| Bridge Name: | Ballard Bridge | ||||||||||||||||
| Other Name: | 15th Avenue Bridge | ||||||||||||||||
| Carries: | 15th Avenue NW | ||||||||||||||||
| Crosses: | Salmon Bay | ||||||||||||||||
| Locale: | Seattle | ||||||||||||||||
| Maint: | Seattle Department of Transportation | ||||||||||||||||
| Architect: | A.H. Dimock | ||||||||||||||||
| Length: | 2854feet | ||||||||||||||||
| Mainspan: | 218feet | ||||||||||||||||
| Complete: | 1917 | ||||||||||||||||
| Heritage: | NRHP | ||||||||||||||||
| Rebuilt: | 1939 | ||||||||||||||||
| Extra: |
| ||||||||||||||||
The Ballard Bridge, also known as the 15th Avenue Bridge, is a double-leaf bascule bridge in Seattle, Washington. It carries 15th Avenue NW over Seattle's Salmon Bay between Ballard to the north and Interbay to the south. The Ballard Bridge follows the Fremont Bridge in the east in the succession of bridges spanning the Lake Washington Ship Canal, which connects Lake Washington in the east to Puget Sound in the west.
Built in 1917, it has an opening span of 218feet and a total length of 2854feet.[1] The approaches of the bridge were originally timber trestles.[2] It also carried a streetcar. In 1939, the timber approach spans of the Ballard Bridge were replaced as a Public Works Administration project. The deck was surfaced with concrete and the rails for the streetcar were removed.[3] In 1982, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.[4]
In recent years bicyclists have complained that improvements are needed to address safety concerns.[5] [6]
In 2024, work began on seismic improvements to the bridge structure, including installing ground anchors and other safety features.[7]