West Seattle's Spokane Street Bridge To Remain Open At Night

SEATTLE, WA — When the West Seattle Bridge closed to traffic in March, it left commuters traveling in that area with very few options.

Now, in an attempt to make that trip to and from West Seattle a little smoother, the Seattle Department of Transportation will be allowing drivers to use the Spokane Street Bridge, also known as the West Seattle Low Bridge, at night. Previously, the bridge shut down in the evenings. Now, it will be open to all vehicles between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. every night of the week. Public and private school buses are also now allowed to use the bridge.

SDOT says the decision was made with the full support of the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force, who met Wednesday to discuss the proposal.

The bridge hadn't been opened at night earlier because of public safety concerns. The low bridge is only one way in each direction and is critical for first responders who need to be able to quickly pass through. Because the low bridge is so narrow, backups can build quickly. SDOT estimates the bridge can only handle about 400 to 500 vehicles an hour before "significant backups occur" which can be disastrous if emergency vehicles need to use the bridge, given that there are not many alternate routes.

However, a recent enforcement program by the Seattle Police Department has been encouraging drivers to use alternate routes, and been successful in limiting traffic over the bridge. With traffic reduced, SDOT says they now believe opening the bridge to late night traffic will not pose a significant problem.

The West Seattle Bridge's high rise closed indefinitely after inspections revealed extensive cracks along the main span in late March. Damage to the bridge is so severe, that Friday, the city will be testing a text-based emergency alert system, which will warn neighbors if the West Seattle Bridge collapses.