EVERETT — Construction of a new pedestrian bridge in Howarth Park is scheduled to start Monday, a delay of several weeks on the project.
The bridge leads walkers over the BNSF Railway tracks and down to the beach below.
The original plan was to have the work completed by late July.
The delays came about because of the extended back-and-forth between Forma Construction, the city’s contractor, and the railroad, said Lori Cummings, director of Everett’s Department of Parks and Recreation.
That included scheduling railroad flaggers for times when work is being done directly over the tracks.
Construction should start on the park side of the bridge Monday, and move out over the tracks on Aug. 8, when the flaggers are scheduled.
“There’s always the potential that they could be pulled off work” if they were needed elsewhere in the system, said John Petersen, the assistant parks director.
In addition, work has to stop any time a freight train rolls through.
“Sometimes those freight train schedules are not completely predictable,” Cummings added.
Work over the tracks is expected to take up to four weeks, wrapping up by early September.
In May 2015, an inspection of the bridge found a large amount of corrosion and rust in the steel supports. The city closed the bridge for emergency repairs, but a subsequent inspection suggested replacing the entire walking surface of the bridge and some of the anchors.
That in itself required more time for planning.
“It’s not the type of thing that you have a design in your files you can go to if something happens,” Petersen said.
The entire project from design to construction is expected to cost about $330,000, he added.
The bridge and access to it has remained closed to keep people from trying to get down to the beach by walking across the railroad tracks.
At the same time, Snohomish County had begun working on an extended project to restore the beach, one of the few places in Everett with direct public access to the water.
Both projects were then delayed until this summer so the scheduled closures of the park could be coordinated.
The park restoration project appears to be proceeding according to schedule, Petersen said.
“The park was the appeal of moving into the neighborhood,” said Bob Heavey, who moved about two doors down from the park entrance June 1.
Heavey became concerned when the work wasn’t starting as first advertised. He expected the railroad was somehow involved in the delay.
“It’s one of those things where everyone wants to blame the city, but it’s in the permitting,” he said.
Heavey said he hoped the city will soon wrap up the work so he can enjoy the beach.
“I’m one of those people who crosses the tracks,” he said.
Chris Winters: 425-374-4165; cwinters@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @Chris_At_Herald.
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