SEATTLE — Quick Facts:
- Previous bridge built in 1931 closed in 2010
- New bridge estimated to carry 20,000 vehicles a day
- New bridge cost $130 million to build
King County Executive Dow Constantine announced Wednesday that newly constructed South Park Bridge will open June 30.
The previous drawbridge, built in 1931, was closed and dismantled in 2010 because of safety concerns.
The new bridge is expected to carry 20,000 vehicles and nearly 3,000 heavy-duty trucks each day. It will also carry an estimated 10 million tons of freight each year.
The closure of the bridge on June 30, 2010, was a blow to businesses in South Park. It connected the neighborhood to Seattle.
When it closed, community members held a wake for the bridge with tribal drummers, bagpipes, a blues band and a final walk across the bridge.
At first, King County didn’t have all the needed funds -- $130 million -- to replace the crumbling bridge deemed unsafe by federal officials, who said the structure was more vulnerable to collapse than the Alaskan Way Viaduct.
But in October 2010, a $34 million federal grant came through as the final piece in the replacement project.
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