West Seattle Bridge

The West Seattle Bridge is a road bridge in Seattle, Washington. It spans the Duwamish River and connects the neighborhood of West Seattle with downtown and the major highways farther east.

After a freighter struck the older bascule span in 1978, work on the current structure began in 1981. It opened three years later in 1984, permanently replacing the damaged predecessor.

The official designation Jeanette Williams Memorial Bridge honors a council member who secured federal funding for its construction, a name formally adopted in 2009. Today drivers see signs marking this commemorative name on both approaches, though locals continue to use the shorter everyday name most of the time.

Access runs from Fauntleroy Way Southwest several miles eastward to the junction with Interstate 5 near Columbian Way. Its height of roughly 140 feet (43 meters) above the river allows large vessels to pass underneath without interrupting traffic.

Structural problems forced a closure in March 2020, and extensive repairs kept the span out of service until September 2022. After reopening it is expected to remain operational until around 2060.