MileCheck / Drawbridges / Seattle Drawbridges / Montlake Bridge
Montlake Bridge · Montlake Blvd · Ship Canal mile 5.2

Is the Montlake Bridge up right now?

Live from Seattle DOT, checked every two minutes, with how long it has been up. Opens on signal for boats, with the longest closed hours of any Seattle bridge.

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Seattle Drawbridges

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Montlake Bridge · live
CHECKING

Reading Seattle's bridge feed.

Checked Source Seattle DOTRefreshes every 2 min

When does the Montlake Bridge open?

  • Opens on signal for boats, with the longest closed hours of any Seattle bridge.
  • Weekdays, for vessels under 1,000 tons, it does not have to open 7 to 9 a.m. and 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. in summer (April 30 to September 1), and 7 to 10 a.m. and 3:30 to 7 p.m. the rest of the year.
  • From 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. and 6 to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays it opens only on the hour and half hour.
  • The tender can hold an opening up to 10 minutes to clear traffic, but not for a tug with a tow.

The federal rule, word for word:

The draw of the Montlake Bridge, mile 5.2, shall open on signal, except that: (1) The draw need not open for a period of up to 10 minutes after receiving an opening request, if needed to pass accumulated vehicular traffic. However, the draw shall open without delay, when requested by vessels engaged in towing operations. (2) For any vessel or watercraft of less than 1,000 gross tons, unless the vessel has in tow a vessel of 1,000 gross tons or over, from Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays: (i) The draw need not open from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. from April 30 to September 1 and from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. from September 1 to April 30. (ii) The draw need open only on the hour and half hour from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
33 CFR 117.1051(e)

Seattle Drawbridges

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Questions

Is the Montlake Bridge up right now?

This page shows Seattle DOT's live state for the Montlake 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 Montlake Bridge open for boats?

Opens on signal for boats, with the longest closed hours of any Seattle bridge. Weekdays, for vessels under 1,000 tons, it does not have to open 7 to 9 a.m. and 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. in summer (April 30 to September 1), and 7 to 10 a.m. and 3:30 to 7 p.m. the rest of the year. From 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. and 6 to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays it opens only on the hour and half hour. The tender can hold an opening up to 10 minutes to clear traffic, but not for a tug with a tow.

How long does the Montlake 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 Montlake Bridge goes up?

Yes. The Seattle Drawbridges app sends a push the minute the Montlake 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.

Fremont Bridge

Fremont Ave N over the Ship Canal. Live status.

University Bridge

Eastlake Ave E over the Ship Canal. Schedule only.

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.