Coal Creek Bridge No. 3035A Replacement Project
Latest update
July 15 2020 – King County selected a preferred design alternative to replace the aging Coal Creek Bridge. The preferred alternative is the best choice because it maintains public access during construction, can be built in six months, and requires the least amount of long-term maintenance. Get more information. PDF 631KB
King County will return for a second open house in spring 2021 and construction is scheduled to begin mid-2021. The new bridge should be complete in early 2022.
March 26, 2019 – King County Road Services Division held a community open house providing three proposed alternatives for the replacement of Coal Creek Bridge. The open house was held at the Enumclaw Fire Department Cumberland Station 42, which is approximately 1.6 miles from the project site. Thanks to the Fire Department, the project team was able to use the facility for this event. The project team provided displays of bridge alignment alternatives, bridge type alternatives and proposed project schedule, all for viewing and commenting by the public. Many community members including residents, property owners and the Fire Chief attended the open house and provided their comments in relation to bridge, roadway and traffic aspects. Documents presented at the open house and a summary of the comments received are available on this webpage in the green column to the right. Please continue to visit this webpage for the latest updates of the project.
March 5, 2019 - King County will hold a community open house for the Coal Creek Bridge No. 3035A Replacement Project on Tuesday, March 26. Over the years, the county has performed repair and retrofit work to the bridge along SE Lake Walker Road near Black Diamond, but its timber structures continue to decay, and its steel structures continue to corrode
At the open house, residents and other stakeholders will be able to speak directly with the project team from the Road Services Division and view the project display boards.
Coal Creek Bridge community open house
Tuesday, March 26, 2019, 6-7:30 p.m.
Enumclaw Fire Department Cumberland Station
35431 Veazie-Cumberland Road
Map
On this page
Bridge weight limit
Public outreach
July 15, 2020 - Flyer PDF 631KB
March 26, 2019 - Open house materials:
- Display boards PDF 11MB
- Handout PDF 469KB
- Comments summary PDF 4MB
March 7, 2019 - Flyer PDF 86KB
Contact us
Broch Bender, Communications Program ManagerDesk: 206-263-1189
Mobile: 206-584-6174
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Frequently asked questions
The existing bridge is deteriorating and needs to be replaced. Specifically, the 61-year-old timber support structure (piles) is decaying, the 106-year-old steel floor beams are severely rusting, the paint is peeling, and the road geometry (curve in the road and bridge) does not provide adequate sightlines (visibility to oncoming traffic).
The bridge has been categorized as structurally deficient and functionally obsolete.
Structurally deficient means there are significant load carrying elements of the bridge that are in poor condition due to deterioration and/or damage or the waterway opening provided by the bridge is insufficient causing water overtopping with significant traffic delays. The fact that a bridge is “structurally deficient” does not imply that it is likely to collapse or that it is unsafe. It means that the bridge must be frequently monitored, inspected and maintained.
A functionally obsolete bridge is one that was built to standards that are not used today. Functionally obsolete bridges are those that do not have adequate load carrying capacity, lane widths, shoulder widths, approach roadway alignment, horizontal and vertical clearances to serve current traffic demand, or those that may be occasionally flooded.
Yes. The Road Services Division bridge inspection team has inspected the bridge every 6 months since 2017 to ensure the bridge is safe for vehicular traffic under current weight restrictions. This is more frequent than the required 24-month inspection cycle. If repairs are needed due to findings during the inspections, the inspection team works with our maintenance staff to perform the work to keep the bridge safe for public use until the bridge is replaced.
4 Axles – 26 tons
5 Axles – 30 tons
6 Axles – 32 tons
7 Axles – 35 tons
The Road Services Division regularly inspects the bridges it is responsible for maintaining. If new restrictions are required based on these inspections, a notice will be posted on the bridge. We will also note any new restrictions on the Bridge Weight Restrictions website.
View the Frequently Asked Questions as a PDF.
Structural deficiency
Coal Creek Bridge No. 3035A has a sufficiency rating of 9.68 out of 100 possible score
Bridge history
- Built in 1958 with timber creosote substructure
- Used recycled superstructure from a different bridge
- Is sole access bridge - serves single family and mobile homes
- Is two-lane single span bridge, 41 feet long and 18 feet wide
- Has 310 vehicles per day including about 5 trucks per day
Challenges
- Maintain access during construction
- Handle disposal of contaminated materials
- Engage public involvement early to get buy-in
- Minimize right-of-way acquisition
- Design a roadway alignment meeting standards with least environmental impacts
Estimated cost and timeline
- Projected bridge replacement project cost: $4.7 million
- Project construction in 2021
Project documents
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Coal Creek Bridge Replacement Project: Bridge Type, Size and Location report - November 16, 2019 PDF 67MB
The Bridge Type Size and Location (TS&L) report evaluates three bridge design alternatives for the replacement of the Coal Creek Bridge. The TS&L report considered costs, environmental impacts, right-of-way acquisition, community feedback, construction phasing and staging needs and project schedule. The report is used to help King County determine a selection of the preferred final bridge design alternative to replace the Coal Creek Bridge. -
Notice of Action Taken (NAT) - Issued, January 9, 2020 PDF 1MB
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Determination of Non-Significance (DNS) - Issued, December 10, 2019 PDF 1MB
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State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Environmental Checklist - Signed, November 22, 2019 PDF 5MB
Also see
- The capital project web page for this project
