EVERETT — The Grand Avenue Park Bridge leading from the north Everett bluffs to the waterfront is one step closer.
A steel truss span that has been waiting at the bottom of the hill is expected to be installed in late September.
The City of Everett had been waiting for permission from BNSF Railway to do construction work in the space above their tracks. That go-ahead came late last week.
That could lead to a 10-day closure of W Marine View Drive between 13th and 18th streets during the last half of next month.
The lifting and placing of the bridge is set to happen the last week of September. No fixed date has been set for the start of the installation project and related closure, said Kathleen Baxter, a spokeswoman for Everett’s public works department.
Four lifting towers, two on the east side and two on the west side of Marine View, will be constructed on-site to raise the bridge. These massive structures will be fixed to the roadway and spread the load of the 1 million pound span.
When it comes time to install, the bridge span will be moved into the middle of the roadway — parallel to the lanes — by two self-propelled modular trailers. It then will be slowly hoisted to about 36 feet by the lifting towers, turned and attached. Before the span is rotated, crews plan on removing the south towers. During this time, the self-propelled modular trailers will help support the steel truss.
“It will take one day to lift the bridge and one day to install it onto the abutments,” Baxter said.
The turning will occur on the same day the span is attached to the ends of the bridge, she said.
The new bridge started as a utility project and was later expanded to include a pedestrian connection to the waterfront. Once finished, the foot path will link Grand Avenue to the Port of Everett while also carrying sewage and stormwater pipes. Placed under the bridge, the new pipelines will be more accessible for inspection and maintenance.
The total project cost is $20 million. For the pedestrian upgrade, $2 million of federal grants were secured.
Coming from the park side, travelers will enter the bridge on the top level. About halfway across users will encounter a switchback that will turn them back toward Grand Avenue while sloping down. A second switchback will direct them toward the water.
On the west side, an elevator or staircase will ferry people to the top. Crews last week were installing the external staircase around the elevator tower.
The bridge is expected to open next spring. After the steel truss span is placed, crews will need to construct the bridge deck, install lighting, restore the park and finish connecting the utility lines.
Lizz Giordano: 425-374-4165; egiordano@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @lizzgior.
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