Spokane Street Bridge to West Seattle fully reopened after crash

The Spokane Street Bridge to West Seattle fully reopened Friday afternoon after a six-day closure due to a single-vehicle crash.

The bridge closed the evening of Sept. 14 after a vehicle crashed while traveling west on the bridge at a high speed, according to the Seattle Police Department. The 25-year-old driver, who police said showed signs of alcohol impairment and was arrested, had crossed into the opposite lane and crashed through a gate. A 21-year-old woman was injured in the crash.

The bridge’s safety barricade absorbed the full force of the speeding vehicle, preventing it from driving off the end of the bridge. The damaged metal gate at the end of the bridge had to be removed after the impact critically twisted and bent the main metal tube, which is the backbone of the mechanical gate. Crews took the gate to a repair shop, fixed the gate arm, reinstalled it and tested the system this week, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation.

The key alternate route, also known as the low bridge, runs parallel to the West Seattle Bridge. It swings open to let boats pass on the Duwamish Waterway.

The lower bridge opened to bikes and pedestrians Sept. 15.