Q: What is the Edgewater Bridge and why did it close?
A: The Edgewater Bridge is a 366-foot span on SR-529 connecting Everett and Mukilteo, WA. Built in 1946, it closed October 30, 2024, for an $34 million full replacement needed to fix seismic vulnerabilities, deteriorating structure, and narrow lanes that no longer met modern safety standards. It reopened to vehicle traffic April 28, 2026.
After 18 Months, the Bridge Is Back
The Edgewater Bridge opened to vehicle traffic on April 28, 2026 — exactly 18 months after crews closed the span on October 30, 2024, to begin demolition. Nearly 300 people gathered the day before at a community celebration on April 27 to walk across the new structure before any cars touched it. By Tuesday evening, the lane striping was dry and Everett’s western connector to Mukilteo was carrying traffic again for the first time since fall 2024.
For residents who commute between the two cities, use the Mukilteo ferry terminal, or work along SR-529, the 18-month detour was a real disruption. Transit routes rerouted. School buses took longer paths. Emergency response times to the western waterfront fringe lengthened. The bridge itself carried an estimated several thousand daily crossings before closure. Now all of that is restored — and then some, because what opened Tuesday is significantly better than what closed last fall.
What Replaced a 1946 Bridge That Had Served 80 Years
The bridge that came down was built in 1946. By the time Everett moved to replace it, the structure had served the community for 80 years — well past the typical 50-year design life for bridges of that era. Engineers determined it was seismically vulnerable: a major earthquake could have caused failure. The lanes were narrow, the sidewalks undersized, and the aging deck and piling needed either massive rehabilitation or outright replacement. The city chose replacement.
The new bridge is 366 feet long — the same crossing, rebuilt from scratch. What’s different is everything else:
- 12-foot travel lanes in each direction (wider than the old span)
- 6.5-foot sidewalks on both sides of the bridge
- 5-foot bike lanes buffered between the roadway and the sidewalks
- Modern seismic design built to withstand a major Cascadia-scale earthquake
- Improved lighting across the full span
The sidewalk and bike lane combination is notable. The old bridge had minimal pedestrian accommodation. The new one has a genuine multi-use path system on both sides — connecting Everett’s western waterfront edge to Mukilteo’s waterfront district on foot or by bike. That’s a different kind of crossing than what existed before.
A note for walkers: the sidewalks won’t be fully open immediately. Finishing work — permanent striping, barriers, and paint — is expected to take about two to three weeks after the vehicle lanes opened. Pedestrians should expect some temporary accommodation during that window.
The Contractor, the Cost, and Where the Money Came From
The City of Everett awarded the construction contract to Granite Construction Company — a firm with local Everett operations — at a bid price of $25,409,890.65. The total programmed project budget came to $34 million, with the difference covering design, environmental review, right-of-way, project management, and contingency.
The funding breakdown: approximately $28 million came from federal grants, with $6 million supplied through local matching dollars from the city. This is a common structure for bridge replacement projects of this type — federal highway funds require a local match, and the grant process is what drove much of the pre-construction timeline.
The total price works out to roughly $93,000 per linear foot of bridge — consistent with what comparable urban bridge replacements with seismic, bike-ped, and full utility upgrades have cost in the Pacific Northwest in recent years.
Why It Took Longer Than Expected
The Edgewater Bridge replacement was years in the making before a shovel touched the ground in October 2024. The city had initially aimed to start construction earlier — around 2022 — but a sequence of delays pushed the timeline back significantly:
- COVID-19 disrupted the procurement schedule during the pandemic years
- Environmental review took longer than projected, given the bridge’s position near the waterfront and tidal areas
- A bidding error in an early procurement round required the process to restart from scratch
Once construction finally started in fall 2024, the crew from Granite Construction ran into a challenge that doesn’t show up in the plans: the ground beneath the old bridge was full of debris from the previous bridge structure — old timber piling and concrete obstructions left behind from earlier bridge generations. Installing the new steel piling required working around and through material that simply wasn’t mapped. That slowed the foundation phase and contributed to the project finishing in late April 2026 rather than the original late 2025 target.
