Ballard Bridge Planning Study
Investing in the future of our bridges
Updated: August 2020
What’s happening now?
We have completed the Ballard Bridge Planning Study!
Our final comparison of alternatives weighs this multimodal and connectivity along with other important factors such as implementation characteristics, environmental impacts, stakeholder and community input, and cost considerations. Read the full study to learn more.
Since launching our study in 2019, we analyzed various ways to maintain and improve connections, for all modes of travel, along this important regional transportation corridor.
Thank you for all who have participated and shared feedback with us for the entirety of the Ballard Bridge Planning Study. Your feedback on alternatives was invaluable!
What's Next?
The Ballard Bridge will continue to be safe for daily use and undergo routine inspections to ensure operational and safety protocols. This study does not recommend a preferred alternative but provides a comparison of alternatives as we, in coordination with our elected officials and other partners, evaluate funding options. In the coming years, we will develop a Bridge Assessment Strategic Management Plan. The study also informed the Ballard-Interbay Regional Transportation System report. The study has concluded. If you have questions contact our Customer Care Center at 684-ROAD@Seattle.gov.
Project Overview
The Ballard Bridge, built in 1917, spans the eastern edge of Salmon Bay and connects Ballard to Magnolia, Queen Anne, and Downtown via Interbay. The 2,854-foot bridge carries more than 57,000 vehicles per day across the Lake Washington Ship Canal. Like the Fremont Bridge to the east, this bridge is a bascule bridge that opens to allow taller ships to use the Ship Canal.
We perform regular maintenance and frequent inspections on the bridge to ensure it is operational and safe for both road and marine traffic. Due to the age of the structure, more significant rehabilitation may be needed to sustain its current level of operation. Since the structure is still in good condition today, we have an opportunity to plan ahead and look beyond just maintaining its current form and function. So, we've launched the Ballard Bridge Planning Study (planning study) to evaluate how to bring the bridge up to current transportation, functional, and structural standards including improved bicycle and pedestrian facilities and keeping buses and freight moving.
The planning study, funded by the Levy to Move Seattle, will explore feasible rehabilitation and replacement options for the long-term future of the bridge. It is the second of ten studies to help us assess and manage roadway structure maintenance needs and maximize future investments. The studies are a part of our effort to better understand the size of Seattle's maintenance backlog.
The planning study will identify associated costs, risks, benefits, and trade-offs of each option. Through the end of the year, we'll work with our agency partners, advisory boards, and community members to identify needs and values and propose options that meet them.
The planning study begins by screening options based on geometric and traffic constraints and surveying community members on what they need and value. We'll then evaluate cost-effective and constructible structure types to ensure they provide multi-modal solutions. The final, feasible alternatives will be compared using a set of metrics. This study will not recommend a preferred alternative but will provide a comparison of alternatives as we, in coordination with our elected officials, evaluate funding options.
The planning study also supports other planning efforts, including Sound Transit's Ballard Link Extension and our Ballard-Interbay Regional Transportation System Corridor Study.
Map of the project area with the Ballard Bridge highlighted in orange.
Schedule
| Events | Activity | Timing | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Online Survey | Spring 2019 | To introduce the project scope and schedule and to better understand behaviors for users of the Ballard Bridge |
|
|
Stakeholder meetings | Spring 2019 | To introduce the project scope and schedule, and to better understand behaviors for users of the Ballard Bridge |
|
|
Advisory Board Briefings | Spring-Summer 2019 | To involve and seek assistance from Bike, Pedestrian, Transit, and Freight advisory boards |
|
|
Drop-in Sessions & Community Events | Summer-Fall 2019 | To describe the Ballard Bridge history, review evaluation process, present analyses and collect community input |
|
|
Community Councils & Other Community Group Briefings | Spring-Fall 2019 | To inform the public of the study purpose and progress, and to provide more opportunities for community comments and questions |
|
|
Finalize Alternatives Analysis and Share Results | Fall-Winter 2019-20 | Finalize and share results with SDOT directors, the Mayor, and our local, county and state elected officials |
Key
| Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|
 |
Technical Screening to identify viable alternatives |
 |
Advisory Board Briefings |
 |
Online Survey |
 |
Alternatives Analysis |
 |
Stakeholder Meetings |
 |
Share results |
 |
Community Involvement |
Funding
This planning study is funded by the Levy to Move Seattle, approved by voters in 2015. The 9-year, $930 million Levy to Move Seattle provides funding to improve safety for all travelers, maintain our streets and bridges, and invest in reliable, affordable travel options for a growing city. Learn more about the levy at www.seattle.gov/LevyToMoveSeattle.
While the City does not currently have any funding to further the design or construction of any of the options evaluated in this planning study, the state has marked $700K in the 2019-2021 budget for further evaluation.
Nearby SDOT Projects
Previous Work
In 2014, we conducted the Ballard Bridge Sidewalk Widening Study to evaluate alternatives to make travel across the Ballard Bridge more comfortable for pedestrians and people on bicycles. Learn more about the Ballard Bridge Sidewalk Widening Study.
In 2018, we worked with our City Council and community members and released a Bridge Safety Analysis Report to guide the spending of approximately $5M of Levy to Move Seattle funding. The report provided preliminary design, prioritization, and planning level cost estimates for 9 bridge-related projects across Seattle to improve safety and reduce conflicts for people walking and biking, our city's most vulnerable users.
Of the prioritized safety improvements, 4 of the locations were on or near the Ballard Bridge. We've installed improvements at the 2, higher priority, northern locations near the Ballard Bridge on and off-ramps. The remaining 2 improvements are still under consideration as we spread our Levy funding to other priority locations in the city and look for additional funding beyond the Levy dollars. Learn more about the Bridge Safety Analysis Report.
The designs included in these planning efforts will inform the long-term rehabilitation and replacement options considered in this planning study.
Project Library
- Ballard Bridge Planning Study Final Report (October 2020)
- October - November Outreach Summary (November 2019)
- Ballard Bridge Drop-In Session - Display Boards (October 2019)
- Ballard Bridge Fall Factsheet (October 2019)
- Ballard Bridge Technical Workshop Summary (September 2019)
- Drop-In Session Summary (July 2019)
- Online Community Survey Summary (August 2019)
- Ballard Bridge Drop-In Session - Display Boards (July 2019)
- Ballard Bridge Mobile Display (July 2019)
- Ballard Bridge Spring Factsheet (July 2019)
Need a Translation?
If you need this information translated, please call (206) 775-8894.
Servicios de traducción e interpretación disponibles bajo petición (206) 775-8894.
Matutulungan ka naming maintindihan kung hihingi kang tulong (206) 775-8894.
요청하시면 번역이나 통역을 제공해드립니다 (206) 775-8894.
Dịch và thông dịch viên sẵn sàng nếu có sự yêu cầu (206) 775-8894.
Haddii aad dooneyso turjubeen fadlen wac (206) 775-8894.