West Spokane Street Bridge, Bascule bridge in SODO district, Seattle, United States.
The West Spokane Street Bridge is a bascule bridge with two separate sections that crosses the Duwamish Waterway, connecting Harbor Island to the West Seattle area. Mechanical lift mechanisms raise the spans to let ships pass underneath.
The bridge opened in December 1924 and used a Van Bobo gear mechanism, which improved upon earlier swing bridge designs in Seattle. After a freighter collision damaged it in 1978, a taller replacement structure was completed in 1984.
The bridge shows how Seattle solved transportation challenges in the early 1900s by combining road and rail crossings over water. Visitors can still see the historic streetcar tracks built into the bridge structure.
The bridge lifts repeatedly throughout the year when ships need to pass below, sometimes causing brief traffic delays for vehicles on the crossing. Pedestrians and cyclists using the bridge should allow extra time if they encounter a lift operation.
The bridge lifts around 1,500 times per year, making it one of the busiest mechanical lift bridges on the West Coast. This frequent rising motion is a defining feature of the crossing that often surprises visitors.
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