10 Months Of Fremont Construction Headaches Begin
Four lanes will be trimmed to two, and drivers aren't the only ones affected.
Those who take Metro buses through the area will have to learn some alternate routes, as buses aren't allowed over the bridge during construction. That means the buses will have to take different routes over the Aurora Bridge or Ballard Bridge, and passengers had to work their way around the new bus schedule.
"It's an inconvenience," said Ref Linkmark with King County Metro. "But we're trying to make sure people can figure out where to go."
Lindmark spent the morning making sure people see the big changes posted at bus stops on the first day.
Instead of four routes going through the city core, now there's only one. Riders have to catch the three others in different areas, and that gets confusing.
The changes mean about a five block walk to the next stop for some.
For the next 10 months, two lanes of the bridge will be closed for the $40 million makeover.
"We've never done a significant overhaul of this bridge," said Gregg Hirakawua with the Seattle Department of Transportation. "It's time. It's 90 or 89 years old and this bridge deck is just giving way, and so are the mechanicals so we're going to have to do something about it and that's what we're doing."
Starting in mid June, there will be 15 times crews will have to shut down the entire bridge. And the Burke Gilman Trail and the Ship Canal Trail will be closed during construction.
The project should be finished by next spring, and bus routes will go back to normal.