West Seattle Bridge ramp connecting Hwy 99 closed after hole snarls traffic

UPDATE: The Washington State Department of Transportation reports that the ramp between the West Seattle Bridge and northbound SR99 will reopen at 5 a.m. Tuesday morning, May 9.

WSDOT reports that the weekend's warm temperatures helped cure the concrete quick, leading to an earlier than expected reopening.

ORIGINAL REPORT

Wednesday morning traffic out of West Seattle was snarled after a large hole was discovered in a busy onramp.

The onramp connects eastbound West Seattle Bridge to northbound Highway 99. Crews with the Washington State Department of Transportation are working to repair the large pothole that has shut down the route.

And by "pothole" we mean a 4-by-5-foot hole in the ramp. Folks passing underneath the ramp could see straight through to the sky.

The hole was discovered around 10 p.m. Tuesday. The tires on several cars were blown out by the hole before traffic was diverted.

WSDOT crews inspected the hole Wednesday, and began chipping away "unsuitable concrete" in the area. The span could potentially be closed up to 10 days for repairs.

WSDOT is telling drivers to find alternate routes.