The Port of Seattle and the Northwest Seaport Alliance are calling for a rapid replacement project for the West Seattle Bridge, which crosses the Duwamish River along the south end of the seaport. The bridge developed cracking suddenly in March, and it has been closed to traffic ever since. Last week, the mayor of Seattle declared the failing bridge a civil emergency, allowing the city to bypass its own contracting and construction regulations in order to address the problem quickly.
“We urgently need a regional approach for the replacement of the West Seattle Bridge. Tens of thousands of family-wage jobs depend on the movement of goods in the busiest freight corridor in the state, which is also adjacent to our largest investment—the Terminal 5 container handling facility,” said Peter Steinbrueck, Port of Seattle Commission President and co-chair of The Northwest Seaport Alliance.