South Park Bridge reopens after Saturday closure

SEATTLE – The South Park Bridge reopened late Saturday night after mechanical issues had shut it down for much of the day.

The bridge had been closed Saturday morning, after the drawspan was unable to completely close after opening for a boat. The closure forced drivers to use alternate routes across the Duwamish River, with the 1st Avenue South Bridge being the nearest bridge to South Park.

A malfunction with a transmission pump was determined to be the cause of the bridge’s problems. With the replacement part scheduled to arrive on Tuesday, crews worked to try and get the span down so traffic could start using the bridge again. They were able to do that in the evening, and were able to reopen the bridge by 11:30 p.m.

The bridge, owned by King County, will need to close again once a repair schedule for the transmission pump is set up.