EVERETT — At least 10 of Snohomish County’s 210 bridges are set to be rebuilt or rehabilitated in the coming years, according to an annual report county engineers released May 22.
Construction for three bridges is set to begin this year, the report read. Those projects include replacing the Jordan Creek Bridge between Granite Falls and Arlington, replacing the Swamp Creek Bridge carrying Locust Way between Bothell and Brier, and doing maintenance work on Red Bridge 537 on the Mountain Loop Highway east of Granite Falls.
Other upcoming bridge construction projects listed in the report include:
• Seismic improvements to the bridge carrying Avenue D over the Snohomish River in Snohomish. Construction is planned for 2027.
• Replacing a culvert along the Mountain Loop Highway southeast of Darrington with a new bridge to restore fish passage along Goodman Creek. Construction is expected to begin in 2026.
• Seismic improvements to a bridge carrying Larson Road over the south Slough of the Stillaguamish River in Silvana. Construction is planned for 2028.
• Replacing the Granite Falls Bridge, a narrow 91-year-old bridge north of Granite Falls. County staff have been working on replacing the bridge for more than a decade, documents show. Construction on the $28.7 million project is set to begin in 2028.
• Repairs to two bridges on the Mountain Loop Highway between Granite Falls and Darrington. Construction is planned for 2026.
• Replacing the Pilchuck Creek Bridge northeast of Arlington. Construction is planned for 2028.
In its report, the county also flagged six more bridges, some designated as being in “poor condition” under nationwide inspection standards, as potential candidates for future replacement or rehabilitation. The county also flagged five short-span bridges, not eligible for federal grant funding, as potential candidates for replacement or repair.
Every bridge in Snohomish County is inspected at least every two years. The vast majority are listed as being in either “good” or “fair” condition under the Federal Highway Administration’s National Bridge Inspection Standards.
Eight of the county’s bridges currently have a “poor” rating, a county press release read. But three of those are already funded for replacement, two more are eligible for federal replacement funding and the other three are being explored as maintenance projects, the release said.
“Thanks to our dedicated and experienced teams, we continue to successfully manage bridges throughout their entire life cycle,” Snohomish County Bridge Engineer Tim Tipton wrote in the release. “Our strategy is to repair when we can and replace when needed and funding allows. All county-maintained vehicular bridges are open and safe for travel.”
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
Clarification: This article has been updated to clarify the county’s bridge report was released on May 22.
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