(West Seattle Bridge cracks, from sdotblog.seattle.gov)

Two weeks after the sudden safety shutdown of the West Seattle Bridge, SDOT has just gone public with inspection reports chronicling the history of the bridge’s cracks, which as previously explained, were first noticed in 2013. The 14 reports are linked on the project website, and in a new SDOT Blog post which says in part:

… What we believe the reports show is our careful, proactive monitoring effort that put into place the systems necessary to make sure we could act quickly to preserve life and safety. Additionally, they show that during our frequent inspections of the West Seattle Bridge over the past several years, there was no indication that the bridge was unsafe for ordinary use or that preventative maintenance plans would impact normal use of the bridge until very, very recently.

Documents shared with the public today include:

Initial crack memo in 2013, special inspection memo in 2013, and technical assessment memo in 2014 from consultant indicated some cracking that should continue to be monitored

Inspection reports from 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and late 2019 show monitoring of cracks and recommendations from each year

Memo from consultant in 2019 suggested sealing cracks with epoxy and further monitoring of cracks

Memo from consultant on 2/21/20 suggested the bridge should be reduced to two lanes each way and repairs initiated before end of year 2020

Memo from consultant on 3/20/20 that indicates a further review of 2019 inspection report data suggests immediate closure …