Doubt is being cast over whether or not the City of Seattle is properly maintaining its bridges. As we’ve seen from audits, it appears that enough funding is available for maintenance but it is not being managed wisely.

However, the question at hand is whether or not we can afford to spend more money to fix these bridges that are already on the path of no return. The West Seattle Bridge is but one example; it is also important to take a closer look at a New Armory Bridge and Ballard Bridge.

It is clear from these studies and the needs of bridges all across town that what we need to NOT do is increase the maintenance budget for bridges, but instead, focus efforts on replacing bridges that are too far gone.  And, with the future improvements coming on line, such as the cities expansion of light rail, it is clear that the city can do a better job planning for the future improvements by incorporating new bridges into the design, so that we do not have a brand new system next to, or on top of, an ailing one.

It’s clear that some of these bridges are not going to serve long. Transportation construction efforts must have a long future plan to serve the needs of people. As the lifespan of these bridges shrink, Seattle should make a decision that will serve its people in the long term. Instead of wasting money on a costly, short-term repair, they should just move forward with construction replacements. By 2030 West Seattle Link is going to be done. Around that time, a repaired West Seattle Bridge will need a replacement anyways. 

New bridges serving both light rail and general traffic is the best solution.