Waterways are the lifeblood of Seattle. The State Department of Transportation operates and maintains many bridges throughout Seattle, including four movable bridges. Three of the movable bridges are draw bridges, known as bascule bridges--Ballard Bridge, Fremont Bridge and University Bridge. The fourth movable bridge is the Spokane Street Bridge, a swing bridge.

The Fremont Bridge crosses the Lake Washington Ship Canal to link Fremont and Queen Anne neighborhoods. Opened on July 4, 1917, the Fremont Bridge celebrated over 566,000 openings and counting as of January 2006. Just 30 feet above the water, the bridge rises for marine traffic on average of about 35 times a day, making it as one of the busiest bascule bridges in the world. Construction work begun in September 2005 and recently completed addressed the approaches and new deck work. This on-site visit with one of the city’s bridge experts will reveal all the workings.

Time: 10:30 am

Location: Plaza, Fremont Avenue N. and N. 34th St. (north end of Fremont Bridge) Seattle, WA 98103

Cost: Limited capacity; previous events have sold out. Register early.

Tickets: $10 members; $15 general public; $5 students PLEASE NOTE: Our member discounts are only applicable for pre-registration received no later than three days prior to the event. After that, members pay the general admission price.

To Register: Call Historic Seattle at 206-622-6952.