Harborview’s city council voted 6–3 just after midnight to fund design work on a second bridge across the inner harbor, ending a debate that has outlasted three mayors and two traffic studies.
Supporters said the single span on Pier Road can no longer carry the morning commute and the freight trucks bound for the container terminal. Opponents asked for the money to go to ferries and the long-delayed east-side bus lanes instead.
The $41 million design contract is only the first step. Councilmember Ruth Abernethy, who wrote the measure, said construction depends on the state legislature matching the city’s share next spring.
Residents of the Lowmarket neighborhood, where the new span would land, packed the chamber for most of the night. Many said they were not against a bridge, only against losing the waterfront park the current plan runs through.