Bridge reopens
Published 10:41 am Thursday, October 2, 2008
A car passes over the Meadowbrook Bridge last week after it reopened on Nov. 15. The bridge underwent a seven-month renovation to improve safety. The former two-lane bridge is now one lane with new traffic signals on each end.
The King County Road Services Division is inviting local residents to celebrate the reopening of the bridge. A short ceremony will be held Tuesday, Nov. 29, from 11 a.m. to noon at the bridge located on Meadowbrook Way Southeast over the Snoqualmie River.
During the closure, the aging two-lane bridge was rebuilt and converted to a one-lane bridge with traffic controls at each end. This unique configuration allowed the historic structure of the bridge to be preserved, while making it safe for modern-day travel.
The old bridge had narrow lanes, low vertical clearance, poor sight distance, substandard guardrails and a deteriorating truss. The metal deck and timber trestles required a high level of maintenance due to rust, rot and other damage. These deficiencies caused the county to place load limits on the bridge.
Plans were developed to rehabilitate the structure and convert the two-lane bridge to a one-lane bridge after several public meetings with the community, extensive consultation with the city of Snoqualmie and the King County Landmarks and Heritage Commission, and a traffic analysis.
The new bridge has concrete approach spans, a rebuilt truss deck, a wider traffic lane and shoulders and a separated sidewalk. Sight lines, overhead clearance, flood clearance and overall safety were also improved.
