information from SDOT

Keeping people moving through West Seattle is one of our top priorities during the West Seattle High-Rise Bridge closure.
Concurrently, our other priorities are maintaining public safety, stabilizing the high-rise bridge, assessing repair feasibly, maintaining the Spokane Low Bridge, and clear communication and transparency.
Our traffic engineers are evaluating intersections and arterial roads to determine where improvements are needed to support people and businesses in West Seattle during the bridge closure.
This weekend we will repave and change the lane design at the 5-legged intersection of Delridge Way SW, Chelan Ave SW, and W Marginal Way SW, just west of the Spokane Street/Low Bridge.
Construction and lane design changes are a preemptive step to ensure pavement can withstand increased traffic and to keep transit, freight, and emergency vehicles moving.

The signals at this intersection were upgraded on April 1 to allow us to control the signal remotely from our Traffic Operations Center. We can monitor and make real-time adjustments to the signal operations in response to changing circumstances.

WHAT TO EXPECT
The intersection will remain open during the day on Saturday, however there may be some disruption on Sunday.
We’ll grind the top 2 inches of the existing asphalt, repave, and restripe the intersection. Work is weather dependent. Should construction take longer than anticipated, work will happen on future weekends and notification provided in advance. Our objective is to complete work before Governor Inslee’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order is currently scheduled to end, May 5.
Neighbors can expect noise from heavy equipment and activities, including asphalt removal and asphalt placement during the night.

Signed detours and uniformed police officers will be in place to help people navigate the intersection.
If people are biking in the street, they will have to follow vehicles through the detour. If they are on the sidewalk or shared trail, they will be treated like pedestrians at the intersections and crosswalks

WORK SCHEDULE
Intersection construction will occur overnight between the hours of 7 PM, Friday, April 24 and 7 AM, Saturday, April 25 and again from 7 PM, Saturday, April 25 and 7 AM, Sunday, April 26.
The intersection will be open to traffic during the day; however, there may be some disruptions on Sunday, April 26, related to striping and signal outages. If this occurs, signed detours will be in place as well as unformed police officers.
Weather dependent, the new Delridge Way SW northbound bus lane will be installed from 9 AM to 5 PM, Saturday, April 25.
The Spokane Low Bridge will be intermittently closed from 8 AM-12 PM on Saturday for all vehicles; and from 12 PM-5 PM for people walking and biking for live load testing. Closures will be approximately 10 minutes in length, about the time for a normal opening.

NEW LANE DESIGN
To support bus service, emergency response, and freight movement over the Spokane Street Low Bridge the following changes are happening:

• Delridge Way SW will get a bus-only lane northbound from SW Andover St to Chelan Ave SW.

• The east leg of the intersection (westbound W Marginal Way SW) is going from 2 through lanes to 1 through lane and 1 left-turn lane.
• The west leg of the intersection (Chelan Ave SW) is being converted from 1 shared left and through lane to 1 through lane 1 left-turn lane.

Stay Informed
Visit our West Seattle High-Rise Bridge  website to stay up-to-date on the bridge, see frequently asked questions, view  inspection reports, and find links to our Delridge Way SW, Chelan Ave SW, and W Marginal Way SW West Seattle Bridge blogs.