mistakenly voted for her prior). Re the bridge, I’m glad we’ll have the bridge back — and hope it lasts.
  - Marc July 19, 2022 (6:34 pm)
    
    I am not on the fringe, but her vote to defund the police, her attempts to drive out Amazon, and her being in thrall to the Socialist all contribute to my being anti- Lisa Herbold.
- Delridger July 20, 2022 (9:17 pm)
  
  But Herbold is legit bad?
Peter July 19, 2022 (3:28 pm)

Do you actually have any evidence that this was a previously existing condition that was missed during prior inspections? If so, please share your source.
- My two cents July 19, 2022 (5:29 pm)
  
  It’s it in the article
  - Peter July 19, 2022 (5:58 pm)
    
    Nope. The article does not say this was preexisting and “missed” during any previous inspections.
- 935 July 19, 2022 (5:35 pm)
  
  It’s fairly obvious you know nothing about concrete. Spalling IS a long process – but it takes a lot of time to get to 18 sq ft. Especially during 2+ years of non use.
  
  IF it is a recent development (granted, it COULD (not likely) be – given the very vague “ROUTINE” verbiage) Then the bridge is ALREADY showing signs of severe stress. They DID put almost a MILLION (concrete) pounds of dead load on it. I don’t know how much other weight load is on the bridge. But this is a structure in distress and I fear once live loads are (re)introduced we will once again find ourselves cut off, as it were (is). This time however, so many people will be trusting in the fix, failure may not be caught in time.
  - Peter July 19, 2022 (6:00 pm)
    
    Nice bit of fear mongering there. Next.
    - My two cents July 19, 2022 (6:45 pm)
      
      Armchair engineers are plentiful!
    - Ferns July 19, 2022 (9:24 pm)
      
      I’ll see your armchair engineer and raise you a heresay engineer comment. I’ve spoken with a local bridge engineer who does not believe the repairs will last long. His firm is working on the replacement bridge – the one presented to the new mayor. It would have been nearer completion by now with the emergency authorization had the previous mayor had the foresight to put aside a quick? Fix? For a sure fix – at appropriately a year’s extra time.By the time repairs fail who knows what the price to replace will be given rapid inflation. I’d like to think I would’ve chosen the replace option and dodged the temptation of the quick fix, sure to fail. This revelation of a large spalling area previously not noticed brings my confidence down further in the longevity of the bridge. Some people advise not buying/living in West Seattle at all because this bridge problem has just been kicked down the road further and it’s going to be even more painful (long, costly) when replacement is the only option.
    - Al King July 19, 2022 (6:54 pm)
      
      Peter. Tell us why it is fear mongering.

Ron M July 19, 2022 (1:45 pm)

It’s been so long since I’ve been on the Fauntleroy expressway/WS bridge that I’ve almost forgotten that it exists. Crazy that I used to take that route almost every day.

Niko July 19, 2022 (2:21 pm)

I agree and with less than 46 days until the “opening” I doubt they’ll be done even if they keep to their 6 days a week schedule

AdmyrlByrd July 19, 2022 (1:48 pm)

I’m old enough to remember when mid-summer meant 2nd week of August

WSB July 19, 2022 (2:24 pm)

If you’re referring to SDOT’s timeline estimate, before “the week of September 12,” it was “midyear.” Many vigorous discussions ensued in comments but if you go with the mathematically simplest one – split the year into three 4-month periods, and call the middle one “midyear” – that would end August 31st, so this is still outside “midyear.”
- Todd July 19, 2022 (6:56 pm)
  
  Wait, what am I missing? Why isn’t the simplest answer just to count half a year in days (365/2 = 173, since I’m generous and will give them an extra half-day) from January 1, which is sometime in early July. Nowhere close to August.
- JenT July 20, 2022 (8:58 am)
  
  The simplest answer is Todd’s math, or close second, what every business uses: 4 quarters. Using a calendar year, which is what SDOT did when it said mid-2022, that would mean June 30 is the mid-way point. I would throw in July to be generous. No one calculates a midyear point as Aug 31.

WS4life July 19, 2022 (2:32 pm)

Sure hope they plan to install a super secure barrier between lanes the length of the express way. Those cement barriers get pushed over to oncoming lanes whenever there’s an accident.

CAM July 19, 2022 (10:19 pm)

That’s the point and a feature not a bug. If they were cemented in place it would result in more serious injuries for the people involved in the accident because there would be no give. Hitting an object that moves is always better than one that does not.

Jay July 19, 2022 (2:47 pm)

I’d rather be six to eight months away from a new hundred-year bridge than a couple months away from a duct tape and bubblegum solution held together with a few new cables along with hopes and dreams. I really wish they’d have gone with the rapid replace option.

