Ask a roomful of Seattle bicyclists to identify dangerous places to ride a bike, and the Ballard Bridge will quickly rise to the top of the list, second only to its notorious neighbor, the Missing Link.
Bicyclists just looking for an excuse to avoid the Ballard Bridge will be pleased to hear that the bascule portion will be undergoing a six-week repainting project starting the week of November 14.
The project will require closures of one sidewalk and adjacent travel lane at a time, starting on the east side of the bridge. SDOT has established bicycle detours via the Fremont Bridge (~ 4.5 miles) and the Locks (~ 3.5 miles). While the extra distance may not be convenient, nor the detour segment along the Missing Link safe, neither is riding on steel bridge grating that is slicker than snot .
Plus, consider that the Fremont Bridge detour offers multiple bonus features that ARE bike-friendly. Depending on your route, you can ride the brand spankin’ new ship canal trail, the redesigned Nickerson Street or the mighty fine buffered bike lanes along Dexter Avenue.
Of course, while the painting project may enhance the aesthetics and extend the lifespan of the Ballard Bridge, biking across won’t be any prettier afterward. Fortunately, Seattle’s Bike Master Plan is scheduled for an update in 2012, which will be an important opportunity to identify key enhancements to improve bicycle safety on this – and all – of Seattle’s bridges and roadways.
Ready... GO!photo: Grant M. Haller, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Tags: Ballard Bridge
Is the ship canal trail open? I tried to ride it on friday and it was still closed.
am i correct that one sidewalk will remain open for pedestrians?
which would mean that cyclists could use that sidewalk. if so, some consideration should be given BEFOREHAND to whether cyclists will be required to dismount and walk; especially, considering the recent message board thread about cyclists encounters with the “vigilante” pedestrian.
@Mike, grand opening is Saturday: http://blog.cascade.org/2011/11/ship-canal-trail-opening/
It appears as if the closed lane is just to give an extra margin of safety for the workers painting the bridge. They aren’t actually doing any work in that lane. Why not let the bikes use the closed lane, riding inside the cones? And when they aren’t working, they are just using the sidewalk to store the cones. Can’t they remove the cones daily and reopen the sidewalk when they finish for the day?
Additionally, Metro should offer free trips across the bridge to bikers. Let us get on at the stop right before the bridge, and let us get off on the stop right after the bridge. SDOT and METRO working together?
It’s time to demand some accountability from SDOT for the extreme delay of this project. This bridge is lousy for pedestrians and cyclists under the best of conditions. They’ve missed their initial deadline of “by February 2012″ by three weeks with no end in sight.
Ron Scharf is the SDOT Project Manager. ron.scharf@seattle.gov
Send City Council Transportation Committee Chair Tom Rasmussen a piece of your mind as well. tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov