The Seattle Department of Transportation will be pumping concrete on the Ballard Bridge as part of the ongoing Seismic Retrofit Project this coming Thursday, September 5.  All vehicle lanes will remain open, but the sidewalk on the eastern (northbound) side of the bridge will be closed for approximately one hour shortly after 8:00am.  The western (southbound) side will remain open however, and flaggers will be on hand 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 as well, but is not expected to affect off-peak traffic significantly.

The Ballard Bridge Seismic Retrofit project, initially thought to require frequent lanes and sidewalk closures, has only required one other sidewalk closure which took place two weeks ago. The contractor, Quigg Brothers, does not expect any other closures of the bridge or of the Ship Canal Trail during the remainder of the project.

This work is funded by the Bridging the Gap transportation levy approved by Seattle voters in November 2006.

More information about the Ballard Bridge, its history and the seismic retrofit project may be found at the project website: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/bridge_rehab_ballard.htm

Contact:  Peg Nielsen, 206.684.8114