MileCheck / Drawbridges / Seattle Drawbridges / Fremont Bridge
Fremont Bridge · Fremont Ave N · Ship Canal mile 2.6

Is the Fremont Bridge up right now?

Live from Seattle DOT, checked every two minutes, with how long it has been up. Opens on signal for boats. It is the busiest drawbridge in the country by openings, and the lowest on the Ship Canal, so it lifts for boats the others clear.

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Fremont Bridge · live
CHECKING

Reading Seattle's bridge feed.

Checked Source Seattle DOTRefreshes every 2 min

When does the Fremont Bridge open?

  • Opens on signal for boats. It is the busiest drawbridge in the country by openings, and the lowest on the Ship Canal, so it lifts for boats the others clear.
  • Weekdays 7 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. it does not have to open for vessels under 1,000 tons.
  • The tender can hold an opening up to 10 minutes to clear traffic, but not for a tug with a tow.
  • From 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. boats give one hour of notice to the Fremont tender.

The federal rule, word for word:

The draws of the Ballard Bridge, mile 1.1, Fremont Bridge, mile 2.6, and University Bridge, mile 4.3, shall open on signal, except that: (1) The draws need not be opened for a period of up to 10 minutes after receiving an opening request, if needed to pass accumulated vehicular traffic. However, the draws shall open without delay, when requested by vessels engaged in towing operations. (2) The draws need not open from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, except all Federal holidays but Columbus Day for any vessel of less than 1000 tons, unless the vessel has in tow a vessel of 1000 gross tons or over. (3) Between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. the draws shall open if at least one hour notice is given by telephone, radiotelephone, or otherwise to the drawtender at the Fremont Avenue Bridge.
33 CFR 117.1051(d)

Seattle Drawbridges

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Questions

Is the Fremont Bridge up right now?

This page shows Seattle DOT's live state for the Fremont Bridge, refreshed every two minutes, with how long it has been up. If the city's feed has gone quiet the page says "no live reading" rather than guessing.

When does the Fremont Bridge open for boats?

Opens on signal for boats. It is the busiest drawbridge in the country by openings, and the lowest on the Ship Canal, so it lifts for boats the others clear. Weekdays 7 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. it does not have to open for vessels under 1,000 tons. The tender can hold an opening up to 10 minutes to clear traffic, but not for a tug with a tow. From 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. boats give one hour of notice to the Fremont tender.

How long does the Fremont Bridge stay up?

Most openings are over inside 15 minutes. A single sailboat is a few minutes; a tug with a tow, or several boats in a row, takes longer. The Seattle Drawbridges app times each lift.

Can I get a notification when the Fremont Bridge goes up?

Yes. The Seattle Drawbridges app sends a push the minute the Fremont Bridge goes up, and another if it stays up 15, 20 or 30 minutes.

Other Seattle bridges

Ballard Bridge

15th Ave NW over the Ship Canal. Live status.

University Bridge

Eastlake Ave E over the Ship Canal. Schedule only.

Montlake Bridge

Montlake Blvd over the Ship Canal. Live status.

First Avenue South Bridge

SR 99 / 1st Ave S over the Duwamish. Live status.

South Park Bridge

14th Ave S over the Duwamish. Live status.

Southwest Spokane Street Bridge

SW Spokane St over the Duwamish. Schedule only.

Live status from Seattle DOT via the MileCheck API. Opening rules from 33 CFR 117, the federal drawbridge regulations. Not affiliated with the City of Seattle, WSDOT or the Coast Guard.