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Wednesday, July 21, 2010

City Murray Earmarks Three Million to Replace South Park Bridge

Posted by Cienna Madrid on Wed, Jul 21, 2010 at 4:42 PM

Sen. Patty Murray announced Wednesday she has earmarked $3 million toward a new South Park Bridge... Besides the new $3 million in next year's national transportation reauthorization bill, Murray will support the South Park Bridge in competition for federal grants under the "TIGER II" stimulus program she created, her staff said.

This brings the total amount pledged to replace the South Park Bridge—which closed (or opened, rather) permanently on June 30—to $73 million. Various governing bodies have already pledged millions to replace the bridge—the Seattle City Council ($15 million), the King County Council ($30 million), the Port of Seattle ($5 million) and the state ($20 million).

The county is also applying for a federal Tiger II grant to cover roughly $40 million of the replacement. Successful grants hinge on local and state funding commitments, which the county has proven its more than capable of securing.

Comments (12) RSS

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So why are Sloggers anti-Viaduct, anti-520 bridge, etc., but think spending $131 million to replace this little-used bridge (I'm speaking in relative terms here) is just a dandy idea?

Posted by bigyaz on July 21, 2010 at 4:45 PM

73 million dollars? They'd better be building a bridge across the damn puget sound for that.

Posted by Apocynum on July 21, 2010 at 4:45 PM

Build, baby, build!

Go South Park!

Posted by J.R. on July 21, 2010 at 5:32 PM

@1 You misunderstand. A lot of us are against wasteful or stupid transportation choices. The SP bridge is the only real way in or out of an entire portion of the city; that's not stupid or wasteful. It's a necessity.

Posted by Joe Szilagyi

on July 21, 2010 at 5:34 PM

Besides, the folks in Georgetown are nifty.

It's exactly because it was never a priority of the Billionaires and Millionaires that think Citizens of Seattle are their serfs that we like it.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on July 21, 2010 at 5:57 PM

@4
Umm, no, the South Park bridge is not the only real way in or out of South Park.

The Stranger likes this bridge because South Park is a hardscrabble, semi-industrial, low-rent enclave with colorful dive bars.

Posted by seandr on July 21, 2010 at 6:02 PM

I love how some of you want to fight against a South Park bridge but are all for a ridiculously frivolous First Hill street car that goes places you can very easily walk to. Give me a break people.

Posted by Chadwick on July 21, 2010 at 10:57 PM

@7: I'm all for the South Park bridge, and the downtown waterfront (aka, "the tunnel"), and putting a bike path across 520. Invest in Seattle, I say. She's worth it!

As for the streetcar, the only way I can see it penciling out economically is if it makes Seattle more of a tourist draw (along with our new traffic-free downtown waterfront with a boardwalk and hopping bars and romantic restaurants and really talented buskers).

Posted by seandr on July 21, 2010 at 11:32 PM

You bet it's worth it. Some of the best Mexican restaraunts in Seattle are on the south side of that bridge.

Posted by Renton Mike on July 21, 2010 at 11:57 PM

@4: C'mon, that's more than a bit of hyperbole. It's the most direct way in and out, but not even close to the *only* way.

Posted by bigyaz on July 22, 2010 at 9:22 AM

@4, 10 - Well, since I've been daily subjected to the Metro re-route on the 60 & the 131 ever since the bridge closed at the end of June, I can tell you that it most definitely FEELS LIKE the SP Bridge was the only real way in & out of South Park. It's not an exaggeration to say that Georgetown and South Park are now completely cut off from one another.

Yay for Patty Murray!!!

Posted by merry on July 22, 2010 at 11:58 AM

muy macho is reason enough.

Posted by masgroovy on July 22, 2010 at 12:18 PM