South Park residents: “We’ve got hope” | Community Spirit

Commitments of $15 million dollars by the city council and $30 million from the county are giving South Park residents hope that their bridge might be replaced after all.

Seattle City Council sent a letter to King County Executive Dow Constantine Tuesday pledging $15 million to replace to South Park Bridge. The same day, King County’s Budget and Fiscal Management Committee passed an ordinance allowing $31 million in bonds to fund the project – although the measure still requires full council approval.

“This is a series of dominos that we have been lining up and they finally seem to be falling into place,” said Bill Owens, president of the South Park Bridge Committee.

These regional contributions could be crucial in the county’s application for federal funding from the TIGER II Grant. According to Chris Arkills, legislative aide to Constantine, one reason the South Park Bridge project was not selected during the first round of the TIGER Grant was a lack of regional funding.

 “I think the city deserves some credit for finally stepping up on this issue,” said Dave Gering, Executive Director of the Duwamish Transportation Management Asssociation. “If we’ve really got the mayor and the council working together, we’ve got hope.”

In total, the South Park Bridge replacement is estimated to cost $130.8 million. Arkills says the county plans to request $40 million from the TIGER II Grant and is seeking additional funding through the state and outside grants.

If all funding is secured, construction of the new bridge will still take two and an half to three years.  

The final application for the TIGER II Grant is due in late August and the outcome should be determined by October.