Blog Archives
South Park Bridge
The two crews rowing were the first ones to pass under the new South Park Bridge. The last photo is looking south where the old Sheet Metal Shop of Plant II, Boeing, was located. During the bridge construction Boeing demolished the long vacated building (whose footprint ran right up the the waters edge, with no set back or buffer zone) and is now cleaning and refurbishing this section of shoreline of the Duwamish River. Pretty amazing transition. The Sheet Metal Shop moved to the city of Auburn, WA. in the mid-80’s-known as the 17-45 building. I actually worked in the 17-45 building for a year, 1999, before being moved to the Everett Plant 67 miles north, where I spent the last two years of my working career with the company. Seems like a lifetime ago.
South Park Bridge Opening
As you can see below, the bridge guard rail still had the shrink-wrap attached. I guess that is proof the bridge is new :-). I’m not sure how the spaceman in the car fits into the scheme of things, but that is part of the charm of South Park.
South Park Bridge Opening
A couple of Sundays ago the new South Park Bridge celebrated its opening. Ceremonies included fire works, parade (photos to follow) and the usual dignitaries. I had been following the project since it started in 2011 and even before. Some of my ‘before’ photos can be seen here, on the King County website. John Stamets, the official photographer for the bridge project, passed away suddenly two weeks before the opening ceremony. Follow his chronicle of the bridge project here. I was fortunate to attend some of the community meetings where John’s Powerpoints were presented. He was great fun to listen to and learn from. He led a rather extraordinary life and I think there is a link to his bio on the page I just linked to. Although the bridge closure and replacement was difficult on the residents and businesses of South Park, I think the people in charge of making it happen and working with the community did an outstanding job. Tim, the chief engineer on site every day, kept his cool and sense of humor throughout all of the setbacks and community frustrations. Ashley DeForest and DeAnna Martin, as Community Relations Managers,  were great in dealing with the community and keeping everyone informed. I think the project was lucky to have these individuals working together, along with John Stamets. Tim, the chief engineer, decided to make this his last project and he has or is in the process of retiring. Not many new bridges get built, so I think he felt this was a great way to go out. 
Dredging out the East Cofferdam
They are still digging out the river bottom on the East cofferdam on the 14th St. Bridge Project in South Park. I wonder if I am the only one photographing the project, from beginning to end?
Large
Large, cement form to be used for a column ( I think ) on the new 14th St. Bridge. I couldn’t get closer as it was fenced off.
Yacht through the Duwamish Channel
Yacht passing through the Duwamish Channel. With the construction of the new bridge the channel is narrowed and the speed limit has been lowered. This yacht moved stealthily by in front of me with little or no noise from the motor.
14th St. Bridge
Recent photos of the construction of the new 14th St. ( Duwamish River ) Bridge. Top Photo: view of East Span with new cofferdam behind the barge. Middle Photo: view of the new cofferdam on West side of span. Bottom Photo: view of original East Span. The interesting thing in this view is the eight vertical I-beams that had to be installed on the old section in order to hold the weight of the crane parked on top. The bridge could not hold the load of a crane that was needed to build the new bridge. Driving the 8 beams into the river bottom to add strength was a cool, engineering idea.
Cat on a Blue Wheely Bin
While taking photos of the South Park Bridge project there was a cat keeping an eye on me a few yards away.
Cofferdams Finished
The two cofferdams for the new bridge in South Park are finished. I am not sure if the water has been pumped out or not. Apparently the project is going to continue on during the evenings for a while.
Crane
The large crane at the site of the South Park Bridge. There are three cranes at the site at this time. This large one sits on a very large barge. Even with a wide angle lens I couldn’t get all of the barge in one shot. The yellow crane up on the old bridge in the background will give you a sense of scale.
Archeological Dig at 14th St. Bridge
Before the actual construction starts on the new bridge an archeological survey of the site must be done. A few dig spots, like this one, are being looked at. You can see the different strata of the soil. Once the survey is done the SDOT website will post data, images and a video of the survey. More information than I can comprehend, although there are some interesting things being found. There were no permanent villages or settlements in this location of the current river and bridge, just seasonal fishing camps. The black tank holds water they use for sluicing the material as needed.
Shame
Message is intended for Seattle from the neighborhood of South Park regarding the handling of the old 14th St. Bridge.
Old Street
A street running from the Duwamish River to the main intersection in South Park. The man-hours it must have taken to have laid all of these bricks is unimaginable.
View from Below
There is a trail of sorts along the west bank of the Duwamish  River that takes one underneath the 14th St. Bridge. Along the trail you can see 7 foot tall fennel and the remnants of homeless hangouts; the odd assortment  clothes, food packaging and charred wood. In these photos you can begin to get a sense of the level of disrepair on the bridge. Link to the Bridge Project webpage is here.
Related Articles
- Funding OK’d in South Park bridge project (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Some South Park businesses now suffer after bridge closing (westseattleherald.com)
- A neighborhood prepares to lose its bridge (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- The joke, alas, is on South Park (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
14th St. Bridge
The beginning the demolition of the 14th St. Bridge. I’m going to try to document this event as best I can over the next few months. The next few posts regarding the bridge will focus on the neighborhood ( South Park ) adjacent to the bridge/river. When I was around 4 years old my family lived  a stones throw from the river and bridge. Our family doctor’s clinic was located in the heart of South Park so I had continuous ties to the neighborhood for years. The doctor and clinic are long gone. A side story: Our doctor was probably typical for his time, but I remember he always  lit up a Camel non-filtered cigarette after he entered the exam room. I remember the clinic having this odd odor of cigarette smoke and alcohol or some cleaning solution. Those were very different times.
Bluestar2012's Photoblog 
