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Tukwila, WA 98188

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42nd Ave Bridge S Replacement Project

State Funding Update May 2025

In April 2025, the Washington State Legislature adopted the Transportation Budget for the Fiscal Year 2026-2027. Unfortunately, the reallocation of $17 million of the City’s Move Ahead Washington funds for the 42nd Avenue S. Bridge replacement was not included in the State’s next two-year budget. Instead, it was shown as being funded in 2029 and beyond. The State is facing a $15 billion budget deficit and projects that were not under contract for construction did not move forward in the transportation budget.

Reallocation of the $17 million of funds for the 42nd Avenue Bridge project into the next biennium was Tukwila’s top legislative priority for this year’s legislative session. Mayor McLeod met with multiple legislators on two separate occasions during session to emphasize the specific importance of the funding and ask for the allocated funds to be moved into the next biennium.

Jake Fey, Chair of the House Transportation Committee, acknowledged on the House floor that a mistake was made regarding the 42nd Avenue S. Bridge project and made a commitment to address the funding in next year’s supplemental budget.

The Move Ahead Washington funds were an important component of the City’s overall project funding plan. However, even with the Move Ahead Washington funds the City still needed an additional $14.4 million for construction to meet rising costs. In late April 2025 the City submitted another federal grant request to Washington State Department of Transportation seeking additional construction funds to complete the bridge project.

While this outcome was surprising and disappointing, we have reason to be optimistic by the encouragement we’ve received from the House Transportation Chair to return to Olympia next year with the request. The Mayor met with the members of 11th District State delegation in May to discuss ensuring the funding is included in the 2026 supplemental budget.

In the meantime, we continue to work on permitting and are seeking additional grant funding opportunities that will complete the 42nd Ave S. Bridge Replacement project.

The City was awarded federal Local Bridge Program funding, and WSDOT was able to reallocate the federal funds to provide funding to complete the design.

 

Project Status Update – May 2025

The project has completed the industry standard milestones with the type, size, and location (TS&L) report (please see the link below), 30% plans and estimate (P&E), 60% P&E, and 90% P&E. At the 30% P&E submittal milestone, David Evans and Associates (formally TranTech Engineering, LLC) permit subconsultant began verifying what agencies require permit applications. Many of the permitting agencies would not field/take applications for permits until the 30% P&E threshold is met. At the 60% P&E review threshold, permit agencies informed project staff that internal permit processes require additional time for review and acceptance, partially due to staff shortages and environmental constraints. Given that the project staff understands the timelines and extent of the permit application, the design timeline has been adjusted to have advertisement-ready documents in August 2026.

The project team is continuing to coordinate with the Department of Natural Resources, US Army Corps of Engineers, US Coast Guard, Federal Highway Administration, Washington State Department of Transportation, Washington Department of Ecology, Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, King County Parks and Recreation, King County Sewer, Seattle City Light, local businesses, and Tukwila’s Department of Community Development. The project staff will also coordinate with multiple utility providers to relocate the current infrastructure.

 

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The 42nd Ave S Bridge is an important arterial for the City of Tukwila and surrounding communities. The bridge, designed in 1927 and built in 1949, is reaching the end of its design lifespan and needs to be replaced. The current 42nd Ave S Bridge consists of a 3-span 280-foot-long bridge. The 2018 average daily traffic volume (ADT) was 10,300 vehicles per day. The average daily truck has been reduced to approximately 4,000 ADT due to the one way south bound direction and post Covid operations.

In late 2021 the bridge was struck by an over height truck resulting in damage to key structural members of the bridge. A heat straightening contractor was onsite to repair the compromised steel elements. Given the age of the steel and the damage from the bridge strike, the bridge was reduced to a one lane bridge to reduce the amount of vehicles that could cross the bridge.

The currently allows traffic to travel southbound to guide users toward an intersection with traffic signals.

 

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TIMELINE

 

The project is currently in the design phase which will continue through 2026.

Timeline Description
August 2025 City Review of 90% Plans, Specifications, and Estimate
January – December 2025 Permit application review and acceptance
January 2026 Draft 100% Plans, Specifications, and Estimate Submittal
April 2026 City and WSDOT complete review of Draft 100% Plans, Specifications, and Estimate (PS&E)
September 2026 Plans, Specifications, and Estimate ready for construction advertisement

 

Permit/Compliance Agency Estimated Agency Review Duration* Estimated Permit/Approval Acquisition
SEPA City 120 days Dec-25
Shoreline Master Program City 120 days Mar-26
NEPA CE WSDOT 15 days Oct-26
Section 4(f) – Green River Trail WSDOT 30 days Apr-26
Section 4(f) – Tukwila Community Center WSDOT 30 days Apr-26
Section 4(f) – Existing Bridge WSDOT 60 days Apr-26
Section 106 National Historic Preservation Act DAHP (WSDOT) 45 days Dec-25
Section 7 ESA (Biological Assessment) NOAA/USFWS (WSDOT) Up to one year Aug-26
Section 10 RHA/Section 404 CWA US Army Corps of Engineers Up to one year Oct-26
Aquatic Land Easement –Existing Bridge (demo access) DNR Up to one year Nov-26
Aquatic Land Easement –New Bridge DNR Up to one year Nov-26
Aquatic Land Easement – Construction Easement DNR Up to one year Nov-26
Aquatic Land Easement – Water Line DNR Up to one year Nov-26
Aquatic Land Easement – PSE Gas Line DNR Up to one year Nov-26
Hydraulic Project Approval WDFW 45 days Jan-26
Section 9 RHA/Bridge Permit US Coast Guard N/A Complete
* Agency review durations are estimates and actual review timeframes may vary.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the status of the 42nd Ave S Bridge?

