It’s the season to complain about Seattle bridge openings
Jun 25, 2014, 3:34 PM | Updated: 10:13 pm
Cars wait in traffic as a boat passes through the Fremont Bridge. (Photo courtesy Bensonk 42 via Creative Commons.)
(Photo courtesy Bensonk 42 via Creative Commons.)
For many Seattle drivers, getting stuck at one of the city’s drawbridges along the Lake Washington Ship Canal is one of the most maddening things about getting around town.
Complaining about the Ballard, Fremont, University or Montlake bridge is a favorite past time. A rant on the Seattle Subreddit (caution, obscenities) posted Tuesday night about a boat going under the Fremont bridge has drawn nearly 100 responses from people raving about the policies that allow the bridges to open for passing boats.
While the Seattle Department of Transportation operates the Ballard, Fremont and University bridges, don’t blame the city for the openings that grind traffic to a halt. Federal law gives marine traffic the right-of-way over vehicular traffic.
The city has applied and been granted some exceptions to the rule, with bridge closures prohibited during what are considered “rush hours.” The Ballard, Fremont and University bridges are closed to boaters weekdays from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., except national holidays.
“I don’t see how 6:01pm, 3:59pm, or 9:01am are not considered rush hour. That is insane,” wrote one commenter on Reddit. “I’m just pissed at the guy that decided rush hour ends at 9 am and 6 pm. Fremont needs another hour in the morning and afternoon,” wrote another.
The Montlake bridge is operated by the state rather than city, with openings restricted on weekdays in the summer between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., and between 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. From September 1 to April 30, drawbridge openings for marine traffic are restricted on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. and between 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
The wait can seem interminable when you’re caught behind a bridge opening, but SDOT says bridge openings on the Ship Canal average about four minutes, from stopping traffic to letting traffic resume at the end of an opening. “SDOT appreciates that delays are an inconvenience — we get stuck in them too!” SDOT says on its website.
“It’s a balancing act,” says SDOT spokesman Rick Sheridan. “Seattle is a city of bridges, and while it can be an inconvenience, the marine community is very important as well. We work aggressively to minimize delays.”
Sheridan says there have been some internal discussions at SDOT about whether to petition the Coast Guard for longer closure exemptions, but no formal action is planned at this time.
