Fremont Bridge to close again
Oct 28, 2022, 3:33 PM | Updated: Oct 31, 2022, 11:23 am
(Flickr)
The Fremont Bridge will shut down again tonight at midnight, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation.
SDOT spokesman Ethan Bergerson told KIRO Newsradio, the bridge will re-open Saturday at 6 a.m.
The bridge was closed last weekend due to bridge deck maintenance. This video from the Seattle Department of Transportation captured the noise the bridge was making.
“We are going to be repairing the metal grating on the bridge deck, again. The fasteners have become loose over time because of cars driving over it,” Bergerson said. “We will have a welding crew blast off the dirt and debris that’s accumulated on the bridge and then re-attach the metal grating.”
He says if the metal grating becomes too loose, it will damage the bridge.
Bergerson said a second date of repairs was needed because lowering the bridge several times during the overnight last time for people to walk and bike across reduced the amount of hours available to get the work done.
SDOT raised the bridge so crews could weld and repair the deck.
“Crew members will be lifted as high as 100 feet above the water to complete the welding work,” Bergerson said.
The bridge will be closed to vehicles all night. However, SDOT plans to allow people walking, biking, and rolling to cross the bridge for 15 minutes at 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, and 4:00 a.m.
The nearest other bridges are the Ship Canal I-5 and the Aurora Bridge (SR 99), Ballard Bridge, or University Bridge.