Summary:
- From Saturday, October 7 through Saturday, October 14, crews will reinstall the repaired turn cylinder inside the pier housing that was removed in early 2023. This operation will require the closure of the low bridge for people driving, biking, and walking for approximately one week.
- To support travelers impacted by the closure, and to help make transit access easier and more affordable, SDOT has partnered with King County Metro to make it even easier to ride the bus or West Seattle Water Taxi with Transit Go Tickets throughout the closure.
- Access to Harbor Island and Terminal 5 will be maintained for truck drivers, Port workers, and other people who need to access. Plan ahead and be aware of the route before making the trip.
From Saturday, October 7 through Saturday, October 14, crews will reinstall the repaired turn cylinder inside the pier housing that was removed in early 2023. The remaining three turn cylinders will also be rehabilitated as part of our ongoing preventative maintenance work on the bridge. This work will be vital to keep the bridge reliably in operation for today and into the future.
 The next step in the maintenance process is to reinstall the turn cylinder that was removed from the low bridge’s east pier housing last winter for refurbishment.
Turn cylinders push and pull on the lift cylinder to rotate the bridge span allowing it to open and close. When one of the east pier’s turning cylinders was damaged last winter, preparations to overhaul all four of the bridge’s hydraulic turning cylinders were already underway as part of our comprehensive repair and maintenance effort. When the unexpected damage to the cylinder occurred, the planning work we had already completed allowed us to quickly jump into developing a response plan and likely allowed us to complete repairs sooner than if we had been starting from scratch.
The turn cylinder overhaul work will replace or repair these parts so that they can continue to function as originally designed, and can be readily replaced if needed, as part of our ongoing preventative maintenance work on this bridge.
 How the Spokane St Swing bridge turn and lift cylinders, and hydraulic pumps, work together.
To support travelers impacted by the closure, and to help make transit access easier and more affordable, we’ve partnered with King County Metro to make it even easier to ride the bus or West Seattle Water Taxi with Transit Go Tickets throughout the closure. This offer will provide a daily round trip over the Duwamish while the bridge is closed. To access the offer, follow the directions below using the Transit Go Ticket app and rewards code LOWBRIDGE. The fares are funded by the Seattle Transit Measure, which was passed by voters in 2020.
How to access bus and water taxi credits during the low bridge closure:
- Download the Transit Go Ticket app and create an account.
- Click on “Rewards,” select “More,” then tap “Rewards Code” and enter code LOWBRIDGE.
- Tap “Claim” and then the "Redeem" tab; you will see “Low Bridge Closure” tickets available for King County Metro Bus or King County Water Taxi.
- Select the ticket of your choice and tap “Redeem for Free” and “View Ticket.” You can see your tickets any time under “Use”.
- When you are ready to ride, tap on your ticket and then “Activate”; show it to your transit operator.
- Visit “Redeem” to follow these steps again for your reverse trip.
- Once you’ve used this code, it will allow you to redeem two tickets for each day the bridge is closed (while supplies last). Just visit Redeem tab in Rewards for those additional tickets.
For more information on ways to get around the Duwamish Waterway and West Seattle during the closure visit our blog.
Freight and business access to Harbor Island and Terminal 5
Truck drivers, Port workers, and other people who need to access Harbor Island and Terminal 5 are still able to do so, though they need to be aware of the route before making their trip. Access to Harbor Island remains available from the east via SW Spokane St, before reaching the Spokane St Swing Bridge, as shown in the maps below. For those traveling to Terminal 5 from the east, please use alternate routes, such as the West Seattle high bridge.
Map of the route that people should take to enter Terminal 5 during the closure.
Map of the route that people should take to exit Terminal 5 during the closure.
Over the next two years, we will be doing additional maintenance and upgrade work on the low bridge that will require short-term closures of the bridge to vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists, including control and communications system upgrades and lift cylinder replacement. We will share more details about the timing of these closures as planning efforts continue.
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