BELLEVUE, Wash. — Now that the demolition of the Main Street Bridge is over, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has released its plan and design for the new Main Street Bridge in Bellevue.
The new bridge will have the same number of car lanes, four lanes, two for each side, but it will include a bicycle lane and two more accessible sidewalks. The new bridge will include an 8-foot sidewalk on one side and a 12.5-foot multi-use path on the other. The bridge will also include a landscaping planter in between the car traffic and one of the sidewalks.
The old bridge was smaller.
Built back in the 1960s, the old bridge used to have two lanes in each direction and one 4-foot-wide lane for pedestrians.
The demolishing of the Main Street Bridge across Interstate 405 in the Renton to Bellevue Project took place during the weekend of June 17-20. It took 56 hours to complete and over 100 workers were onsite.
Not only will the new bridge be more inclusive for pedestrians and bicycle users, but it will also include design elements that are planned to make it cohesive with its surroundings as the bridge was designed to match the already existing structures in the area, incorporating embellishments.
“We worked with the community, Bellevue city officials and stakeholders to add design elements inspired by nature that are also visually sensitive to the surrounding areas,” wrote Victoria Miller for WSDOT. “Using simple geometric forms, colors and textures for these structures creates continuity along the corridor and establishes a cohesive identity for the project.”
While the project is undergoing, the bridge might close for up to five months, but the WSDOT has not announced any opening dates. After the five months, the bridge is expected to partially open for cars only for at least another two months, after which the bridge should open completely.
