Montlake Bridge to close to motor vehicles, Aug. 9 to Sept. 3 - also changes to bridge openings for boaters

Photo courtesy WSDOT

A busy summer of road construction will come to a head this August when contractor Hamilton Construction Co. begins the first of two phases to preserve the Montlake Bridge in Seattle.

The first phase of work will close the bridge to motor vehicle traffic 24 hours a day from Aug. 9, to the morning of Sept. 3, allowing the contractor to replace 84 metal grid deck panels on the bridge. The sidewalks on the bridge will remain open for bicycle and pedestrian use.

Frequent bridge users might be aware of the need for this project. The aging metal panels often break apart, requiring our maintenance crews to close lanes and weld patches onto the deck, sometimes causing backups during morning or afternoon commutes. The new panels will reduce the need for these costly and inconvenient repairs.

We need everyone’s help to keep traffic in Montlake, University District and the surrounding neighborhoods moving:

• Walk or roll through the area. The bridge sidewalks will be open!
• Use transit.
• Ride Link light rail.
• Carpool with a friend or coworker.

Photo courtesy WSDOT

Do you boat through the Montlake Cut? If you require bridge openings, things will look different in August: on-demand openings will be single-leaf and full bridge openings will require 24-hour notice to the bridge operator. Visit our boating information page to learn more.

The second phase of work will replace the mechanisms that raise, lower and lock the bridge into place. The contractor will need up to five weekends of full bridge closures (sidewalks closed too) beginning this fall to complete the work.