King County Metro is ready to help get you where you need to be while the Montlake Bridge is closed for most of August.

Metro will join the 40,000 to 66,000 vehicles a day taking alternate routes while the Montlake Bridge is closed to vehicle traffic for construction.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) plans to close the bridge starting Monday, Aug. 9, with work expected to take 26 days. The bridge is expected to reopen on Sept. 3.

State crews will be replacing the grid deck on the 96-year old bridge, along with working on the span’s expansion joints. Bikes and pedestrians still will be able to cross the bridge, but it will be closed to all vehicle traffic during the repairs.

The red buses represent locations closed during the work on the Montlake Bridge

The closure will impact both Metro and Sound Transit routes that cross the Montlake Bridge:

Local buses: Routes 43 and 48, which travel north through the Montlake neighborhood before crossing the bridge, will be diverted.

  • Route 48 will take the alternate route it uses during the opening of the Montlake Bridge for the start of boating season, traveling along East Boyer and Furman onto Eastlake and then onto Campus Parkway.
  • Route 43 will turn onto Broadway from East Pine Street and travel along Broadway onto Eastlake and then onto Campus Parkway.

Regional buses: The Metro and Sound Transit routes that typically exit State Route 520 and cross the Montlake Bridge instead will continue across Portage Bay and exit onto East Roanoke Street, taking surface streets into the University District.

From the east side, for alternate service to downtown Seattle, riders can transfer to Metro routes 257 and 311, or Sound Transit Route ST 545, at Evergreen Point Freeway Station.

We want to help you navigate the closure of the Montlake Bridge, but everyone should be prepared to pack their patience and prepare for additional waiting and travel time as buses navigate reroutes.

You can get transit updates by going to our Service Advisories page. You also can receive email or text message Transit Alerts from Metro. It’s easy to sign up online.

You also can check on your route by using one of our real-time tools:

During the Montlake Bridge closure, Metro will work to continue being the convenient way to get you where you need to go!!