Contractor crews will likely be seen Thursday, Aug. 22 working at the south end of the Ballard Bridge on the seismic retrofit project for the Seattle Department of Transportation. All general traffic lanes will remain open. The sidewalk on the eastern (northbound) side of the bridge will be closed at times between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. Flaggers will be present at both ends of the bridge to redirect pedestrians and bicyclists as needed. The northbound merge lane at the south end of the bridge will be shortened slightly during this period.

The seismic retrofit project, initially expected to require frequent lane and sidewalk closures, has not required either since the project began over a year ago, until Thursday’s periodic sidewalk closures. The contractor, Quigg Brothers, has made extraordinary efforts to minimize any impacts on the users of the bridge, or of the Ship Canal Trail which passes below on the south side.

The contractor plans to complete the project in the spring of 2014.

For more project information, please see the website at http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/bridge_rehab_ballard.htm