The Ballard Bascule Bridge is scheduled to be closed overnight for three weekends in a row beginning April 14 so that crews can paint the areas of the bridge that are not accessible when the spans are in the down position.

Closures will be from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. on Saturdays, April 14, 21 and 28 and from midnight on the same Saturdays through 6 a.m. Sunday morning, April 15, 22, and 29. Work on the bridge is dependent on weather, and will be rescheduled in the event of rain.

The Seattle Department of Transportation expects the project to be finished by the end of May. By the end of April, the contractor expects to have the west side of the bridge completed, ending the southbound lane and west sidewalk closures. Additional northbound lane and east sidewalk closures will be seen in May, but they will open for the afternoon commute between 3 and 8 p.m.

It should be noted that the timing of sidewalk closures does not correspond to lane closures and the contractor may close the sidewalks at any time except during the peak commutes for that side of the bridge.

The Ballard Bascule Bridge Painting Project, funded by Bridging the Gap dollars, will preserve the useful life of the structure.

This summer, SDOT will begin a seismic retrofit project to strengthen the bridge to better withstand the stress of a major earthquake.