Construction starts today along 15th Ave NW and the Ballard Bridge

Meghan Walker Ballard

Crews will be out starting today on 15th Ave NW and the Ballard Bridge as part of the project to repave and improve transit in the area.

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) shared the below graphic of the work along the 15th Ave W/NW and the Ballard Bridge corridor:

Work will begin in two locations:

  • On the east side of 15th Ave NW at NW 57th St and NW 56th St, crews will be paving the street, upgrading the ADA accessible ramps, rebuilding the corners, and repairing the sidewalk in select areas.
  • On the Ballard Bridge, crews will be paving and performing maintenance and preservation work.

The Ballard Bridge work will be done overnight on Mondays to Thursdays from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. (with the Thursday night shifts ending at 6 a.m. on Friday mornings). The 15th Ave NW work will be done Mondays to Fridays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Here’s a handy guide from SDOT to plan travels around construction:

If you are driving … 

  • 10 p.m. – 5 a.m.: We will close the bridge to southbound traffic. If you are driving south at this time, please take the Aurora Bridge.
  • 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.: We will close two driving lanes on the bridge, leaving one open in each direction.

If you are riding south on the D Line bus … 

  • 10 p.m. – 5 a.m.: The bus stop at 15th Ave NW and Leary Way NW will be moved to the Route 40 bus stop on the south side of Leary Way NW where it intersects with 15th Ave NW. On the south end of the bridge, the D Line bus stop at 15th Ave W and W Emerson St will be moved south on 15th Ave NW. It will be right across from W Ruffner St.
  • There are no changes to the D Line bus stops if you are riding north and all bus routes and stops return to normal outside of the 10 p.m. – 5 a.m. window.
  • We encourage you to follow King County Metro’s service advisories and sign up for transit alerts to stay informed. 

If you are walking, rolling, or biking …

  • 7 p.m. – 6 a.m.: We will close the path on the east side of the bridge for people who walk, roll, or bike. If you are traveling across the bridge at this time, please use the path on the west side.
  • If your are traveling south, please cross at Leary Way NW.
  • If you are traveling north, please use the stairs on the east side of 15th Ave W to cross under the bridge and get to the path on the west side. See map below. 

15th Ave NW at NW 57th St and NW 56th

SDOT will work on the east side of 15th Ave NW at NW 57th St and NW 56th St Mondays to Fridays 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. During that time (from SDOT):

  • We will close one driving lane on the east side of 15th Ave NW. There will be two lanes open in each direction.
  • We will close NW 57th St and NW 56th St to westbound traffic from 14th Ave NW to 15th Ave NW. 
  • We will close the sidewalk in the areas where we’re working on 15th Ave NW between NW 58th St and NW 56th St and on the northwest sides of NW 57th St and NW 56th St. There will be detours signs in place to direct you around construction. 
  • You will hear noise, see dust, and feel vibrations during work hours.
  • We will have construction staging that may affect parking near work sites.

Learn more about the construction plans on the 15th Ave W/NW and the Ballard Bridge project website.

Photo: SDOT/Luke Gardner