The ongoing Seattle-area concrete strike has jeopardized the repair of the West Seattle Bridge, but the recent decision of the Teamsters to allow select workers to cross strike lines indicates that the project is still on schedule for “mid-2022.”
Truckers represented by Teamsters 174 and employed through the region’s concrete suppliers have been on strike industry-wide since Dec. 3. Earlier in March, the Teamsters announced that select workers would return to job sites to resume construction on key infrastructure projects, among them the repair of the West Seattle Bridge.
Cadman is one of the suppliers greenlit to resume work, and they appear poised to deliver the specialized concrete the Seattle Department of Transportation requires in order to repair the bridge.
The contractor SDOT uses for the repair, Kraemer North America, has received the concrete mix designs from Cadman to ultimately supply the 245 cubic yards of concrete to finish work on the West Seattle Bridge’s high bridge. Approval is pending through the city, via a materials lab at Seattle Public Utilities.
“We are still aiming to reopen the bridge in mid-2022. Kraemer is working every day to reorder their schedule to minimize delays as much as possible,” an SDOT spokesperson told MyNorthwest.
The mid-2022 timeline is conditional; possible outcomes of the review process range from “outright rejection to unconditional acceptance,” an SPU spokesperson wrote to Councilmember Lisa Herbold (West Seattle).
“It is not uncommon to return the submittal and ask for more information before final disposition of the proposed mix(es) is made. Concrete mixes are not approved until the SPU Materials Laboratory is comfortable that they comply with all applicable standards and that they can be mixed, transported, and placed to achieve project design criteria and provide lasting service.”
“They have let me know that they expect to have the review for the proposed mix done in fairly short order. I appreciate their recognition of the importance of this project and willingness to prioritize this work,” Herbold continues.
The West Seattle Bridge has been shut down for two years. Final repair steps require specialized concrete to stabilize steel cables that strengthen the bridge. The shutdown dates back to March of 2020 when fractured concrete was observed.
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