Find Posts By Topic

Home / Traffic and Construction

Upcoming Ballard Bridge weekend closures scheduled for vital maintenance and preservation work | LEVY DOLLARS AT WORK

by on August 27, 2024
View of the Ballard Bridge. Photo: SDOT

Blog stats: 1,200 words | 6-minute read

At-a-glance:

  • We need to close the Ballard Bridge over several weekends in September and October to complete maintenance and preservation work on the 107-year-old bridge.
  • Work includes replacing worn expansion joints to keep the bridge strong and resilient, as part of the 15th Ave W/NW & Ballard Bridge Paving & Safety Project.
  • This blog post details the scheduled closure dates and offers resources to get around while the bridge is closed.
  • We expect to keep the bridge open to pedestrians and bike riders during these closures.
  • We recognize that closing the Ballard Bridge can affect your travel plans, and we appreciate your patience and understanding.
  • The upcoming closures build on recently completed work over the summer to replace aging pavement on the Ballard Bridge.
  • Please be sure to sign up for email updates to get the latest details from our team. Thank you.

Ballard Bridge closure dates

Here are the scheduled bridge closures for drivers: (subject to change)

  • Friday evening, September 13, 2024, through Monday morning, September 16, 2024
  • Friday evening, September 27, 2024, through Monday morning, September 30, 2024
  • Friday evening, October 4, 2024, through Monday morning, October 7, 2024
  • Friday evening, October 11, 2024, through Monday morning, October 14, 2024
  • Friday evening, October 18, 2024, through Monday morning, October 21, 2024

Lane closures may begin as early as 7 PM on Fridays, with the bridge fully closed at 10 PM. The bridge is expected to reopen by approximately 5 AM the following Monday.

Please note: These dates and times may change based on weather conditions, crew and materials availability, or other circumstances. Sign up here for email updates to stay informed. 

Calendar of September and October 2024. Full day closure in dark orange and partial day closure in light orange. The graphic indicates weekend closures the weekends of September 14-15 and 28-29, as well as October 5-6, 12-13, and 19-20, which also include part of the Fridays before and Mondays after.
Upcoming weekend closure dates for the Ballard Bridge in September and October 2024 (subject to change). Graphic: SDOT

Getting around during the closure

Pedestrians and bike riders

  • We expect that pedestrians and bike riders will be able to cross the Ballard Bridge while it’s closed to drivers.
  • This may include closing one side of the walking and biking path when needed for safety reasons.
  • People may also sometimes be asked to get off and walk their bikes for safety reasons.

Drivers and freight

  • The primary, most reliable detour route for drivers is the Aurora Bridge (SR 99).
  • Drivers may also reroute to the University Bridge or I-5 to cross the Ship Canal.
  • The Fremont Bridge will be open but due to its limited capacity, we recommend drivers consider using other routes.
  • During these bridge closures, posted detour signs will help guide drivers to alternate routes to get around the closure. We also encourage drivers to detour to other routes prior to reaching the Ballard Bridge area if possible.

Closure map

Map of the Ballard, Fremont and North Queen Anne/Interbay area. Ballard Bridge is outlined in red with red diagonal dashes in it represent its closure from Friday evenings to Monday mornings. Aurora Bridge is drawn in in green representing the detour route for drivers. The text reads "Ballard Bridge closed Friday evenings - Monday mornings for people who drive and ride the bus" and "Aurora Bridge is the detour route for people who drive"
Map showing the location of the upcoming Ballard Bridge weekend closures. Graphic: SDOT

Transit riders

  • Plan ahead for longer bus trips as buses that normally use the Ballard Bridge will be rerouted to the Fremont Bridge.
  • Some bus stops near the Ballard Bridge may be temporarily relocated to support the closures.
  • To stay informed about transit service in the area, follow King County Metro’s service advisories and sign up for transit alerts.

Boaters

  • Boats will still be able to pass under the Ballard Bridge.

Other ways to travel

While the bridge is closed, consider the options listed below to get around. You can also shop local – Ballard businesses are open during construction. Here are a few travel options:

Why we need to close the bridge

We need to take care of our bridges through proactive maintenance and preservation, particularly movable bridges like the Ballard Bridge that were built over a century ago. Full closures are necessary when we are working on a long stretch of the Ballard Bridge that includes 16 separate bridge expansion joints.

Expansion joints are designed to accommodate bridge movement and temperature changes. They help prevent the bridge from being damaged during extreme weather or major earthquakes.

Replacing the expansion joints requires removing the concrete next to these joints. Construction crews will remove the concrete around the joints and examine the condition of supporting steel beams and rebar, then replace any deteriorated parts of the supporting structure. They will then install the new expansion joints and pour new concrete around them. The concrete needs at least 24 hours to cure (harden) before the roadway is reopened to traffic.

Other nearby projects

We’re closely coordinating with several other projects in the area to minimize travel impacts.

To stay informed about each project, please use the links below:

Project schedule

Construction of the 15th Ave W/NW & Ballard Bridge Paving & Safety Project and Leary Way Bridge Seismic Retrofit Project started in July 2024 and work is scheduled to continue through 2025.

Recap of work completed this summer

Our construction team has been working hard to complete the initial repaving of the Ballard Bridge. The first step of this process was to remove the old asphalt, which was in worse condition than expected – you can see the crumbled pavement in the photo below. After all the old asphalt was cleared away, the construction crew poured a smooth layer of new asphalt and repainted the lane lines on the bridge.

Nighttime picture of a pile of old pavement dug up in chip-like shapes. The bulldozer used to dig up the pavement shines its light at the pile. Streetlight marks go across the picture.
Construction workers use a bulldozer to remove old pavement from the Ballard Bridge. Photo: SDOT
A bulldozer parked against the edge of the bridge behind a line of reflecting orange cones as a streetlight and the moon shines a yellow-orange hue in the night sky. Three construction workers in neon yellow gear stand in front of the bulldozer working on the bridge, one construction worker sits on top of the bulldozer.
Construction crews work overnight to pour new asphalt for the Ballard Bridge’s roadway, supporting smoother travel for people driving and riding the bus. Photo: SDOT
Early morning photo of the repaved Ballard Bridge with its darker asphalt pavement and white lane lines. Streetlamps light up the road and the cloudy sky makes the light inside surrounding short buildings brighter.
View of the repaved bridge as it enter the Ballard neighborhood. Photo: SDOT

The construction team has also been improving sidewalks and intersections for pedestrians, starting at the intersection of 15th Ave NW and NW 56th St. Crews have been working their way south towards the Ballard Bridge, replacing concrete, improving tree pits, and repainting directional signage as they go.

Four construction workers with neon yellow vests crouch down as they smooth the pavement at a curb on NW 56th St. One constructor worker stands behind the three crouching workers to pour the pavement into the sidewalk. The curb is near a light tan building.
Construction crews placing and smoothing pavement for a new sidewalk at 15th Ave NW and NW 56th St. Photo: SDOT
Construction workers install sidewalk with new concrete next to a street. Large buildings, trees, and cars are in the background. Orange construction markers are throghout.
During: Crews work to place new concrete sidewalks.
The newly installed sidewalk on a partly sunny day. A school bus, trees, and buildings are in the background. A large white sign says Businesses Are Open, with a City of Seattle logo below.
After: The new sidewalk.
Two photos of the same section of sidewalk along 15th Ave NW during and after the replacement of sidewalk concrete. Photos: SDOT

Stay informed

Filed Under: Accessibility, Busses, Funding & Levies, Move Seattle, Pedestrians, SDOT, Traffic and Construction, Transit, Travel Advisory Tagged With: , , , , , , ,