The Seattle Department of Transporation has announced it is receiving approximately $15 million in federal funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The funds will help revive three bridges: S Spokane Street Viaduct, Jose Rizal Bridge and 15th Ave NW and Leary Way NW Bridge.
Funds are available to improve the condition of these bridges as well as the safety, efficiency and reliability of the movement of people and freight over bridges.
These grants are the first funds SDOT has received from the program.
Funding for these bridges come from the Federal Highway Administration Bridge Improvement Program, which is funded in part by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and then passed to the WSDOT's Local Bridge Program.
Overall, SDOT has received more than $150 million in federal funding for essential city projects under the Biden Administration.
The average age of bridges in Seattle is nearly 60 years old, with some bridges built over a century ago. While we already prioritize rehabilitating and preserving city bridges, these federal grants are a significant help in maintaining our aging infrastructure.
In addition to inspections and proactive maintenance, we think of new and innovative ways to better preserve our bridges so they can operate further into the future. Examples include spraying down city bridges to cool them to reduce the risk that they will get stuck on extremely hot days and taking steps to better prepare our bridges for future earthquakes through our bridge seismic retrofit program. We've completed 32 bridge seismic retrofit projects over the past 30 years and have plans to complete nine more projects by 2025.
Below are the preventative maintenance projects for each bridge selected and the amount of federal funding received:
- S Spokane Street Viaduct (connects the West Seattle Bridge to I-5 and runs above S Spokane St in the SoDo neighborhood) —$5 million – repairs to the existing deck;
- Jose Rizal Bridge (North segment —12th Ave S over S Dearborn Street and I-90) — $5 million — remove existing lead paint and repaint the bridge;
- 15th Ave NW and Leary Way NW Bridge in Ballard — $4.5 million — earthquake safety upgrades (this is adjacent to the Ballard Bridge. The 15th Avenue NW and Leary Way NW Bridge is the bridge that vehicles continue onto.)
