The Magnolia Bridge

Public Promenade

Description

The half mile of the bridge that is slated for demolition will remain standing, but closed to all traffic except...

• bicycles
• pedestrians
• and emergency vehicles.

Advantages

This spectacular destination, with its all-season exercise and view opportunities for Seattle residents, photographers, cruise ship passengers, and vacationers, will attract visitors and shoppers to Magnolia, Interbay, and North Bay businesses.

The Promenade provides a significant transportation alternative for commuters via bicycles, scooters, and pedicabs – and connects Magnolia residents and visitors to current and future mass transit on 15th Avenue W.

It may even take some of the burden off the other Magnolia vehicle routes.

This option preserves the speediest route into and out of Magnolia for essential emergency services...

• Police
• Fire
• Ambulance

Amenities may include...

• Bike shares stationed at each end of the bridge
• Sunlit space for a P-Patch
• Electric golf carts for hire

Commuter and visitor parking for Magnolia residents and visitors is already available at Ursula Judkins Viewpoint.

Instead of the projected cost of around 400 million dollars to tear down and build a new bridge, the price tag on this repurposing is closer to zero.

At the same time, this solution leaves open the option of a well-financed replacement in the future.

Meanwhile, keeping trucks and other heavyweight traffic off the bridge may extend its life.

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Is the bridge safe?

Residents worry about the current structural integrity of the bridge.

According to a 2013 Kiro7 TV News article, “Though crumbling, no replacement in sight for Magnolia Bridge” , a steel and concrete roadway degrades because the steel reinforcing framework rusts as a result from contact with water over time – especially salt water.

The rust expands and causes buckling of the roadbed. In the 2013 article, engineer John Buswell, now retired, who oversaw bridges for the Seattle Department of Transportation, stated, “Concrete falling off bridges is something we deal with on all of our concrete bridges.”

In the same Kiro7 TV article, Stewart Gloyd, a former chief bridge engineer for the state Department of Transportation, stated, “The main concern would be the integrity of the roadway deck itself.”

In a 2014, KOMO NEWS.com article, “One year later: Is the Magnolia Bridge still safe?” , SDOT officials are reported as saying, “the bridge is stronger than ever.” There, Buswell stated again that he “would never let anyone drive on it if it was not safe.”

At a joint Magnolia Historical Society-Magnolia Community Council presentation “The Magnolia Bridge: Then and Now” in April, 2016, Buswell again repeated his reassurance that the bridge structure is safe.

Repairing and preserving bridges is currently the common wisdom both statewide and nationally.

In a May, 2018 Seattle Times Traffic Lab column, author Michelle Baruchman states, “Typically, a structurally deficient bridge means that one or more of the bridge’s components requires either repair or preservation work. Parts of the bridge may be badly deteriorated, and it may have weight restrictions. ‘DeWayne Wilson, a bridge asset-management engineer with WSDOT, said the state is moving away from referring to bridges as structurally deficient and instead categorizing them as “poor” to match the Federal Highway Administration’s new ratings system.’

Even still, Wilson said a bridge in poor condition is safe for travel.”

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The Future of Magnolia Merchants

Magnolia Village merchants worry about how the loss of the Magnolia Bridge will affect their businesses.

Neighborhood businesses are said to have felt some considerable pain when a landslide in 1999 and the Nisqually earthquake in 2001 closed the Magnolia Bridge for months.

According to author Monica Wooton in a 2016 Queen Anne News article, “Current and Furbish departure sparks conversation on Magnolia Village business climate”, other factors currently contribute to a less than satisfactory retail ecosystem. In addition to transportation access, the balance of retail and service establishments, empty storefronts, and maintaining the unique flavor of the Village, are elements that affect the local economy.

In the article, Lauren Hendricks, a Windemere broker specializing in local commercial properties, insisted that the Magnolia community could support “booming” business in the Village. Wooton reports that Hendricks identifies Magnolia Village’s biggest challenge as “a large number of Magnolians leaving during the day to go to work.”

Looking forward, the Magnolia Chamber of Commerce is said to be working on plans to create a dynamically enhanced online presence for its members.

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Alternate Routes into Magnolia

How do SDOT’s proposed alternative routes into Magnolia affect residents’ and workers routes to neighborhood destinations?

The transportation department’s answer to this so far, is that the Move Seattle Levy did not designate funds to study neighborhood traffic flow that would result from the proposed rerouting of Magnolia Bridge traffic.

One suggestion however, is to take a look at the levy-funded, recently completed, 62-page Emergency Bridge Closure Transportation Plan “Magnolia Bridge Traffic Maintenance During Bridge Closure” for some short-term and long-term planning.

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Bridge Replacement Timeline

2001

- February, Nisqually Earthquake - Magnolia Bridge is damaged and closed for repairs.

- Seattle is given a 9 million dollar federal disaster-relief grant to design a replacement for the bridge.

2002 - 2005

- Magnolia Bridge Replacement Project begins. Public meetings and Design Advisory Group of stakeholders choose bridge design elements.

2006

- Seattle's 9 year Bridging the Gap levy, the largest property tax levy in Seattle history, does not include funding for Magnolia Bridge replacement. Repair only. BTG AnnualReport 2014

2008

- Construction of new Magnolia Bridge has been scheduled to begin. US economy collapses.

2015

- June - Move Seattle Levy includes a line item for bridge replacement design to commence in 2018, with construction planning to begin after 2024.

"Bridge Replacement: Plan and design high priority bridge replacements to begin construction after 2024. Of the funds identified in this element, up to $10M of total funding (local, levy, leverage) may be used for implementing near-term pedestrian and bicycle safety projects on bridges being studied for replacement (in addition to funding provided for pedestrian and bicycle safety projects in other elements)."

- July - In an article at NPR.org, “Think America's Roads Are Crumbling? Not Quite” author Danielle Kurtzleben states, “If you're concerned with solving massive gridlock, for example, roads might make traffic worse. More investments in public transit might be a better choice to reduce traffic.”

2016

- April - At a joint Magnolia Historical Society and Community Council public meeting SDOT representatives declare Magnolia Bridge safe for normal traffic.

- In a follow-up email, SDOT's John Buswell mentions the lack of funding for a new bridge, and states, “A less expensive option that meets most of the original goals should be explored. The Move Seattle Levy has provided funding to study both, other alignments and funding solutions.”

2018

- January - In a Reuters article “Crumbling bridges? Fret not America, it's not that bad”, authors Lange and Johnson state, "The fact is, state and local governments constantly repair highways and bridges" and suggest that focusing attention on roads and bridges directs resources away “from more pressing infrastructure needs, such as aged water pipes leaching lead, and schools - or from projects that will have a considerable regional economic impact.”

- The Seattle Department of Transportation proceeds with two planned projects - the recently completed, 62-page Emergency Bridge Closure Transportation Plan “Magnolia Bridge Traffic Maintenance During Bridge Closure” and the Magnolia Bridge Replacement Design (construction slated to begin 2024.) Click image for full page.

Questions? Click to email...

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