Delridge Pedestrian Bridge Seismic Retrofit

Updated December 10, 2024

Project Overview

Earthquakes could have a major impact on Seattle’s infrastructure. To address seismic risks to city infrastructure, the City of Seattle established a bridge seismic program to assess how vulnerable the City’s bridges were to earthquakes, and to retrofit bridges to better withstand the potential impacts of an earthquake.  

As part of the Levy to Move Seattle, 16 bridges were selected for seismic retrofits, including the Delridge Pedestrian Bridge. The Delridge Pedestrian Bridge is an older bridge built prior to modernizing the seismic design code. The bridge serves as a community asset, particularly for people who live or work at the Cooper School Artist Lofts/Youngstown Cultural Arts Center and want to access the Delridge Playfield, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, and Southwest Youth and Family Services building.

Overhead view of the Delridge Pedestrian Bridge and surrounding area

We're not planning on changing the current use and operation of the bridge. The planned seismic retrofits to Delridge Pedestrian Bridge include several modifications to strengthen existing bridge components and reduce the bridge’s vulnerability to earthquakes. The following are major construction elements:  

• Installing carbon fiber wrapping to strengthen the bridge’s superstructure, columns, and footings. 
• Separating the bridge’s ramps from its structure and building up a lightweight fill support for the ramps. 
• Adding new expansion joints at the bridge’s ramps. 
• Removing and reinstalling the bridge’s handrails. 
• Modifying the ends of the bridge’s handrails at new expansion joints. 

What to expect during construction

Construction began in April 2024 and is anticipated to be substantially complete by early January 2025. We will continue to share information on our webpage and through weekly email updates. You can sign up for our project listserv to receive email updates.  

To complete the work as safely and efficiently as possible, the bridge is closed to people walking, biking, and rolling during construction. In addition, we will be closing sidewalks and car lanes under the bridge on Delridge Way SW in three phases to divert people walking, rolling, biking, and driving away from where work is occurring. At least one lane of travel in each direction and a sidewalk on one side of the street will be maintained throughout each phase.  

We understand these closures will impact everyone who uses the bridge and Delridge Way SW regularly and we will do what we can to minimize impacts. The three phases will include the following closures: 

Phase One

Our first phase of sidewalk and lane closures is in effect. Delridge Way SW will be reduced to one lane in each direction, with car traffic shifted to the east. Between SW Genesee St and SW Oregon St, the sidewalk on the west side of Delridge Way SW will also be closed while crews work on the west side of the bridge. 

Phase Two (Starting October 7, 2024)

During the second phase of sidewalks and lane closures, Delridge Way SW will be reduced to one lane in each direction, with car traffic shifted to the west. Between SW Genesee St and SW Oregon St, the sidewalk on the east side of Delridge Way SW will also be closed while crews work on the east side of the bridge. In addition, no street parking will be allowed on the east side of Delridge Way SW while this phase is in effect. 

Phase Three 

Our final phase of sidewalk and lane closures will reduce Delridge Way SW to one lane in both directions. The innermost lanes will be closed and traffic will be shifted to the outermost lanes while crews work underneath the middle of the bridge. The sidewalks on both sides of Delridge Way SW will remain open to people walking and rolling during this phase. 

We will share a map showing the lane closures in phase three as we approach the end of phase two. 

In addition to the above phases of sidewalk and lane closures, we currently anticipate the following construction impacts:   

• A temporary bridge closure. We will notify nearby homes at least two weeks in advance and again 72 hours before the closure
• Work in the public right-of-way near your home or business 
• Temporary on-street parking restrictions, with "no park" signs placed 72 hours in advance
• Temporary sidewalk and crossing closures for people walking and rolling. Detours will be provided and signed
• Staged construction equipment and materials as well as noise, dust, and vibrations in the work area
• Typical weekday work hours of 7 AM – 5 PM, Monday through Friday  

Project Schedule* 

_{* The schedule is subject to change.}  

Construction is scheduled to last approximately 12 months. Construction schedules are also subject to change and depend on factors such as weather and availability of crews and materials. 

Funding 

The project is funded through the Levy to Move Seattle. Approved by voters in 2015, the 9-year, $930 million Levy to Move Seattle provides funding to improve safety for all travelers, maintain our streets and bridges, and invest in reliable, affordable travel options for a growing city.  

Get Involved 

We're committed to keeping you informed and working with neighbors to limit construction impacts to the extent feasible. Here are some ways to get more information about the project: 

• Sign up for our project listserv to receive weekly project updates
• Email the project team at BridgeSeismicRetrofit@seattle.gov 
• Leave a voicemail at (206) 775-8734. A project representative will return your call.  

Materials

• Delridge BSR Fact Sheet (April 2024)

Translation and Interpretation 

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