The Aurora Bridge will drop down to one lane in each direction for 10 weekends this summer while crews repave and paint the 90-year-old bridge.
The land reductions will start tonight, and the work is expected to wrap up by the end of August.
The aging bridge — formally known as the SR 99 George Washington Memorial Bridge — is designated a Seattle landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The repaving work is the second phase of the project to maintain the bridge — crews cleaned and repainted the bridge’s floor beams and stringers in 2016 as part of the first phase.
The bridge’s last paint job was in 1985, and the old, lead-based paint is peeling and flaking off, falling onto the homes below and into the lake. The peeling paint exposes the bridge’s steel to air and water, which has caused rust and corrosion.
The closures will begin each Friday at 7pm (starting tonight, May 31) and last until 5am on Mondays, weather-dependent. There will also be occasional nighttime closures from 9pm to 5am Monday to Thursday to allow crews to secure platforms beneath the bridge.
The current work schedule will include the following weekends:
- May 31-June 3
- June 14-17
- June 28-July 1
- July 12-15
- Aug. 9-12, 16-19 and 23-26
For more background info, visit WSDOT’s project website. If you want to stay updated on the progress, sign up for email updates from WSDOT.