It’s been a few weeks since our last South Park Bridge update, and here’s what’s been happening!

The construction management team–made up of King County Road Services staff members and our bridge design and construction consultants–has officially moved into its new construction offices on Dallas Street. When I visited them there last Friday, they were all raving about the neighborhood lunch spots.

The archaeological dig is now underway. A team of consultants is digging as many as 22 excavation pits west of the old bridge approach in search of materials such as shells, animal bones, stone tools, and hearths. So far, they’ve opened six excavation pits and have found shell and other artifacts in five of these. Some of the thickest intact cultural layers are being found under the road at the south end of the old bridge. All of the items found will be analyzed before being sent to the Burke Museum.

Personnel from Kiewit-Massman, the county’s contractor for the South Park Bridge replacement project, are moving into their offices on the Boeing side of the bridge. They’re also busy ordering the materials needed for the project, including machinery that’s coming all the way from Alabama.

Over the next couple of months, you’ll see their workers bringing materials and equipment into the construction staging area on the south side of the bridge. Starting in August, the contractor will be salvaging gears from the pier of the old bridge for reuse in the pedestrian railings of the new bridge. They’ll also be starting in-water work to build the piers for the new bridge.

For more information about the construction schedule and activities, see the project website at www.kingcounty.gov/southparkbridge. We’ll also be sharing updated information at a variety of neighborhood meetings in the coming weeks, including the June 14 South Park Neighborhood Association meeting, the June 20 Georgetown Community Council meeting, and the June 21 South Park Neighborhood Association Traffic Subcommittee meeting. Maybe I’ll see you at one of those–be sure to say “hi” if I do!

Ashley DeForest, Community Relations Planner
Communications, King County Department of Transportation

ashley.deforest@kingcounty.gov 206-684-1154