SEATTLE — The West Seattle Bridge reopening could mean more people returning to one of the neighborhood's top destinations, Alki Beach.
It has been rough waters the last two-and-a-half years for those in West Seattle.
“Dismal. Dismal, dismal,” said Matt Preedy, who has lived in West Seattle for more than 20 years.
Preedy said with the bridge being closed, it’s been frustrating for him and the thousands of others that have had to put an extra effort to get to his home court.
“It’s been rough because I play a lot of ball down here, but I live in West Seattle, and a lot of people I play with they got to get here and that might take an hour to get here,” said Preedy.
Preedy is optimistic it’ll be smooth sailing moving forward now that the bridge is open.
“Honking back at us and cars are coming the other direction, they were flashing their lights, it’s just joy,” said Preedy. “It seems like such a small thing, but to have that sort of access when it’s been such a grind is just huge.”
The bridge reopening isn’t just huge for the commute. It’s also significant for businesses in west Seattle, which are ready to welcome both new and old customers.
“The restaurants, the bars, the little local shops that we have here in West Seattle, and again it just being more accessible in the commute times being shorter yeah I think it’ll definitely bring more people over here,” said Lexi Ione, the manager at Duke’s Seafood on Alki Beach.