SEATTLE — Lane closures and a lowered speed limit along SR 99 are expected to make an already troubled traffic situation worse.
A routine inspection uncovered damage to the First Avenue South Bridge this week.
WSDOT is not yet sure how severe the damage is or how long repairs could take. As a precaution, two northbound lanes are closed, and traffic is capped at 25 miles per hour.
“We do understand this is going to be frustrating in the interim,” Lauren Padgett, a WSDOT spokesperson, said. “We do not have an estimate yet for repairs. We expect to come back to the public in two weeks, that’s on March 6, in order to give an update from our engineers.”
The damage is to steel grids on the bridge deck. The deck was repaired in 2020 and a 2024 inspection found it to be in fair condition.
“This bridge sees over 48,000 cars a day, so things can happen,” Padgett said. “We are not quite sure what the issue is, but we are working on finding a solution.”
Bob Pishue of the transportation analysis company Inrix said a fix had better come quickly. Children are returning to school from mid-winter break on Monday, and the light commute many experienced this week will be over.
On top of that, there are severe traffic impacts on the other side of town due to the years-long Revive I5 project.
“We can definitely expect traffic volumes to build which, around the Seattle area, is troublesome given all the maintenance, construction and preservation work going on,” Pishue said.
Whether you’re headed north into Seattle via the First Avenue Bridge or north out of Seattle via the Ship Canal Bridge, Pishue recommends being prepared for delays.
“It’s really tough,” he said. “There aren’t many options when it comes to getting around the region.”
WSDOT reports that the drawbridge is still functioning, so ship traffic will not be affected.