Seattle's South Park bridge closed for good
SEATTLE -- A passerby might have thought it was a celebration.
But make no mistake.
Many gathered by the South Park bridge on Wednesday night were mourning the closure of the bridge, which has stood for nearly 80 years.
To many area residents, the bridge was more than just a bridge.
"It's the connection to our city, our town," said Shana Doerr. "It's going to kill the businesses on 14th. I've had a house here. It's an amazing community."
Many see the bridge as a lifeline to Seattle's South Park community. Saddened, those gathered took a piece of the bridge for posterity.
"I'm going to send it to Gregoire with some blood that I'm just spilling right now. Say, 'What's wrong with this picture?'" said one man working to chisel off a piece of the structure.
The push now is to get funding for a new bridge. The city and state have pulled together $80 million to build it, but an additional $50 is still needed.
"If the government is looking for shovel ready projects, here's one right here. It would make a big difference," said Blair Johnson.
Many carried signs pleading President Barack Obama for federal funding. Some fear there will be an exodus from South Park with the last cars that cross.
"I hope we can stay bonded somehow," said Tracy Judd. "I hope that the roads, there will be another way to connect people, because it's a separation that's going to hurt for a while."
A bagpipe procession marked the beginning of the end as as crowd watched with faces full of solidarity, sadness and a little defiance.
"It's changing again. It's going to change every time," said one man in attendance.
The city and state hopes the necessary funding can be found. If all goes well, they'd like to start building next year. A new bridge would take about three years to complete.
But make no mistake.
Many gathered by the South Park bridge on Wednesday night were mourning the closure of the bridge, which has stood for nearly 80 years.
To many area residents, the bridge was more than just a bridge.
"It's the connection to our city, our town," said Shana Doerr. "It's going to kill the businesses on 14th. I've had a house here. It's an amazing community."
Many see the bridge as a lifeline to Seattle's South Park community. Saddened, those gathered took a piece of the bridge for posterity.
"I'm going to send it to Gregoire with some blood that I'm just spilling right now. Say, 'What's wrong with this picture?'" said one man working to chisel off a piece of the structure.
The push now is to get funding for a new bridge. The city and state have pulled together $80 million to build it, but an additional $50 is still needed.
"If the government is looking for shovel ready projects, here's one right here. It would make a big difference," said Blair Johnson.
Many carried signs pleading President Barack Obama for federal funding. Some fear there will be an exodus from South Park with the last cars that cross.
"I hope we can stay bonded somehow," said Tracy Judd. "I hope that the roads, there will be another way to connect people, because it's a separation that's going to hurt for a while."
A bagpipe procession marked the beginning of the end as as crowd watched with faces full of solidarity, sadness and a little defiance.
"It's changing again. It's going to change every time," said one man in attendance.
The city and state hopes the necessary funding can be found. If all goes well, they'd like to start building next year. A new bridge would take about three years to complete.
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