More closures for the Montlake Bridge

The Montlake Bridge photo courtesy WSDOT

Rehabilitation of the State Route 513

Montlake Bridge is nearly complete, but contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation require two more weekend closures as part of the project. 

The bridge will close to all vehicle traffic from 10pm Friday, January 21, 2022 to 5am Monday, Jan. 24. Access for pedestrians and boat traffic in the Montlake Cut will be affected: 

• The bridge sidewalks will be closed for the weekend. A shuttle service will transport pedestrians and bicyclists from one side of the bridge to the other using a detour route. The shuttle stop on the north end will be near the bus stop on eastbound Northeast Pacific Street just west of Montlake Boulevard. The stop on the southern end will be on southbound Montlake Boulevard just south of Shelby Street.  
• Boats will be able to access the Montlake Cut below the bridge using single-leaf openings. Double-leaf openings require 24-hour notice to the bridge operator: (206) 720-3048.

Over the summer and during a series of closures this fall, Hamilton Construction Co. crews replaced the bridge's metal deck, added new support beams and refurbished mechanical components. The bridge now needs to be rebalanced to account for the weight of the new deck and mechanical parts. 

Crews will return to the bridge in the spring to repave the bridge approaches. The pavement on each end was removed and repaved with fresh asphalt over the summer, but the work did not meet WSDOT standards. Removing the existing asphalt and repaving will keep the bridge approaches from cracking or forming potholes prematurely.