Fremont Bridge (Seattle)

Fremont Bridge

The Fremont Bridge from the George Washington Memorial Bridge
Carries Fremont Avenue N
Crosses Fremont Cut
Locale Seattle, Washington
Characteristics
Design bascule
Total length 502 feet (153 m)
Longest span 242 feet (74 m)
Clearance below 30 feet (9.1 m)
History
Opened

July 15, 1917

Fremont Bridge
Location Spans Lake Washington Ship Canal, Seattle, Washington
Coordinates 47°38′51″N 122°20′58.8″W / 47.64750°N 122.349667°WCoordinates: 47°38′51″N 122°20′58.8″W / 47.64750°N 122.349667°W
Area less than one acre
Built 1917
Governing body Local
MPS Historic Bridges/Tunnels in Washington State TR
NRHP Reference # 82004234[1]
Added to NRHP July 16, 1982
Designated December 28, 1981[2]
Opening and closing at 10x speed.
The Fremont Bridge at the opening of the Lake Washington Ship Canal, July 4, 1917

The Fremont Bridge is a double-leaf bascule bridge that spans the Fremont Cut in Seattle, Washington. The bridge, which connects Fremont Avenue North and 4th Avenue North, connects the neighborhoods of Fremont and Queen Anne.

The Fremont Bridge was opened on Friday June 15, 1917, at a cost of $410,000.[3] The first traffic over the bridge was to "owl cars", the last run of the trolleys, and then after 5am the same day to all other traffic. The Lake Washington Ship Canal was dedicated on July 4, 1917, which has caused confusion about the opening date, for this bridge crosses the canal. The Fremont Bridge is the first of four city bascules to cross the canal, the others being Ballard Bridge (1917), University Bridge (1919), and Montlake Bridge (1925). The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and is also a designated city landmark, ID #110347.[4]

Due to its low vessel clearance of 30 feet (9.1 m),[5] the Fremont Bridge opens an average of 35 times a day, which makes it the most frequently opened drawbridge in the United States and one of the busiest bascule bridges in the world.[6] Federal law gives marine traffic the right-of-way over vehicular traffic, however the Fremont Bridge is closed to most water traffic during rush hours.[7]

The bridge's blue and orange color was chosen by voters at a 1985 street fair.[8]

In 2006, the Fremont Bridge underwent a $41.9 million restoration project to replace the approaches and maintenance shop, as well as renovation of the mechanical and electrical systems that operate the bascule.[9] The approaches were completed in May 2007[10] and testing lasted through the Spring of 2008.[11] In 2014 the city began repainting the bridge.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2010-07-09.
  2. ↑ "Landmarks and Designation". City of Seattle. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
  3. ↑ Holstine, Craig E. (2005). Spanning Washington : Historic Highway Bridges of the Evergreen State. Washington State University Press. pp. 103–104. ISBN 0-87422-281-8.
  4. ↑ Landmarks Alphabetical Listing for F, Individual Landmarks, Department of Neighborhoods, City of Seattle. Accessed 28 December 2007.
  5. ↑ http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/bridgeopenings.htm Accessed January 23, 2010
  6. ↑ "Bridges and Roadway Structures". City of Seattle. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
  7. ↑ "Bridges and Roadway Structures: Bridge Openings". Seattle Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
  8. ↑ Broom, Jack (July 5, 2002). "Big for our bridges". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
  9. ↑ "Fremont Bridge will close overnight this week". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. May 13, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
  10. ↑ "All Lanes Of Fremont Bridge Open". KIRO. May 18, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
  11. ↑ "Fremont Bridge Approaches Replacement Project". Seattle Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
  12. ↑ "Safely Painting the Fremont Bridge". Seattle Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2015-02-05.

External links

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