The new Fourth Avenue S off-ramp from the Spokane Street Viaduct eastbound opened this morning months ahead of schedule and millions under budget.
This morning crews removed the safety barriers and let traffic from the South Spokane Street Viaduct flow onto the new eastbound Fourth Avenue S off-ramp. Why so soon? The cure was a great success, with highly agreeable weather accelerating the process. SDOT was also able to re-sequence the contractor’s phasing to open up areas for concurrent work. This made a significant difference and got the closure pour work done in four weeks rather than six! Watch West Seattle Bridge traffic flow live at http://www.seattle.gov/trafficcams/WSB_Mid-span.htm
The new ramp provides eastbound travelers on the West Seattle Bridge with direct access to downtown Seattle. It also allows traffic to exit the viaduct east of the rail tracks, avoiding the delays caused by rail traffic. In addition, whenever the upper roadway becomes congested due to back-ups onto I-5, the new ramp will allow drivers to exit onto surface streets.
The work is possible in part because of $25 million in funding from the Washington State Department of Transportation. WSDOT contributed funding because the project was identified as a way to keep traffic moving during construction to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct.