County has new design for
Tolt Bridge replacement

Due to rising steel costs, the King County Road Services Division has redesigned its plans for a new Tolt Bridge. The new design also addresses community concerns about the replacement bridge’s appearance and how it fits into the sensitive wetland areas along the Snoqualmie River.
(click here to see a computer drawing of the new bridge design)

The first design for the replacement bridge featured steel-plate girders. But last year, steel prices went up substantially due to worldwide demand, and the wait time for steel-plate girder orders increased. Rather than delay the project and spend more money, King County has decided to build a bridge with steel parts that are more readily available.

The new bridge plan features a double-truss design that is similar to the look of other historic bridges in the region. The new design will have one truss that spans the wetland on the west side of the river, with supports outside the sensitive area – which is one of the biggest wetlands in King County. The other truss will connect to the first and span the Snoqualmie River, also with supports outside the river’s edge.

“Bridges in the rural areas are an important part of the community, and people are concerned with both how they function and how they look,” said King County Executive Ron Sims.

“We heard valley residents’ concerns about the visual appearance of the first bridge design, but we also wanted to be smart about how we use taxpayer dollars to maintain our network of roads and bridges in the unincorporated areas.”

The current Tolt Bridge was constructed in 1922, and suffers from overall deterioration. The bridge is increasingly costly to maintain, and has some safety deficiencies due to an awkward road alignment. Last week, county crews working on repairs encountered even more deterioration of the bridge deck than they had expected to find.

The current bridge is located on Northeast Tolt Hill Road between State Route 203 and West Snoqualmie River Road Northeast. The replacement bridge would be built on a new alignment immediately adjacent to the current bridge. Project costs are estimated at $23 million, and construction will begin next March as originally planned. A project newsletter will be mailed to the community in May.

“We think this new design satisfies many needs,” said Sims. “Our goal is to build a bridge that will serve several generations, and one that people will also be reluctant to tear down 100 years from now.”
 

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