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Spokane Street Bridge and West Seattle Bridge

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Below in this photo the Spokane Street Bridge and West Seattle Bridge can be seen rising above Harbor Island and the Duwamish River.






The Spokane Street Bridge is a 1991 concrete swing bridge which replaced the earlier Old Spokane Street Bridge (AKA North Bridge) which was completed in 1924.  The Spokane Street Bridge serves as the lower level of the dual structure West Seattle Bridge, the longest span is 480 feet.  More information on the Old Spokane Street Bridge can be found on Bridgehunter.com

Bridge Hunter on the 1924 Old Spokane Street Bridge

The completed Old Spokane Street Bridge can be seen on the 1924 City map of Seattle.

1924 Map of Seattle

Interestingly the 1924 Old Spokane Street Bridge was proceeded by two other bridges.  The previous bridge to the 1924 span was the Third Spokane Street Drawbridge which was a truss span completed in 1917.  Previous to the 1917 the span there was an earlier truss which crossed to what was presumably Harbor Island when it was under construction in 1907 called the Second Spokane Street Bridge.

Bridgehunter on 1917 Third Spokane Street Bridge

Bridgehunter on the 1907 Second Spokane Street Bridge

Historylink.org actually has an article on both the Third Spokane Street Bridge the Second Spokane Street Bridge.

Historylink.org on the Third Spokane Street Bridge

Historylink on the Second Spokane Street Bridge

The West Seattle Bridge was under construction from 1981 to 1984 and was meant to relieve traffic congestion on the 1924 Spokane Street Bridge.  The West Seattle Bridge is Sectional Cantilever Bridge that is 2,607 feet long and has a maximum clearance of 140 feet.  The West Seattle Bridge essentially part of a freeway grade west from I-5 which crosses a junction with WA 99 before leveling off to a street grade near SW Genesee Street.

When I was driving through the area I met Spokane Street at Harbor Avenue and continued east to WA 99 on the Spokane Street Bridge.  The Spokane Street Bridge provided views of the substructure of the West Seattle Bridge.





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