The high-level West Seattle Bridge is a cantilevered

Cantilever bridge

A cantilever bridge is a bridge built using cantilevers, structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end. For small footbridges, the cantilevers may be simple beams; however, large cantilever bridges designed to handle road or rail traffic use trusses built from...

 segmental bridge

Segmental bridge

As its name implies, a segmental bridge is a bridge built in short sections , i.e., one piece at a time, as opposed to traditional methods that build a bridge in very large sections...

 that serves as the primary connection between West Seattle

West Seattle, Seattle, Washington

West Seattle comprises two of Seattle, Washington's thirteen districts, Delridge and Southwest and encompasses all of Seattle west of the Duwamish River. It was incorporated as an independent town in 1902 and was annexed by Seattle in 1907. Among the area's attractions are its saltwater beach parks...

 and the rest of the city. It was built between 1981 and 1984 after the previous bascule

Bascule bridge

A bascule bridge is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span, or "leaf," throughout the entire upward swing in providing clearance for boat traffic....

 bridge was deemed inoperable as a result of being struck by the Chavez freighter

Cargo ship

A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...

 in 1978. The West Seattle Bridge was renamed as the Jeanette Williams Memorial Bridge on July 6, 2009, in honor of Jeanette Williams, who served on the Seattle City Council

Seattle City Council

The Seattle City Council is committed to ensuring that Seattle, Washington, is safe, livable and sustainable. Nine Councilmembers are elected to four-year terms in nonpartisan elections and represent the entire city, elected by all Seattle voters....

 from 1970 to 1989, and was instrumental in securing political support for the construction of the bridge.

The bridge spans the east and west channels that form the mouth of the Duwamish River

Duwamish River

The Duwamish River is the name of the lower of Washington state's Green River. Its industrialized estuary is known as the Duwamish Waterway.- History :...

 at Elliott Bay

Elliott Bay

Elliott Bay is the body of water on which Seattle, Washington, is located. A line drawn from Alki Point in the south to West Point in the north serves to mark the generally accepted division between the bay and the open sound...

, crossing over Harbor Island

Harbor Island

Harbor Island is an artificial island in the mouth of Seattle, Washington's Duwamish Waterway where it empties into Elliott Bay. Built by the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company, Harbor Island was completed in 1909 and was then the largest artificial island in the world, at 350 acres...

. Its main approaches are Fauntleroy Way S.W. from the west and the Spokane Street Viaduct from the east. The viaduct continues east to Interstate 5 at Columbian Way (exit 163), forming a three-mile (5 km) arterial between West Seattle and I-5. The navigational clearance height of the high-level West Seattle Bridge is 140 feet (42.6 meters).
A low-level West Seattle Bridge of swing-span design spans the west channel of the Duwamish River immediately north of the high-level bridge. The low-level bridge carries the surface-level Spokane Street and has a navigational clearance of 45 feet (13.7 meters).

As of 2011, the Spokane Street Viaduct section between Interstate 5 and WA 99 is being rebuilt and widened. The Spokane Street Viaduct section was one of Seattle's first freeways, built in 1940. The project began in the summer of 2008. The widened roadway will have 3 lanes in each direction and shoulders. A new westbound on and off ramp will be built at 1st Ave S to replace the existing dangerous 4th Ave S off ramp. A new eastbound off ramp to 4th Ave S opened Aug. 16, 2010. The entire Spokane Street project is scheduled to be complete by 2011. The new roadway may be considered for an interstate designation after the upgrade as it connects to the Port of Seattle.

Exit list

Destinations	Notes
Fauntleroy Way Southwest, 35th Avenue Southwest	Ends at an at-grade intersection
Admiral Way	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
Harbor Avenue, Avalon Way	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
Delridge Way Southwest, Southwest Spokane Street - South Seattle Community College South Seattle Community College South Seattle Community College is a community college located in West Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1970, it is one of three colleges which make up the Seattle Community College District. Its programs include nursing , aviation, culinary arts, health care, horticulture, the construction trades...	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
11th Avenue Southwest - Harbor Island, Terminal 18	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
1st Avenue South	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
4th Avenue South	Westbound exit
Spokane Street, 6th Avenue South	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
- Portland Portland, Oregon Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States... , Vancouver
Columbian Way, 15th Avenue South	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance

External links