Not for small boats. The hours differ by bridge, and big ships get through at any time.
Free: see which bridge is up at a glance. Premium, $9.99 a year or $0.99 a month, unlocks every bridge's own page: live status, the rule, alerts and more. No ads in the app.
Join the iOS beta Android coming soonEach Seattle bridge has weekday hours when it does not have to open for boats under a size limit. The limit is 1,000 gross tons on the Ship Canal and 5,000 on the Duwamish. That covers nearly every pleasure boat and most working boats. A freighter, a large tug with a tow, or a research ship gets its opening at any hour.
| Bridge | Morning | Afternoon |
|---|---|---|
| Ballard Bridge, Fremont Bridge, University Bridge | 7 to 9 a.m. | 4 to 6 p.m. |
| Montlake Bridge, summer | 7 to 9 a.m. | 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. |
| Montlake Bridge, Sept to April | 7 to 10 a.m. | 3:30 to 7 p.m. |
| First Avenue South Bridge | 6 to 9 a.m. | 3 to 6 p.m. |
| South Park Bridge | 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. | 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. |
| Southwest Spokane Street Bridge | No rush-hour exception in the rule | |
Monday through Friday only. Federal holidays count as weekends, except Columbus Day. Montlake's summer hours run April 30 to September 1.
The gap between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. is when the Ship Canal bridges do most of their lifting. Montlake adds a twist there too: from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. it opens only on the hour and half hour, so a boat that arrives at 1:05 waits until 1:30.
Yes, for a vessel over the size limit, 1,000 gross tons on the Ship Canal or 5,000 on the Duwamish, or a tug towing one. Those openings are rare but they happen.
No. On federal holidays the bridges open on signal all day. Columbus Day is the exception and is treated as a normal weekday.
Montlake, from September to April: 7 to 10 a.m. and 3:30 to 7 p.m., six and a half hours.
Free, at a glance: which of the five monitored bridges is up right now, and for how long. Premium, $9.99 a year or $0.99 a month, unlocks every bridge's own page: its opening rule, its live status detail, a push when a bridge you chose goes up, the lift history MileCheck keeps for it, and four more colour schemes. No account needed. No ads in the app. Your location stays on your phone.
MileCheck