Biking on the high bridge to West Seattle

It's been 30 years in the making, but people were finally allowed to bike on the upper West Seattle Bridge. For a few hours, anyway.

The 2024 Emerald City Ride on Sunday routes people south on the SR-99 viaduct through SoDo and then up onto the West Seattle Bridge, a limited access freeway typical reserved only for motor vehicles. Well, when it isn't on the verge of falling into the Duwamish River that is. Luckily, it did not fall down while I and about 3,000 others were biking across it.

It was the first Emerald City Ride since 2019, and it was great to see one of Cascade Bicycle Club's most exciting annual traditions return. The riders generally feature sections of major car infrastructure that are otherwise off-limits to biking, creating unique ways to experience the city and region. Past rides have used the I-5 Express Lanes, the old Alaskan Way Viaduct, the new SR-99 tunnel, the 520 Bridge and the old I-90 Express Lanes (before they were dedicated to light rail).

Cascade worked on the idea of a West Seattle Bridge ride for years. The SR-99 and West Seattle Bridge closures only lasted a couple early morning hours, and were the first stage of a 20-mile loop around West Seattle. Though 20 miles is short for a Cascade major event, they made riders earn it by including a couple very steep and long climbs up from the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal. A lot of people were introduced to SW Barton Street for the first time.

Look at all those people biking uphill in the rain!

Ironically, the ride back on non-freeway streets proved a bit more troublesome. One person was reportedly injured on a sharp turn at 16th Ave SW and SW Dawson Street. By the time I arrived, a helpful family was waving to riders and telling them to slow down before the sharp and wet turn. I also saw medics assisting a rider to crashed on a particularly-deteriorated section of E Marginal Way.

As with past Emerald City Rides, the 2024 event was a chance to experience the city in a way that usually impossible. While the West Seattle Bridge is never going to have the appeal of a central artery like the I-5 Express Lanes, it's great to have the chance to experience new things. What other pieces of limited-access freeway around the region should they consider for the next one? Let us know in the comments below.