West Seattle Bridge can be repaired, but it will depend on cost-benefit analysis, officials say
The West Seattle Bridge can feasibly be repaired, but whether officials will move to repair or completely replace the structure will depend on the cost and a number of other factors, officials announced Wednesday.
An analysis on the high-rise bridge -- which originally closed on March 23 due to cracking along the center -- found the structure was in "better condition than originally anticipated," according to a news release from the Seattle Department of Transportation. Now, officials will work on a cost-benefit analysis to figure out whether repairing or replacing the bridge is the better option moving forward.
"A cost-benefit analysis (CBA), in the simplest terms, is the formalization of a mental process we all regularly undertake – weighing the pros and cons of an action and choosing the one with the greatest net benefit, or least undesirable trade-offs," SDOT said on its blog. "The crux, of course, is identifying which pros and cons are considered, and determining how much weight each attribute carries relative to others."
The city is looking at several different options for the bridge. Repairing the bridge could mean it's able to reopen sooner -- by 2022 -- and remain open for more than 15 years. Replacement options for the bridge would mean a longer timeline. If officials decided to replace the structure, it would likely take until at least 2025 or 2026, but it would give the bridge a longer lifespan, of more than 50 or 75 years. Officials are also looking at the option of a replacement tunnel.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/west-seattle-bridge-can-be-repaired-but-it-will-depend-on-cost-benefit-analysis-officials-say/ar-BB174vVB?ocid=hplocalnews