Montlake Bridge to close to all traffic this weekend

SEATTLE — Seattle’s Montlake Bridge will be closed to all traffic starting Friday night while crews continue refurbishment work.

The bridge will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 21, to 5 a.m. Monday, Jan. 24.

Last summer and fall, a Washington State Department of Transportation contractor replaced the metal bridge deck, added new support beams, and refurbished mechanical components. This weekend, crews will reinstall the refurbished mechanical center lock on the bridge that will keep each side of the drawbridge properly aligned.

Access for pedestrians, bicyclists and boat traffic in the Montlake Cut will also be affected. Shuttles will be available to take people from one side of the bridge to the other using a detour route.

The shuttle stop on the north end is near the bus stop on eastbound Northeast Pacific Street, just west of Montlake Boulevard. The stop on the southern end is on southbound Montlake Boulevard, just south of Shelby Street.

Shuttles will run from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Sidewalks will be open outside of those hours.

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 at 206-720-3048.

This spring, crews will repave the bridge approaches.

WSDOT said the pavement on each end of the bridge was removed and repaved with fresh asphalt over the summer, but the work did not meet WSDOT standards.

WSDOT said proper repaving will keep the approaches from forming potholes or prematurely cracking.

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