The Fifteen Mile Creek Bridge #493C near Issaquah is now open again, just in time for the beginning of the school year.
The bridge, which crosses Fifteen Mile Creek on SE May Valley Road just west of Issaquah Hobart Road SE, had closed at the beginning of the summer on June 15 for King County Road Services Division to replace the 94-year-old bridge. The bridge reopened to traffic on August 25, hitting the predicted 10-week closure time.
King County Local Services said there will still be occasional daytime lane closures with flaggers through October as crews work on lane striping, planting and erosion control, and utility relocation.
“We replaced the Fifteen Mile Creek Bridge because it was past its useful life. We repaired the previous bridge many times over the years, and it was time to replace it,” King County said on their website. “The new bridge was designed to meet current national bridge standards. These standards include weight capacity, lane and shoulder widths, and environmental protection.”
The bridge was completely removed during the replacement leaving a large pit in the roadway, uncrossable by vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles and equestrians. The new bridge added 8-foot shoulders for safer pedestrian crossing, raised the roadway to widen the stream channel and removed the wooden creosote-treated piles to protect fish and water quality.
The 24/7 bridge closure was diverting traffic from SR-900 heading to Issaquah-Hobart Road SE through Issaquah on Newport Way NW. Large freight trucks are not allowed on Issaquah City roads and had to find other detour routes.
“The Fifteen Mile Creek Bridge replacement project is a long-term investment in route reliability, maintaining the connections between Issaquah, Maple Valley, and Renton,” King County said.
