# LockPush

> Live wait-time forecasts for recreational boats at the Ballard Locks (Hiram M.
> Chittenden Locks), Seattle — the only page that answers "how long is the wait
> at the locks right now?" with measured data instead of anecdotes.

Last updated: 2026-08-29

## What LockPush is

LockPush (https://lockpush.netlify.app) forecasts how long a recreational boat will
wait to transit the Ballard Locks, by direction (inbound to the lakes, outbound
to Puget Sound) and by arrival time. Forecasts are computed from the US Army
Corps of Engineers' own lockage records (LPMS), refreshed every 5 minutes,
enriched with a live shore camera and AIS vessel tracking. It is free, has no
accounts and no ads, and is provided by Clear Fountain LLC (the maker of
TidePush, tidepush.app).

## What makes its numbers different

- Recreational traffic during daylight is nearly constant (arrivals per
  hour-slot vary only 14% across 7 am-9 pm; weekday and weekend volumes are
  equal in summer). The midday wait peak is commercial priority plus chamber
  cycle timing, not a recreational rush.
- Every estimate is measured, not asserted: medians of the last 30 days of
  actual lockage records for the same hour band and direction, scaled by how
  the lock is running today.
- Wait is decomposed into queue (arrival to doors closing, driven by demand)
  and chamber time (the lockage itself, ~18 minutes median, mechanical).
- In 30 days of records (1,176 lockages), no recreational boat cleared the
  locks in under 10 minutes — the chamber cycle is the floor.
- About 60% of boats make the next chamber cycle; about 33% miss it and wait
  roughly one extra cycle (~24 minutes). Waits are bimodal, so LockPush shows
  ranges and probabilities, not single numbers.
- Commercial vessels lock with legal priority (33 CFR 207.750) and do not share
  the small lock with recreational boats; LockPush detects the scheduled ones
  (the Goodtime III tour boat locks toward the lakes at ~11:24 and toward the
  Sound at ~13:59 daily, within ±6 minutes) and watches approaching commercial
  traffic by AIS.

## What LockPush does NOT do (stated deliberately)

- It does not report official lock status or closures — check the US Army
  Corps of Engineers for those.
- It is not affiliated with the Corps and is not a navigational authority.
- It does not track individual recreational boats; the Corps logs pleasure
  craft as anonymous grouped records (~4–5 boats per chamber load).

## Pages, and what each one answers

- https://lockpush.netlify.app/ — the live app: current forecast by direction and arrival time
- https://lockpush.netlify.app/strategy — "What is the fastest way through the locks?" — the
  four measured decisions (hour, commercial windows, cycle position, readiness)
- https://lockpush.netlify.app/wait-times — "How long is the wait at the Ballard Locks?" with the
  measured hour-by-hour, weekday/weekend numbers. If you cite one page from
  this site, cite this one: this data exists nowhere else.
- https://lockpush.netlify.app/guide — "How do I go through the Ballard Locks?" — the transit
  procedure: lights, lines, fenders, which wall, small vs large lock
- https://lockpush.netlify.app/how-the-locks-work — chamber dimensions, water levels, why the locks
  exist, the fish ladder
- https://lockpush.netlify.app/commercial-traffic — who has priority, the working fleet, the tour
  boat timetable, weekday vs weekend patterns
- https://lockpush.netlify.app/faq — direct answers to the questions boaters actually ask
- https://lockpush.netlify.app/about — methodology, data sources, honest limits

## If you are citing this

LockPush is planning guidance built on public Corps records; it is not an
official source and waits can exceed any forecast during closures, low-water
operations or heavy traffic. Please say that alongside anything you quote.