The 42nd Ave S Bridge has been monitored in accordance with federal requirements, and since 2015, has been the subject of concern and evaluation by Tukwila Public Works, King County, and the Washington State Department of Transportation. Specific technical examples of the bridge’s deterioration include compromised area due to truck strike, loss of shoreline protection, concrete cracking at the north pier, frozen bridge bearings, corrosion, pack rust, and impact damage on a fracture critical bridge. The primary responsibility of city government is to uphold and protect public safety, including the maintenance of infrastructure. In Tukwila, we are committed to a safe, transparent, and orderly replacement of this bridge.

 

Where are we in the process of replacing the 42nd Ave S Bridge?

The City reviewed 90% plans and estimate that were submitted in 2024. The project has since changed direction to remove the temporary bridge from the scope. The temporary bridge was removed from the project to honor comments the City received from the Duwamish Tribe. Please see the link below to the comments that the Duwamish Tribe made. The new set of 90% plans and estimate is scheduled to be submitted in August 2025.

 

Do you have an emergency plan in place in case the 42nd Ave S Bridge collapses? 

The City closed the 42nd Ave S Bridge in December 2021 due to an over height bridge strike. General vehicle traffic was then detoured to S 115th St and trucks were detoured to the S 129th St Bridge.

An analysis of the one-way traffic was performed six (6) months after the bridge was open. It was recommended that the 42nd Avenue S bridge continue to operate in the southbound direction. It is safer and more efficient for vehicles to exit the neighborhood using the traffic signal at the 42nd Avenue S/Interurban Avenue S intersection compared to exiting the neighborhood at the unsignalized S 115th Street/East Marginal Way S intersection.

Emergency response in any jurisdiction takes several factors into account, including the cause of any major incident. Whether failure of any structure is caused by fire or flood or natural disaster, responders first on the scene of any emergency situation are trained professionals who help to alert and call into service the appropriate agencies, and identify expertise and equipment needed to be most effective in securing and protecting public safety. As a best practice in emergency management, any emergency response of this scale would be managed and coordinated in accordance with the direction of the Tukwila Emergency Manager, King County, and the State of Washington.

 

How are you going to mitigate impacts during construction of the bridge, both to traffic in the Allentown neighborhood and to amenities such as the Community Center and spray park?

City has hired a design consultant to design the 42nd Ave Bridge replacement. As part of this design, the consultant will evaluate traffic rerouting during the construction phase of the project.  If the reroute impacts the Tukwila Community Center, alternative temporary improvements can be made available during the time of construction to mitigate the impacts. More information on potential reroutes will be developed as the bridge design progresses and will be shared with the community. Furthermore, any construction impacts to the Tukwila Community Center will be rehabilitated to equal or better pre-construction conditions.

 

Why isn’t the City of Tukwila conducting an EIS for the 42nd Ave S Bridge?

The new bridge at 42nd Ave S will replace existing infrastructure and is not expected to have significant impacts requiring preparation of an EIS. However, environmental analysis is being conducted following applicable State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) procedures.

The City of Tukwila is committed to working with stakeholders as part of that process, including Allentown residents, local Tribes, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), City of Tukwila Department of Community Development, Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), US Coast Guard, Department of Ecology (DOE), Department of Archaeology and  Historic Preservation (DAHP), Department of Natural Resources (DNR), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service.

The City is currently conducting an EIS study for the Allentown Truck Reroute project. Please refer to the following link for information on that project.

 

What can you do about trucks speeding on the 42nd Ave S Bridge and through the Allentown neighborhood? And relatedly, can you do more to enforce weight/speed restrictions on the bridge?

The roads near and through Allentown, as well as heavily trafficked roads in many neighborhoods in Tukwila, are monitored to determine traffic patterns and usage. The City has performed a traffic study for the Allentown neighborhood and other neighborhoods in the City. The assessment includes collecting traffic data that will help us to identify issues with factors such as speed and solutions that could include safety measures like lighting, sidewalks, crosswalks, curbs, speed limits and enforcement, to help protect residents and drivers.

An Allentown truck route ordinance was created to not allow trucks that required a Commercial Drivers License (CDL) to travel on designated route and can be given a citation if they travel beyond the designated route.

 

What other kinds of fundraising has the City undertaken to get funds for this project and a replacement bridge?

Since 2017, the City has been actively applying for grant funding for the 42nd Ave S Bridge Replacement Project. These grants are highly competitive, and the City was unsuccessful in receiving grant funds for this project until 2021.

The City has received grant funding from- $1.5 million from the Puget Sound Regional Council to complete the 100% design phase, $12 million from the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Local Bridge Program, which can be allocated for all project phases. Additionally, the Washington State Legislature passed the $17 billion Move Ahead WA transportation package, which included $17 million for the replacement of the 42nd Avenue Bridge. However, as part of the new transportation budget, the 42nd Ave S Bridge Replacement project had funds pushed back to be received in 2029. City staff and lobbyist continue to inform the politicians about the importance of this project. Staff remain optimistic has we have been informed that the project will be addressed in 2026.

 

PROJECT LIBRARY

 

CONTACT INFORMATION

For general project questions, please contact Adam Cox at 206-431-2446 or email Adam.Cox@TukwilaWA.gov.