Ramps on either side double the bridge length, while stairways connect directly with the light rail station’s lower level and the RapidRide B Line bus stop. The bridge incorporates historical and cultural elements honoring local contributions from Japanese Americans, including a 121-ft mural, intricate steel exhibit walls and origami-style aluminum cladding.

Maneuvering within a dense urban corridor presented major challenges for the project team. The project team led weekly planning meetings for three months to ensure the bridge could be safely erected during a one-night closure. All approach spans were assembled on site as well.

Photo by Elizabeth Novy

The central 170-ft bridge span was assembled and stored in a tight area between Sound Transit guideway’s concrete piers, approach spans and adjacent properties.

During the nighttime closure, the team used specialty movers to navigate extremely tight horizontal and vertical clearances, safely transporting the span from assembly to erection site. The main span was then successfully lifted into place with two hydraulic cranes.

Throughout construction, the team navigated more than $1.6 million in owner-requested design changes while managing schedule and budget challenges. Solutions were collaboratively resolved.

Across 48,000 work hours, the project team logged zero lost-time or recordable incidents thanks to comprehensive safety protocols and offline construction strategies. To minimize fall risk and protect the traveling public as crews worked above live traffic, the team constructed and assembled the main span at ground level and away from traffic before transporting and erecting it in place. This approach drastically reduced exposure to fall hazards and traffic-related risks.