SEATTLE — The future of the West Seattle Bridge still remains uncertain as city leaders continue to discuss options for replacing or repairing the bridge.
Either option, whether it be replacing or repairing, will likely exceed the city's financial means without outside funding, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT).
The West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force met again Wednesday to go over several funding options for the bridge, including securing state and federal grants, loans, or supplementing the city's local transportation budget.
The majority of federal assistance for maintenance, repair, and replacement of bridges comes through the Federal-Aid Highway Program administered by Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), according to SDOT.
Nearly all of the funding in the Federal-Aid Highway Program is distributed by state departments of transportation, like the Washinton State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), which plays a large role in determining how those resources are spent.
SDOT is also looking into the United States Department of Transportation's (USDOT) federal grant programs that provide funding directly to grant recipients.
SDOT said it began having conversations with federal agencies and elected officials as soon as the high-rise portion of the West Seattle Bridge closed on March 23. The cracks, first spotted in 2013, have continued to grow on the bridge and further deterioration was detected recently.
As far as supplementing Seattle's transportation budget, SDOT said that could involve bonds, property taxes, gas taxes, parking taxes, or local improvement districts.
But before any of those options could be put in place, SDOT would need to study how much revenue could be raised and consult local leaders and the task force. In some cases, it could also require a public vote.
What about a toll road? All options are on the table, according to SDOT.
However, SDOT said it doesn't currently have enough information to answer critical questions such as how much a toll would be, how tolls would affect traffic on alternate routes, and what the impacts to individuals and communities would be.
But, in the near future SDOT does plan on conducting an "Investment Grade" Traffic and Revenue Study to better understand how much revenue could potentially be raised from tolling, including what various policy approaches would mean for toll rates and revenues.
"To be pragmatic, to be prudent, we must pursue this option, and it starts by conducting this Traffic and Revenue Study. We expect to start our search for a consultant to conduct this study in the coming weeks," said SDOT.
Work started the first week of July to stabilize the West Seattle Bridge, including adding carbon strips and steel cables for support. That work is expected to last until late October and is intended to keep the bridge standing throughout a demolition or long-term fix.
In the meantime, all vehicles can now use the lower bridge between the hours of 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. Public and private school buses have access to the lower bridge at any time, as do emergency vehicles.
