Information from Seattle Department of Transportation

Concrete trucks arrived early this morning on the West Seattle Bridge. The first pours are for new expansion joints as part of major maintenance work being done while the bridge is closed. 

Following the expansion joint concrete pours, we’ll then pour concrete inside the bridge for the improved post-tensioning system that will provide additional strength for the repaired bridge. These bridge repairs require 245 cubic yards – or about 30 truckloads of specialized concrete. Once the concrete structures are done, they’ll be capable of holding more than 20 million pounds of force for decades to come. 

While we’re encouraged that our construction crews have begun the concrete work delayed by the strike, we now need to see how the deliveries will go and manage the pours for the next month or so. After the pours are done and the work inspected, we’ll be able to revisit the project schedule and share an update about the timing of the reopening, originally scheduled for mid-2022 . 

We want to reiterate a message of gratitude to our construction teams, the concrete suppliers and drivers, and the communities affected by this closure and wanting a speedy reopening. The West Seattle Bridge closure remains our top transportation priority. 

Mayor Bruce Harrell made a statement on the latest development:

Reopening the West Seattle Bridge is the top transportation priority for my team and getting concrete today is an encouraging step that brings us closer to that goal. Throughout this strike, I’m continuing to have intense discussions with both sides to urge a fair resolution to this contract dispute.  

I want to again thank the Teamsters for taking the extraordinary, good-faith action of returning to work with three concrete companies. Despite those companies having no existing agreement with our contractor to work on the bridge, my administration immediately engaged to identify which business could meet our specific needs and worked relentlessly to help facilitate concrete delivery. Thank you to Cadman for their willingness to assist and help expedite a solution. 

This collaborative effort is rooted in a desire to support our communities and advance the greater public good – and for that we should all be immensely grateful. We still have plenty of bridge repair work ahead, and I continue to receive regular updates from SDOT as we seek to understand how the strike may affect the reopening schedule – if at all.  

I look forward to seeing ongoing progress on the West Seattle Bridge. I am thankful to our contractor and construction teams for continuing to work tirelessly on the bridge even with the uncertainty surrounding the strike. These first concrete deliveries on the West Seattle Bridge provide a path forward for other projects across the region that still await concrete deliveries, and I’ll continue to stay engaged and provide my support for all parties ready to find common ground.