The Aurora Bridge will be closed tonight while crews work to raise the bridge a 3/4 of an inch. The work is part of a project to help the 80-year-old bridge better withstand an earthquake. The bridge will be closed from midnight tonight until 5 a.m. tomorrow (Wednesday, May 30) morning. Northbound drivers will be detoured off SR 99 at Denny Way and onto Dexter Avenue and/or I-5. Southbound drivers will be detoured off at 39th and onto Fremont Avenue.
The retrofitting has been underway since April 2011, as crews have been under the bridge reinforcing the steel and concrete on the north and south ends. The project includes, “adding steel to the skeleton, thickening concrete girders and covering existing columns with fiber designed for shaking,” according to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
From WSDOT:
Residents on the north face of Queen Anne may hear the noisy work between midnight and 5 a.m. Free earplugs are available by contacting Jamie Holter at 206-440-4698 or holterj@wsdot.wa.gov.
Queen Anne drivers should plan for closures on 6th Avenue North between Raye and Halladay streets. Crews will close one lane Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. until the end of August. Flaggers at both ends of the closure will allow local access.
During the daytime closure, crews will work on 6th Avenue North underneath the Aurora Avenue Bridge. They are building a skeletal system for the extra steel that will be attached to the existing girders.
