SEATTLE — Heads up for those who take the SR 99 First Avenue S. Bridge — you’ll have to use a detour just a little bit longer.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) shut down two lanes of the bridge in southwest Seattle in mid-February when crews discovered cracks in the steel deck grates during an inspection.
On March 9, WSDOT announced that all northbound lanes of the bridge would be shut down so they could start with temporary emergency repairs.
The closure was supposed to last until Wednesday, March 11, but WSDOT announced an extended closure the night before.
Now, WSDOT is expecting the closure to last through 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 13.
“Washington State Department of Transportation bridge maintenance crews have been working to modify existing grated panels and install steel plates over the cracked grates to restore safe vehicle access across all lanes since the full closure began on Monday morning, March 9,” WSDOT wrote on its website.
WSDOT said the damage is more extensive than inspectors initially thought, and the work to realign the bridge spans is precise.
The work done this week is meant to stabilize the bridge before the second phase of work begins in mid-to-late April.