"Currently, only the lower portion of the bridge is supporting any form of traffic and that is limited to freight, emergency vehicles, and public transit."
???
Two completely different bridges.

@1 Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I don't think it matters that much, but they are too different bridges.

They're brothers from another mother.

Don't go breaking my span
I couldn't if I drive
Oh honey if you feel restless
I'm in lockup at this time

It isn't hard to get under the two bridges, find pier T-18, or to see the cracks on the water spanning portion of the bridge. UNDER the viaduct, get to SW Klickitat Way, over the parking lot speed bumps past Tideworks Technology, and park at the bend.
There is a stairway up to the draw span, and patched cracks are easy to see. Unlikely that it will suffer a massive simultaneous failure and break off precision-demolition like...vs. dropping chunks either into the Duwamish, or some of the support structures beneath. So badly wish I could add photos here.
IMO, time for a new, flat bridge that is low enough that it can be maintained like the portion if the viaduct from I-5, and enough access ramps so it can be used as integral to moving traffic around the city vs. A West Seattle-Downtown only kind of spur.
Life at Alki this summer will be harder on businesses, but maybe a lot quieter for residents like me.

People being people (and especially Seattleites, who excel and passive-aggressive entitlement) will use the low bridge even if they're not First Responder/Transit/Freight, because they are simply too stupid, selfish, or just - well - TOO DAMN SPECIAL to make sacrifices.

I suggest that they put traffic cameras at each end like the kind that catch red-light runners and School Zone speeders. Program them to ignore 'Exempt' plates, buses and semis, and 'flag' any license plate that crosses the East Channel and Swing bridges in less than, say, 5 minutes (this way you don't nail legitimate Harbor Island traffic). Give the scofflaws nice big fines.

We simply have too few cops for bridge enforcement. When people know the odds of getting caught are low, they won't obey the rules. This is why anything that's enforced by the 'honor system' (like Gov. Inslee's 'Stay Home' order doesn't work that great; too many people aren't honorable. Cameras make the odds of getting caught 100%. Problem solved.

consultant Jimmy Mozambique will hopefully lend a helping hand.

Wonder if they've estimated how much of an earthquake it would take to bring it down.

Oh crap, what a gut-punch for Seattle, my beloved home town.
I sincerely hope that we collectively realize this is a regional problem, along with replacing the Magnolia Bridge, and the good citizens will support the huge bond issue we all know is coming.
Time to start throwing some ball-park estimates out to condition us to the sticker shock.

People will support that bond measure just like we shut down the car tab reduction.

Sorry West Seattle, it seems like you are on your own. Too bad there aren't any Amazon or Starbucks offices there.

I'm kidding. As long as the repaired/new bridge doesn't try and include anything like bicycle or pedestrian traffic, it should be a breeze to drum up support.

Did they wait for a pandemic do release all the horrible details or coincidence?