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Building History

Completed in 1930, the Magnolia or West Garfield Street Bridge served as one of only one three ways automobile drivers could access roadways in Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood. The other two means were at Dravus Street and the West Nickerson Street/West Emerson Place interchange.

Alteration

An article in the Seattle Daily Times of 04/1962 stated that a repair was to take place: "The Magnolia Bridge again will be closed to traffic west of Pier 91 Monday while the City Engineering Department puts concrete grout under an expansion joint of the bridge. Motorists normally traveling on the bridge between 9 and 4 o'clock p.m. will be routed by way of West Dravus Street." (See "Bridge to Be Closed for Work," Seattle Daily Times, 04/20/1962, p. 13.)

The Nisqually Earthquake of 02/28/2001 damaged the supports and roadway of the Magnolia Bridge. Cross braces were added to the span's supports to improved their strength, but these were always designed to be short-term fixes.

By 2006-2007, the In 08/2007, the City of Seattle's Department of Transportation (SDOT) had examined various alternative schemes to replace the current bridge over the Interbay industrial neighborhood. The community wanted a new bridge be built, but over 10 years went by before the issue was considered in earnest again. In 06/2018, SDOT estimated that a new bridge would cost between $350-400 million, a huge expenditure that hadn't been budgeted by that time. If the bridge had been replaced in 2006, the cost would have been about $262 million. SDOT bridge engineers predicted that the span should last until 2024, barring a large earthquake occurring. Because about 17,000 drivers use the bridge a day, a small number compared with other bridges, replacement of the Magnolia connector could not qualify for federal funds. Adding to its importance, however, was the expansion of port facilities at Pier 91, whose passengers needed to travel on the bridge to reach their large cruise ships. (See Mike Lindblom, "Magnolia Bridge won't be replaced, residents told," Seattle Times, 06/07/2018, p. A1, A6.)

PCAD id: 9940