Before the bridge closed last summer, the Metropolitan King County Council adopted legislation that provided the County Executive with funding authority needed to assist in the construction of a new bridge. The residents and businesses dependent on the disabled South Park Bridge are a step closer to a replacement with unanimous adoption by the Metropolitan King County Council of agreements to fund construction of a new structure.
Last month, Seattle City Council approved the agreement with King County regarding South Park Bridge funding. The Council was the first entity to pledge funds for this project. More information, as well as statements from Council president Richard Conlin, can be found here.
Most recently, the bid process to construct the new bridge yielded a lower than estimated proposal from a joint venture of Omaha-based Kiewit Construction and Kansas City’s Massman Construction. The $96.1 million bid was $11 million under the engineer’s estimate. Construction is slated to start in May, 2011. For more information on the low bid, click here.
The cost of the entire bridge replacement project is currently estimated at $167 million. Federal grants, including $34 million in TIGER II grant funds, are guaranteed for the construction of the bridge. King County, the City of Seattle, Port of Seattle, the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) and state funds will cover the remaining cost of construction.
Rebuilding the span is a priority for the region: more than 20,000 vehicles used the bridge every day and it was an important freight corridor that linked the manufacturing and industrial centers of Seattle with the rest of the region. South Park Bridge construction will mean approximately 200 new jobs and restoration of a transportation corridor that is critical to the regional economy.
For more information, visit the South Park Lives website.