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University Bridge from the west; part of the
Ship Canal Bridge is visible in the top right corner
The University Bridge is a double-leaf bascule bridge that carries Eastlake Avenue traffic over Seattle, Washington, USA's Portage Bay between Eastlake and the University District. Built in 1919, it has an opening span of 66 meters (218 feet). It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
[edit] Sinkhole
On May 2, 2007, a 24-inch (60 cm) water main broke near the south end of the University Bridge, creating a 10-foot-deep sinkhole forcing the closure of the bridge. The sinkhole also swallowed two unoccupied parked cars. The water main break compromised water quality and pressure in a large part of the Eastlake neighborhood, making tap water brown and unpotable. Many restaurants and other businesses were forced to close for an as yet undetermined period. There was concern for the integrity of a 40-inch main adjacent to the smaller one that broke, and as of 11 a.m. it was unclear whether the sinkhole had damaged the structural integrity of the bridge itself. With the bridge closed, surface traffic between Seattle's University District and Downtown areas was heavily impacted. By evening, water pressure and quality had mostly been restored, but the bridge remained closed. It was reopened on May 3, 2007, after city workers poured about 40 yards of stabilizing concrete-sand slurry around the southern base of the bridge.
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