SEATTLE — The Montlake Bridge will be closed for a month beginning in August while the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) makes repairs on the 96-year-old bridge.
WSDOT plans to start Phase 1 on Aug. 9, and plans to finish by Sept. 3 in order to complete the bulk of the work between the end of Seafair and the beginning of Labor Day weekend.
The bridge will still be open to pedestrian and boat traffic, but vehicle traffic won't be allowed, according to the WSDOT blog.
Vehicle traffic will be rerouted to State Route 520 and I-5 during the closures. Transit will use the same detour or the University Bridge, according to the department.
During that time frame, the department will replace all 84 panels of the bridge's metal grid deck which was last replaced over 20 years ago. In 2020, maintenance crews had to weld patches on the metal grid deck nine different times. WSDOT will also replace two expansion joints during the closure.
In Phase 2, WSDOT will begin rehabilitating the bridge's mechanical systems, according to the department. Crews will replace a 25-year-old center lock to keep each side of the bridge in alignment to ensure the bridge opens and closes like it's supposed to. The repairs will take up to five weekends in the fall with the bridge in the raised position, closing it to vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