What This Means for the Everett-Mukilteo Development Corridor
The Edgewater Bridge isn’t just a commuter route. It’s the western land connection between Everett’s waterfront district and Mukilteo’s waterfront — two areas both undergoing significant investment right now.
On the Everett side, the SR-529 corridor runs along the Port of Everett’s working waterfront — past the marina, past Waterfront Place, and toward the western edge of the Millwright District buildout. Restoring this connection matters for freight movement, marine service access, and visitor circulation from Mukilteo into Everett’s waterfront destination district.
On the Mukilteo side, the Port of Everett is in the early stages of assembling a Mukilteo waterfront district of its own — having acquired the former NOAA parcel and the Ivar’s Mukilteo Landing site earlier this year, with an NBBJ architecture team already attached. The spring 2026 RFQ for that project is expected soon. The restored bridge connection is part of the context for how Everett and Mukilteo’s adjacent waterfronts function as a connected regional amenity, not just two separate city edges.
Mukilteo officials made the point themselves at Monday’s ceremony: they see the bridge as a connector that should bring visitors in both directions, not just commuters. With the Everett waterfront’s restaurant row, marina, and Waterfront Place complex on one end and Mukilteo’s ferry landing, lighthouse, and forthcoming waterfront redevelopment on the other, the case for the bridge as a destination corridor — not just a traffic route — is real.
How the Bridge Fits Everett’s Broader Infrastructure Moment
The Edgewater Bridge opening is one piece of a larger infrastructure push Everett is moving through in 2026. In the past month alone:
- The City Council approved the $113 million West Marine View Drive pipeline project — the biggest utility infrastructure move in years, replacing the combined sewer and water main along the waterfront corridor from Grand Ave Bridge to Hewitt Ave
- The Port of Everett completed its Segment E bulkhead rebuild — a $6.75M project that ended a 20-year phased replacement program and stabilized the SR-529 embankment above the marina
- The City approved a $3.1 million design contract for a new pedestrian bridge over Broadway connecting EvCC to WSU Everett
The Edgewater Bridge is the project that’s been in the queue longest and now it’s done. It’s the kind of infrastructure that doesn’t get the attention of a stadium vote or a waterfront restaurant opening, but the 80 years of daily crossings — and the 18 months of inconvenience — say something about what it actually means to the people who depend on it.
Frequently Asked Questions About the New Edgewater Bridge
When did the Edgewater Bridge reopen?
The new Edgewater Bridge opened to vehicle traffic on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. A community ceremony was held April 27, the day before vehicle traffic began.
How much did the new Edgewater Bridge cost?
The total project budget was $34 million. The construction contract was awarded to Granite Construction Company for $25,409,890.65. Funding came from approximately $28 million in federal grants and $6 million in local matching dollars.
What is the Edgewater Bridge made of and how long is it?
The new bridge is 366 feet long. It was built with steel piling (replacing the original structure) and features modern seismic design. The 1946 original used older structural materials that engineers determined were earthquake-vulnerable.
Can you bike or walk across the new Edgewater Bridge?
Yes — the new bridge has 6.5-foot sidewalks on both sides and 5-foot bike lanes between the roadway and the sidewalks. Finishing work on the pedestrian infrastructure is expected to take about 2-3 weeks after the vehicle lanes opened on April 28.
Why did the Edgewater Bridge take so long to build?
The project was delayed by COVID-19 disruptions, extended environmental review near the waterfront, and a bidding error that required a restart. Once construction began in October 2024, crews also encountered old timber and concrete obstructions underground from previous bridge generations, slowing the foundation work.
Who built the new Edgewater Bridge?
Granite Construction Company, which has local operations in Everett, won the construction contract at $25,409,890.65.
What cities does the Edgewater Bridge connect?
The Edgewater Bridge connects the cities of Everett and Mukilteo along SR-529 (West Mukilteo Boulevard). It serves commuters, school buses, transit routes, freight traffic, and emergency responders in both cities.
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