The contractor working for the Seattle Department of Transportation on the Ballard Bridge painting project plans to close one northbound lane on the Ballard Bridge starting Monday, November 21. The lane will be closed only on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. for approximately six weeks to allow the contractor to clean and paint the east side of the bridge. SDOT has arranged with the contractor to make all lanes of the bridge available for traffic during the afternoon peak traffic period. 

The sidewalk on the east side of the Ballard Bridge was closed starting Monday, November 14 for the painting project, and will be reopened on weekday evenings and weekends as much as possible—there will be times when this is not possible. The east sidewalk closures are also expected to last up to six weeks.

When the sidewalk on the east side of the bridge is closed, pedestrians may use the sidewalk on the west side of the bridge. Northbound bicyclists are detoured to the Fremont Bridge or the Ballard Locks because the bridge sidewalks are not wide enough for two-way bicycle traffic. Southbound bicyclists may continue to use the sidewalk on the west side of the bridge.

At some point during the project there will be full bridge closures on weekends.  These closures will be limited to 3 to 6 a.m. Saturdays and 12:00 midnight to 6 a.m. Sundays.  Metro transit service will not be provided during these hours.  There will be a maximum of four such weekend closures.  They are not yet scheduled.

Last year SDOT painted the Ballard Bridge approaches (the raised roadways at each end of the bridge). This year SDOT is painting the bascule part of the bridge, which is the portion of the bridge that opens and closes for marine traffic. SDOT’s Annual Bridge Painting Program provides for the periodic painting of each of the city’s 20 structural steel bridges.  The painting helps protect the steel surfaces on the bridges from corrosion and other weather deterioration. 

For more information or to sign up for the project updates, visit the project website at: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/bridgepainting_current.htm or call George Frost, (206) 615-0786

Media contact:  Marybeth Turner, (206) 684-8548