Democratic legislators urge Congress to increase funding for West Seattle Bridge Repair

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On Tuesday, U.S. Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), joined by U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), applauded an $11.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to repair the West Seattle Bridge but said more was needed.

The grant, provided by the Infrastructure for Rebuilding American (INFRA) program, would help Seattle begin repairs on the bridge that was closed in March 2020 after cracks were found in multiple locations on the bridge. Since then, the bridge’s closure has negatively impacted communities on both sides of the bridge, prompting Gov. Jay Inslee to declare the closure and economic emergency.

“The West Seattle Bridge has to be functional if you want to get around the city, and its forced closure has been nothing short of a crisis. We need a fix as soon as possible, so I have been shaking the tree to get results in the other Washington. I spoke directly with Secretary Buttigieg on this matter and made the need for urgent action clear, so I’m glad we’re moving in the right direction,” Murray, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said. “But the federal government will need to do much, much more if it’s going to do its part to help repair this bridge and the many other bridges and roads across this state in need of repair and rebuilding.”

The bridge’s repair is key to the area’s ability to recover from the pandemic, the Congress members said. Before the discovery of the cracks, the bridge carried more than 84,000 cars and trucks, along with 25,000 bus riders, every weekday, connecting one-sixth of Seattle’s population and numerous small businesses with downtown Seattle, Port of Seattle terminals, freight rail yards, industrial businesses, manufacturing and industry, and the national highway system.

“The stakes are high for both the traveling public and for the freight investments we are making at the Port of Seattle’s Terminal 5. We need answers now from the U.S. Department of Transportation on real solutions for providing additional federal investment to fix the West Seattle Bridge,” Cantwell, chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, said.

The city has prioritized $100 million in local funding for the bridge repair’s estimated $175 million price tag. The project will encompass stabilizing and repairing the high and low bridges, beginning the engineering work to allow the repairs to move forward. Grant funding is essential to meet an aggressive timeline to get the bridge re-opened, the city said.

“As a West Seattle resident, I know how important it is to our neighbors, businesses, city, port, and regional economy that we quickly and safely repair the West Seattle Bridge,” Jayapal said. “I am proud to have helped fight to secure this robust $11.2 million INFRA Grant that urgently sends our community critical federal resources to make these necessary repairs possible.”