Spokane St Swing Bridge is now reopen following successful repairs and testing

Editor’s Note (1/13/2023 at 2PM): We updated this blog post to reflect the bridge reopening to the traveling public on Friday afternoon, Jan. 13.

Summary:

Status at-a-glance:
- Completed: Completed repairs including replacing valves and hoses on eastern bridge span hydraulic power unit (HPU)
- Completed: Commissioned and tested the reprogrammed and repaired bridge
- Reopen: Friday afternoon, Jan. 13: We safely reopened the bridge to people biking, walking, rolling, and driving
- Ahead: Saturday, Jan. 14: Remove temporary bike detour on 1st Ave S
- Ahead: Maintain West Marginal Way SW temporary protected bike lane and continue conversations about a protected bike lane in this location
Read more:
- Reopening update
- Temporary bike detour update
- Transit GO Rewards update

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Following successful repairs and testing of the Spokane St Swing Bridge (low bridge), the bridge has reopened today, Friday, Jan. 13. Crews removed fencing and traffic control equipment around the bridge, removed signs and barricades, and reopened the bridge shortly after 2 PM.

Through extensive collaboration and long hours, we made major progress over the past 21 days to bring the low bridge back into operation. This effort included building a cradle to successfully remove a damaged 15,000-pound cylinder, repairing underground conduit, and replacing valves and hoses on the eastern bridge span’s hydraulic power unit (HPU). We also completed reprograming and testing of the bridge’s movable spans using one less cylinder, to ensure safe and effective operations.

You can also stay up to date on Twitter at @seattledot or @SDOTtraffic. Thank you.

While we have now reopened the bridge and expect it to operate safely and effectively, if issues arise with the newly installed equipment, we are even better prepared. And don’t forget, we have more work planned this year as part of the Spokane St Swing Bridge Rehabilitation Program. We’ll continue to share updates about upcoming work and closures.

Specialists working on the massive hydraulic turning cylinder. The person working wears safety glasses and a black jacket, inside a building with white walls. — *Specialists working on the massive hydraulic turning cylinder that was removed from the low bridge on January 8. Photo credit: SDOT*

Temporary bike detour update

With the low bridge reopened to people biking, walking, rolling, and driving, we will remove the temporary bike detour route on 1st Ave S, as planned. This will take place on Saturday, Jan. 14. With more than 1,700 traffic cones and hundreds of signs involved, completing this all-day work on a Saturday is safer both for our crews and the traveling public, and avoids conflicting with weekday peak traffic.

However, we will keep the temporary protected bike lane along West Marginal Way SW in its current configuration, including the large orange barrels currently marking the route, and continue conversations with nearby businesses and community members about a protected bike lane in this location.

Please see the map below for additional details.

Map of updates to the bike detour route, including removing the temporary 1st Ave S detour route, and keeping the West Marginal Way SW temporary protected bike lane in its current location. The Spokane St Swing bridge reopening is shown in the upper left corner with a black line and text box. — Map of updates to the bike detour route, including removing the temporary 1st Ave S detour route, and keeping the West Marginal Way SW temporary protected bike lane in its current location. Graphic credit: SDOT.

We appreciate everyone staying alert and traveling safely along the detour route and providing feedback on how complicated intersections could be enhanced. We have learned a lot by working through the challenges of building these temporary improvements so quickly, and we expect these lessons to help us to be more agile and responsive during future bridge closures and to influence how the planned Georgetown to Downtown Protected Bike Lane is designed.

Previous photo of the Spokane St Swing Bridge across the Duwamish Waterway. The West Seattle High-Rise Bridge is in the upper-right corner, with various buildings in the upper left corner. A barge is in the lower left corner. — *Previous photo of the Spokane St Swing Bridge across the Duwamish Waterway. Photo credit: SDOT*

Transit GO Rewards update

For people using the Transit GO Ticket app to earn free bus and water taxi trips during the low bridge closure: please note that the reward code and its associated transit fares campaign expired today (Jan. 13) when the low bridge reopened.

Any points already earned through this code won’t expire but will become inactive after 6 months of inactivity on the Transit GO app rewards tab. At the end of each month, if your status remains inactive, 300 points will be deducted from your account and returned to the provider.

All other rewards campaigns within the Transit GO app are still available to you if you’re interested in more ways to earn rides – information is available in the app for your use as well as on the King County Metro Transit GO web page. We again appreciate the support of the voter-approved Seattle Transit Measure for helping fund these transit trips during the low bridge closure and for the collaboration of our partners at King County Metro.

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