That’s video from this morning’s meeting of the Transportation (etc.) Committee chaired by District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka, including a briefing on what’s next for repairs to the state-owned 1st Avenue South Bridge.
Brian Nielsen of WSDOT told the committee that they’re still on for the next repair phase to start later this month, but didn’t have an exact start date.
He said the northbound full-deck replacement is likely to happen next year, and it’s not unexpected as that bridge deck was replaced in 1999 and it was expected to last 20 to 25 years. The work starting later this month, Nielsen said, will include removing and replacing 10 deck panels that were temporarily repaired in March. When they start the work, it should last about a month, and they’re working hard to be sure that can be completed before the FIFA World Cup soccer matches in Seattle. He said bridge users should also plan for lane closures in the week before and after the construction to set up and remove scaffolding. For the repairs, they expect to use a combination of weekend and weeknight full closures. Extended weekend closures would span Thursday nights through Monday mornings. “Our goal is to identify a strategy that balances the speed of construction with the impact to the community,” said Nielsen, adding that WSDOT is planning an intensive campaign to inform those affected (freight haulers, commuters, port partners, transit operators).