(SDOT camera screenshot during Wednesday night closure)
After two breakdowns in two days, SDOT says they know what went wrong with the West Seattle “low bridge” (aka the Spokane Street Swing Bridge) and are making plans to fix it. We inquired yesterday about the Wednesday evening trouble, and added on an inquiry about last night before receiving this response from SDOT covering both:
This week, there have been two unexpected closures of the West Seattle Low Bridge (also known as the Spokane St Swing Bridge) due to mechanical issues with the vehicle gate on the western side of the bridge. The gates did not respond to remote commands from the control tower.
We have plans to replace these gates and are working to schedule the installation. This work will likely require the bridge to be closed to motor vehicles and will take place during the weekend. We will announce the dates of construction once they are determined.
The low bridge has gone through a variety of maintenance and repair work in recent years, most recently during a May closure.