Durkan declares West Seattle Bridge a civil emergency

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan declared the closure of the West Seattle Bridge a civil emergency and requested state and federal assistance to expedite repairs of the city's busiest bridge. The high rise bridge closed on March 23 after cracks were discovered along the center. Since then, traffic to and from West Seattle has been using the lower swing bridge. However, it was discovered this week that the lower bridge is in need of repairs as well.