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Final stage of repairs to begin on West Seattle Bridge

SEATTLE — It has been 16 months since the West Seattle high bridge shut down after the discovery of new and growing structural cracks.

On Thursday afternoon, KIRO 7 will get an inside look at the final stage of the repairs.

>>A closer look at the West Seattle Bridge

The Seattle Department of Transportation secured $37.7 million in federal funding for the project. The agency said it has secured permit approvals on schedule, which is critical in preventing any delays.

Crews have already completed work to stabilize the bridge, as well as some rehabilitation and design work. Construction for the final repairs will be next.

There still isn’t a concrete timeline for construction plans, but members of the West Seattle Bridge Task Force are promising transparency throughout the process.

“I’m nothing if not an over-sharer and I promise, if there was something wrong, we would tell you right away. So, everybody please take note, we are 100% on schedule as of this moment,” said Heather Marx with the task force.

Next month, crews will begin getting materials such as expansion joints together and they’ll also be building and installing platforms along the bridge to be used by construction crews. Most of the construction in the final phase will begin in November.

The goal is to have the construction completed and the bridge reopened by mid-2022.