$19M bridge for people and pipes will open this fall on Everett waterfront
HWA is proud to see one of our projects get closer to completion
Construction is expected to finish by fall on a $19.3 million pedestrian bridge to connect Everett's growing waterfront district with Grand Avenue Park.
LMN Architects, which is designing the project, said in a press release that this will fulfill a decades-long goal to have a convenient passage over the railway and state Route 529.
Everett's waterfront is changing, with the mixed-use development Waterfront Place, Everett Farmer's Market and the largest public marina on the West Coast.
The bridge was designed to preserve views of Whidbey Island, the waterfront and Olympic Mountains, and minimize the cut into the steep, 75-foot-high hillside.
Two accessible ramps eliminate the need for an uphill elevator and save money, LMN said. The ramps switch back and forth to reduce the grade change and frame views. They begin above the bridge structure, cantilever over the highway, and finally go within a sloped truss, with viewing platforms along the way.
The steel trusses of the bridge's frame recall a railroad overpass. They are being delivered in sections to make installation over the railway easier.
The city project was initially conceived as a way to provide stormwater overflow piping, but grew to include the bridge, LMN said. The piping all but disappears within the bridge structure, LMN said. Hillside stormwater and sewer lines will also be replaced as part of the project, and the bridge design allows for a potential future water main crossing.
Custom-designed aluminum panels act as safety rails, lighting reflectors and a visual element. The panels have a waterjet-cut, minimal geometric pattern at eye level so people can see the views, but the pattern is denser closer to the ramp lighting to serve as a reflector. LMN said the pattern also is sandblasted into concrete on the base of the tower to animate the structure.
The team includes KPFF (prime consultant, structural engineer, civil engineer, construction support); Interwest Construction (general contractor); McMillen Jacobs Associates (civil engineer); Tres West Engineers (mechanical engineer); Stantec (electrical engineer); HWA GeoSciences (geotechnical engineer); The Greenbusch Group (vertical transportation); Landau Associates (environmental engineer); Ott Consultants (constructability review and construction scheduling); KBA (construction management); and Everett Parks & Recreation (landscape).
