Seattle Department of Transportation crews reinstall one of the ?Ballard Gateway? sculptures at the entrance to the Ballard Bridge Tuesday. The sculptures were removed in February 2006 due to damage caused by a windstorm.
Photo by Michael Harthorne
Public art that was removed in 2006 will be restored to the Ballard Bridge Tuesday and Wednesday this week.
Seattle Department of Transportation crews will reinstall eight sculptures on the 15th Avenue Northwest approach to the Bridge.
On 15th Avenue Northwest, north of the Ballard Bridge. crews will close the northbound right lane on Tuesday to reinstall four sculptures and the southbound right lane on Wednesday to replace the remaining four sculptures.
One lane on Northwest Leary Way will also be closed.
The work will be done between 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Tuesday Sept. 16 and Wednesday Sept. 17.
The public artwork, titled "Ballard Gateway," was first installed in 2003 as a gateway to the Ballard neighborhood. Designed by artists Tom Askman and Lea Anne Lake, the eight, 10-foot-tall aluminumsculptures depict aspects of Ballard history, including its Scandinavian and Native American roots and its maritime and lumber industries.
The artwork was funded with 1 percent for art funds and the city's Neighborhood Matching Fund program.
A neighborhood group, the Ballard Gateway Committee, raised additional funds and provided in-kind assistance.
The city removed the sculptures in February 2006 following a windstorm that damaged the anchoring brackets on two of the sculptures. As a precautionary measure, the city removed all the sculptures and reinforced the anchoring systems of each artwork.
