The U.S. Coast Guard has decided not to allow the Spokane Street Bridge, or Lower Bridge as it is also known, to remain closed during morning and evening rush hours.

"The proposed rule would have established two daily closed draw periods Monday through Friday to help alleviate road traffic, with the proviso that openings would be provided at any time for vessels of 5,000 gross tons or more," the Coast Guard said in their decision.

It said the proposed closures were rejected because records and traffic counts taken recently "indicate that the number of draw openings and the amount of traffic using the Spokane Street Bridge are not sufficient to warrant the negative impact that the proposed rule would have noncommercial maritime traffic using the waterway under the bridge."

City Council member Tom Rasmussen, a West Seattle resident who requested the closures to reduce delays in traffic over the lower bridge, said he was disappointed.

"In light of the decision of the Coast Guard I have already begun working with the Port of Seattle and others to identify ways to reduce the effect of rush hour bridge closures," Rasmussen said. "I appreciate the importance of the maritime businesses and the shipping industry to jobs and our economy, but at the same time we must work to ensure that people are able to live and work in West Seattle without undue hardship due to major Spokane and Alaskan Way viaduct projects during the next decade."