Lynnwood breaks ground on Poplar Way Bridge

Published 1:30 pm Wednesday, April 8, 2026

LYNNWOOD — Public officials held a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday to celebrate the construction of a new bridge in Lynnwood that will cross I-5.

The six-lane Poplar Way Bridge will connect the intersection of 196th Street SW and Poplar Way to the intersection of Alderwood Mall Boulevard and 33rd Avenue West. Along with lanes for car travel, it will feature infrastructure for multimodal transportation, including a sidewalk and a mixed-use path for both pedestrians and cyclists.

Initial construction work on the bridge has already begun, Lynnwood City Engineer David Mach said Wednesday. It’s expected to be complete in 2028.

The Poplar Way Bridge was a long time coming. The city had spent over two decades on studies and design related to the bridge. Five mayors had a hand in it, Lynnwood Mayor George Hurst said Wednesday.

Hurst said that the growth of Lynnwood, particularly as Sound Transit’s Link light rail expands northward, necessitates the building of new connections across the city.

“With it comes the constant need to create and maintain infrastructure to keep our city moving, whether by wheel or foot,” Hurst said. “And the Poplar Way Bridge will not only alleviate traffic congestion, but it’s going to connect our community in many ways.”

The bridge will be located about a quarter mile from the Lynnwood City Center transit center, home to a light rail station and a bustling bus hub. Link light rail will expand north, past the future Poplar Way Bridge, with a station near the Alderwood Mall. Sound Transit’s future Stride bus rapid transit line between Lynnwood and Bellevue will also pass near the bridge.

Rep. Rick Larsen, who helped secure federal funding for the project, said the new bridge could unlock jobs and economic growth.

“I’ve always said, you can’t have a big league economy with little league infrastructure,” Larsen said. “And this will help build big league infrastructure here in Lynnwood.”

The total cost of the project is expected to amount to $58 million, Mach previously said. In 2022, the federal government committed $25 million in grant funding. Washington State and the Puget Sound Regional Council chipped in other funds. The city put about $12.7 million toward the project.

Construction will mean traffic will be impacted on nearby roads, including Alderwood Mall Boulevard and 196th Street SW. The project will also require overnight closures of I-5 during a period of construction when the bridge’s girders — large beams that support the bridge structure — are hoisted into position.

Those overnight I-5 closures likely won’t occur for at least a year, Mach said Wednesday. No daytime closures will be needed.

“There are definitely going to be traffic impacts, so we’re going to do everything we can to minimize those,” he said.

The Poplar Way Bridge will be the sixth crossing over I-5 within the city, relieving congestion pressure on other areas used by drivers to pass over the interstate. It will also connect a mixed-use path directly to the Interurban Trail, allowing cyclists to pass over I-5 in a protected bike lane.

“By putting another crossing over the freeway, all those trips now are a lot shorter,” Mach said. “And by reducing the trip lengths and making it a more direct connection, it will reduce congestion at the other crossings.”

Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.