South Park residents fear impact of bridge closure
SEATTLE -- Residents and business owners say they'll lose a lifeline when the South Park bridge closes at the end of June.
King County Department of Transportation says on Wednesday, crews will begin posting signs of the upcoming bridge closure.
But first came a chance for neighbors on Tuesday night to sound off about what worries them most when they'll no longer be able to use this..
"It's a bridge in a sad state, so to speak," said Harold Taniguchi, head of KCDOT, at the meeting aimed at preparing area residents for the closure of the aging bridge.
But many people people are still angry and adamant that closing the bridge is the wrong move.
"I don't really believe you guys when you say the bridge is dangerous," said one man.
Built 78 years ago, the bridge is a commuting lifeline across the Duwamish River. More than 20,000 cars and trucks use it every day.
Plans are being developed to help stores and restaurants stay in business after the bridge shuts down. But there are fears that many of them just won't make it.
"(Locals,) for I don't know how many years, working their fingers to the bones to have success in their families, and they stand a great chance of being wiped out by this," said one woman.
there's an expectation of traffic turmoil because of the closure, especially in residential neighborhoods where big rigs could look for shortcuts.
"We're going to be impacted by the freight trying to find routes other than the First Ave. S bridge, and they're going to be coming up streets that have traffic circles and children," said another woman.
Officials are still figuring out how critical bus routes will run, impacting how people get to work and run errands.
"With the closure of the south park bridge, there's not going to be the downtown bus service provided by the 131," said one man.
A prime concern among residents is safety. They say they're worried about how fast police and fire crews will be able to get to them during emergencies.
"We're an industrial area. Again, if the bridge is up, we're cut off from the rescue squads, which puts all the workers in every factory down here at risk," said a man at the meeting.
Another problem is a language barrier. Spanish, as well as several Asian languages are heavily spoken in the area. And some believe many of those people still have no idea that the bridge is set to shut down. KCDOT says it will work on alerting residents in several different languages.
King County Department of Transportation says on Wednesday, crews will begin posting signs of the upcoming bridge closure.
But first came a chance for neighbors on Tuesday night to sound off about what worries them most when they'll no longer be able to use this..
"It's a bridge in a sad state, so to speak," said Harold Taniguchi, head of KCDOT, at the meeting aimed at preparing area residents for the closure of the aging bridge.
But many people people are still angry and adamant that closing the bridge is the wrong move.
"I don't really believe you guys when you say the bridge is dangerous," said one man.
Built 78 years ago, the bridge is a commuting lifeline across the Duwamish River. More than 20,000 cars and trucks use it every day.
Plans are being developed to help stores and restaurants stay in business after the bridge shuts down. But there are fears that many of them just won't make it.
"(Locals,) for I don't know how many years, working their fingers to the bones to have success in their families, and they stand a great chance of being wiped out by this," said one woman.
there's an expectation of traffic turmoil because of the closure, especially in residential neighborhoods where big rigs could look for shortcuts.
"We're going to be impacted by the freight trying to find routes other than the First Ave. S bridge, and they're going to be coming up streets that have traffic circles and children," said another woman.
Officials are still figuring out how critical bus routes will run, impacting how people get to work and run errands.
"With the closure of the south park bridge, there's not going to be the downtown bus service provided by the 131," said one man.
A prime concern among residents is safety. They say they're worried about how fast police and fire crews will be able to get to them during emergencies.
"We're an industrial area. Again, if the bridge is up, we're cut off from the rescue squads, which puts all the workers in every factory down here at risk," said a man at the meeting.
Another problem is a language barrier. Spanish, as well as several Asian languages are heavily spoken in the area. And some believe many of those people still have no idea that the bridge is set to shut down. KCDOT says it will work on alerting residents in several different languages.
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