King County releases updated information on South Park Bridge | Transportation

At yesterday's community meeting, the King County Department of Transportation released this information about the South Park Bridge, which desperately needs to be replaced but lacks funding.

Current condition of the bridge

With a rating of only 4 out of 100 points, the 80-year-old bridge is in very poor condition. The main piers are unstable and settling unpredictably. The concrete in the foundations has cracked throughout the structure. And the bridge is seismically vulnerable to damage by a moderate earthquake. Unfortunately, these problems are so severe that the bridge is no longer serviceable.

The bridge’s problems are not caused by the traffic loads. Each time the bridge is opened and closed, it puts huge moveable loads on the bridge structure. These loads put the bridge under much greater stress than truck traffic.

The county has contracted with an engineering design firm to do a new study about the bridge’s condition. The findings are not likely to change our plan.

Closing the bridge

The county plans to permanently close the South Park Bridge to all traffic—including cars, trucks, bicycles, and pedestrians—at 7 p.m. on June 30. The bridge will be closed even if we get funding to build a replacement bridge.

We will be working with emergency service providers, businesses in the area, and the community to develop a plan for closing the bridge and routing traffic.

Replacing the bridge

King County is committed to building a new bridge, and is actively working with local, state, and federal elected officials and other stakeholders to put together another funding package for construction of the new South Park Bridge. 

Last September, King County applied for $99 million in federal TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) funds to replace the bridge. The award process was highly competitive, with applications totaling $57 billion for only $1.5 billion in available funds. The TIGER I grant awards were announced Feb. 17, and unfortunately the South Park Bridge was not among the projects chosen for funding. 

King County is working hard to get federal funding for the project and to find other funding partners. We intend to apply for TIGER II funds later this year.

The bridge replacement project has been recognized as a priority by neighboring cities and the Puget Sound Regional Council, which awarded this project $4 million in federal right-of-way acquisition funds. The project is “shovel-ready,” with both the design and environmental impact statement complete.  The county is moving forward with construction permitting and the purchase of right-of-way properties needed for both demolition of the existing bridge and building a replacement bridge.

Demolition

Because the bridge crosses a navigable waterway, the Duwamish River, the U.S. Coast Guard requires that it be removed after closure to allow free movement of watercraft.  After the county closes the bridge, its moveable spans will remain open (raised for vessel traffic) until they are removed in 2011. The removal of the rest of the bridge structure and cleanup of the site are scheduled to be complete by 2015.

Public involvement

King County will continue its outreach to the community and affected stakeholders—including fire and emergency services, transit providers, and the school district—leading up to and after the June 30 closure of the bridge. We will use public meetings, media releases, and internet communication tools to address public concerns about safety and traffic. We will also work to keep the community and stakeholders informed about our efforts to get funding for a new bridge.