Video: South Park Bridge closure protest on Duwamish Alive! day
UPDATED SUNDAY: Our video is from just after protesters stretched into a “human chain” all the way across the South Park Bridge. But thanks to Dale Rowe for sending the photo we added Sunday:
Meantime, the people opposed to the bridge’s closure did get hoped-for media attention during their demonstration today – we saw a couple TV crews. And awareness is what it was all about, according to Bill Pease:
The county’s plan for closing the bridge remains 7 pm June 30th, and there’s no hard-and-fast plan for a replacement yet, though the money search continues. County Councilmember Jan Drago talked about it while speaking before participating in the waterborne work party that was part of the Duwamish Alive! Earth Day effort this morning – this next clip is by visual journalist Cliff DesPeaux, who covered Duwamish Alive! for our partner site West Seattle Blog:
As reported here earlier this week, the first meeting to review the county’s draft closure plan – addressing everything from traffic to business impacts – is set for 6 pm April 27 at the IAM Hall in South Park.
Tags: south park bridge
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April 17th, 2010 at 11:39 pm
I was proud to stand on the bridge today with these dedicated citizens of South Park. I feel the county is turning their back on the the South Park area by not rebuilding this bridge. I am also dissapointed at Boeing for not putting pressure on the county. After all, a lot of Boeing workers use this bridge to get to work every day.
The businesses in the area will be severely impacted if this bridge closes. I hope we see many more protests before this bridge closes and I hope the county steps up and does the right thing.
April 19th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
South Park is a Seattle community. I’ve talked to people who live and work in South Park. Many of them have been involved in discussions with the County about the bridge for years. They are very disappointed in Seattle’s failure to take care of its citizens and businesses by working with the County to help rebuild the bridge.
The Seattle City Council has finally said it will help. It’s about time, but where is the money? Seattle needs to step up.
April 19th, 2010 at 8:12 pm
You go South Park!
This sucks! If our friend Tim McNeil was still with us, he would remind us that it has not been a secret that the bridge has needed to be fixed…18 or so studies have shown that over time. And while it will hurt South Park residents and businesses the most, it will have a HUGE impact on every business, resident and driver in the Duwamish area. Good luck trying to use the 1st Ave Bridge if the South Park bridg closes. It will add commute time, freight mobiliy time, and frustration for all.
Get it together governments and find a way to serve ALL residents of your jurisdictions well.
April 24th, 2010 at 12:31 pm
What is so demanding about “7:00pm on June 30” for stopping all traffic accross the bridge?
Closure should at least wait until after the 4th of July holiday and should be done late on a Sunday evening, not
on a normal work day.
As for new funding for a new bridge, yes the City of Seattle needs to participate; and yes The Boeing Company should participate; and yes The Port of Seattle needs to participate (we property owners pay a tax to the Port of Seattle; but where is The City of Tukwila? They own toe North end of the bridge. Yes The City of Tukwila should participate also.
As for Metro reroutes; the three routs affected #60, #131, and #134 will need to use the 1st Ave S. bridge; but at least one of these (say the 134) should be made a semi-express route by heading straight up 1st Ave South to/from downtown Seattle from Burien.