MileCheckSeattle Drawbridges
Seattle drawbridges opened 430 times from August 19–31
MileCheck checks five Seattle drawbridges every two minutes. From August 19 through 31, the log recorded 430 openings and 38 hours 30 minutes of combined raised time.
We’re building a daily archive of Seattle bridge activity, and this report is an early look at what it gives us. Our first bridge report only covers August 19–31, not the full month of August — that’s when the log started. Subscribe to the newsletter and we’ll send you the next one, covering a full month, straight to your inbox.
| Bridge | Openings | Median duration | Longest | Total raised time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fremont | 181 | 4 min | 8 min | 14h 11m |
| Ballard | 132 | 4 min | 10 min | 10h 33m |
| Montlake | 71 | 4 min | 16 min | 6h 07m |
| South Park | 27 | 6 min | 90 min | 4h 33m |
| 1st Ave S | 19 | 10 min | 20 min | 3h 06m |
Fremont opened 181 times, about 14 times a day. South Park opened less often, but its longest opening lasted 90 minutes. Across all five bridges, recorded raised time totaled 38 hours 30 minutes — the sum of each bridge's individual time up, not 38.5 distinct hours when at least one bridge was raised. Two bridges open at once would count toward this total twice.
When bridges opened
Opening counts were lowest during the commute restrictions and rose immediately afterward.
| Hour | Openings | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 AM | 2 | |
| 8 AM | 6 | |
| 9 AM | 40 | |
| 4 PM | 20 | |
| 5 PM | 15 | |
| 6 PM | 42 |
From August 19–31, 42 openings began between 6 and 7 PM. Another 40 began between 9 and 10 AM. Those were the two busiest hours in the sample, immediately after the evening and morning commute restrictions ended.
Two of the five bridges — Fremont and Ballard — are legally required to stay closed to boat traffic on weekdays from 7–9 AM and 4–6 PM, under a restriction the U.S. Coast Guard grants the city because the Ship Canal is a federally regulated waterway. Montlake, South Park, and 1st Ave S aren't part of that rule, cross a different waterway, and don't have the same restriction. The rush-hour dip in the combined table above is driven mainly by Fremont and Ballard; it isn't evidence that all five bridges follow one policy.
If your route crosses Fremont or Ballard, allow extra time around 9 AM and 6 PM. This pattern is based on 13 days of data.
These figures come from MileCheck's two-minute bridge log. The monthly Road Report uses state DOT feeds and is published separately.