Water over troubled bridge

When one needs a friend to beat the heat in Seattle;

Friday’s heat in the mid-90s requires that the University Bridge take frequent cold showers to protect its steel decks from excessive thermal expansion that could prevent the bridge from being opened for boat traffic.

A sprayer truck will spend about 10 minutes of every hour soaking the bridge Friday, causing a temporary closure to motor vehicle. Crews will frequently measure the bridge midpoint between the two drawspans to ensure there is at least a half-inch gap.

The city hopes the all-day sprinklings on Friday will keep the gap wide enough to skip a rush-hour bath that stalled traffic around 5:30 p.m. Thursday.