Reality Bites Ya July 19, 2022 (3:19 pm)

Respectfully, if they had chosen a replace option we’d still be in the design/planning stages right now. We wouldn’t even be nearly through all of the reviews that would be needed: Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, City Council, County Council, SDOT, WSDOT, EPA (downstream from multiple Superfund cleanup sites), Duwamish Tribe, several US government agencies (as we’d surely be seeking Federal dollars), transit advocates, bicycle advocates, and more. Lovely a notion as “rapid replace” would be, it simply would not have happened.
- Jay July 20, 2022 (12:55 pm)
  
  The rapid replace option was only a partial demolition, re-using all but the spans, and was projected to take 18 months.
H July 19, 2022 (3:58 pm)

6 to 8 months? I think it would have been closer to 6 to 8 years.
Neighbor July 19, 2022 (7:31 pm)

We needed the bridge back ASAP. The status quo is unsustainable. “Rapid replace” is still a 10 year timeframe. If I put my tinfoil hat on and squint it looks to me like the city might try to combine a replacement bridge with the light rail. That could open up federal funding to help with the WS leg of light rail.
- Ferns July 19, 2022 (9:28 pm)
  
  I have spoken with a bridge engineer who designed the replacement bridge. They are ready to go with a replacement. The rapid replacement emergency authorization option would’ve enabled a much faster replacement. The previous mayor basically declined that fast track ability and so now yeah maybe it will take 10 more years after it fails in the next 3 to 4. But not because the design isn’t ready.

Reality Chick July 19, 2022 (3:03 pm)

Is there any word on the new SDOT Director? The posting is no longer on the city job website, which usually means a candidate has been selected.

bolo July 19, 2022 (3:16 pm)

So glad that the needed cement is being poured again. How and when did the strike end?

WS Res July 20, 2022 (11:03 am)

It did not. As has been reported here many times, the union offered a special agreement to pour specifically for this project even though the companies were still refusing to come to the table and negotiate. You can thank the union for putting the good of the community ahead of even their collective employment needs and thus the welfare of their own families.

TJ July 19, 2022 (3:49 pm)

I hate to break it to you, but there is zero chance that a new bridge would be less than a year away from opening if that was the plan. The reality is it would still be 5 years away at best. Nothing is rapid in Seattle. Too many environmental processes, permits, studies, bidding, and public comment periods. I live in Arizona half the time as of now and they don’t have the crazy expensive and long list of permitting, at least on building construction which I am familiar with

Peter July 19, 2022 (6:02 pm)

Don’t forget the endless lawsuits and warring consultants, all at taxpayer expense, of course.

Elroy July 19, 2022 (6:04 pm)

Jetpacks for everyone!

MM July 19, 2022 (6:24 pm)

How will they go about testing the bridge before opening it? When will the test period start?

Spicy Eight Piece July 19, 2022 (7:08 pm)

There, are you happy 935? MM is freaked out already from your fear mongering.
- 935 July 20, 2022 (10:57 am)
  
  Nah – not happy at all. Matter of fact – a little disappointed. There are several areas of investigation needing to be vetted, on this bridge, on this department, on this city – bureaucracy, government, state etc etc.
  
  But everyone seems to be impressed by platitudes and press releases as opposed to asking/demanding (truthful) answers to tough questions. Fourth Estate stuff. Questions that might get you disinvited to future engagements – or at best disregarded and left to the trash heap of “alt-right” or “conspiracy theorist” and God forbid “Trumper”.
  
  We’ll just see what we see I guess…. And just like last time – we’ll have hindsight as 20/20
  - Spicy Eight Piece July 21, 2022 (7:28 am)
    
    I was really just being facetious, however I want you to know that we (on the comment board that is) are hearing you. Nothing is perfection, but thank you for trying to make things the best they can be. As for the bridge itself, we all have the sole option of simply waiting to see how long it will last. I am more optimistic, and more comfortable with, leaving it to the most informed, educated, and involved among us to derive, then implement, the best solution. I also believe that government can, and does in many, many cases, make our lives better. May the rest of your Summer be the best you have ever had.

CAM July 19, 2022 (10:25 pm)

I look forward to the end of the bridge repairs when all the conspiracy theorists of West Seattle can put their full attention back on more fruitful endeavors. Newsflash, with a few notable exceptions that end up well publicized, no one in your local government is out to get you or to mess with you or to take advantage of you. They are all just people doing their jobs. Just because you don’t agree with them does not make them nefarious or crime bosses. If you don’t like it, go apply for a government job and do it your way and see how it goes.