June 26, 2004. Construction is starting soon in Ballard with work scheduled to begin on the 15th Ave NW and Ballard Bridge Paving and Safety Project as soon as July 8, 2024 and continue through 2025. After years of planning, design, and community input, SDOT is getting ready to kick off work this summer and continue beyond. SDOT’s work is planned to begin on the northern end of the 15th Ave W/NW corridor on NW 57th St and NW 56th St and move south towards the Ballard Bridge.
This project will bring safety and mobility improvements. SDOT is maintaining and modernizing our streets, making transit more reliable, and ensuring our essential bridge infrastructure stays in good shape. SDOT’s goal is to make 15th Ave NW safer and friendlier for people walking, biking, and rolling.
Ballard Bridge overnight southbound closures (starting as early as July 8)
As part of the paving and maintenance work, SDOT will be doing on the bridge, and will need to conduct a series of overnight closures, Monday-Thursday, as early as July 8 for approximately 6-8 weeks.
Lane reductions will begin as early as 7 p.m. and all southbound are expected to close at 10 p.m. and remain closed overnight until 5 a.m.
In general, here’s what commuters can expect:
SDOT will temporarily close southbound lanes on the Ballard Bridge overnight (Mondays through Thursdays after 10 PM) and reduce northbound travel to a single lane overnight to complete the bridge maintenance and paving work on the Ballard Bridge this summer, starting as early as July 8.
The Ballard Bridge has two lanes in each direction. A lane reduction in each direction may begin as early as 7 PM, and SDOT expects to close all southbound lanes from 10 PM to 5 AM Monday through Thursday for approximately 6 to 8 weeks.
Detour routes are still being finalized, but SDOT anticipates redirecting people driving to Aurora Ave N (SR 99). The Fremont Bridge is also available, although with limited capacity.
SDOT expects to keep one side of the Ballard Bridge’s path open to people walking and biking, though access locations may shift as work takes place. Please follow all instructions and detour signs posted around the work zone.
To get the latest updates, you can sign up for SDOT project email updates. They also encourage transit riders to follow King County Metro’s service advisories and sign up for transit alerts to stay informed.
Ballard Bridge full weekend closures (September/October 2024)
SDOT also needs to fully close the Ballard Bridge on select weekends in the early fall for maintenance to keep the 107-year-old bridge safe and strong. Potential weekend closure dates (to be confirmed and may change):
Friday evening, September 6, 2024, through Monday morning, September 9, 2024
Friday evening, September 13, 2024, through Monday morning, September 16, 2024
Friday evening, September 27, 2024, through Monday morning, September 30, 2024
Friday evening, October 4, 2024, through Monday morning, October 7, 2024
Friday evening, October 11, 2024, through Monday morning, October 14, 2024