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City of Seattle
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor
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NEWS ADVISORY
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| SUBJECT: Update: Fremont Bridge Milestone Reached
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
10/17/2006 9:35:00 AM |
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Richard Sheridan (206) 684-8540
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Update: Fremont Bridge Milestone Reached--
Bridge Will Close Monday night and Tuesday morning Oct 23/24 for Next Phase
Replacement of the Fremont Bridge approaches has progressed to another milestone. (Approaches are the raised roadways at each end of the bridge). The contractor has completed construction of the eastern half of the approaches, and will now work on the western half.
During the night of Monday, October 23, SDOT will close the bridge to motor vehicles while the contractor shifts traffic, including pedestrians and cyclists, to the newly completed eastern half. The bridge will close at 9 p.m. on Monday, and will reopen no later than 6 a.m. on Tuesday, October 24. One walkway will remain open for pedestrians and cyclists.
At the request of the community, SDOT has been able to keep one lane in each direction open on the bridge during most of the deck work. “While there has been congestion caused by lane restrictions on the bridge, especially at peak periods, I am pleased that traffic has flowed relatively well,” said SDOT Grace Crunican. “Our work together with the contractor and the community to minimize traffic disruption has paid off, and we will have a bridge that will serve the community for decades to come.”
On October 30, the contractor will begin demolition of the western half of the bridge, starting at the south approach and then moving to the north approach. The contractor intends to demolish during the day and process the spoils at night. Use of pavement breakers will be limited to hours between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. due to the noise from this activity.
Other traffic notes:
• During this phase of construction, access to Florentia Street will be blocked from Fremont Avenue North/Fourth Avenue North. Drivers may access Florentia from Nickerson Street.
• As during the last phase, large trucks or buses (over 8600 GVWR) will not be permitted to use Fremont Bridge.
• Left and right turn restrictions for northbound traffic across the bridge at North 34th Street will continue.
• Girder setting may involve full weekend or nighttime closures of the bridge during this phase. The details of these closures are still being determined, and more information will be provided as we near this stage of construction in November/December 2006.
Traffic patterns will change three more times before the new bridge approaches are completed, scheduled for this spring. The next closure will involve the pour down the middle of the deck (placing a temporary separation in the middle of two traffic lanes), and the final two will involve shifts of the pedestrian and bicycle traffic to finish pouring sidewalks.
When new bridge approaches are completed, work will begin to replace the electrical and mechanical parts of the bridge.
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