The Viaduct is a very important piece of Seattle's transportation network. The Viaduct connects West Seattle to the rest of the city: people leaving Interstate 5 use the Viaduct to enter the West Seattle Bridge and the Spokane Street Swing Bridge (aka the Low Bridge).
Heavy vehicles travel across the bridge every day to service the Port of Seattle and other important industries. With wet weather conditions and heavy freight traffic, wear and tear was inevitable, and many travelers noted that the Viaduct's road surface was in poor condition.
This work was funded by a $7.5 million federal grant from the Federal Highway Administration Bridge Improvement Program - which was funded in part by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and then passed to WSDOT's Local Bridge Program.
The Deck Rehabilitation project replaced the existing surface with a stronger and more durable top layer of polyester coating. First, SDOT crews ground down the old road surface. Then they blasted that exposed road to give it a coarser texture, which helps the polyester coating stick better. Then they applied the polyester overlay. All three eastbound lanes received this treatment and they also did significant repairs on the westbound lanes.
SDOT also updated scuppers. Scuppers are the openings on the bottom of the bridge’s median barriers that let water drain off the road surface. Those need to be in good working condition so that people can safely travel.
The majority of the work occurred overnight during weekdays and during weekends.
