Upper Tokul Creek Bridge No. 271B Replacement Project
Project completed
Upper Tokul Creek Bridge No. 271B over Tokul Creek, less than two miles north of Snoqualmie Falls.
Status update
August 2, 2023
Crews will continue to put the finishing touches on the bridge and surrounding area through the beginning of August.
We thank the community for your patience during this project. Enjoy your new bridge!
View construction photos.
Project overview
Upper Tokul Creek Bridge No. 271B provides sole access to approximately 50 single-family homes and is also used by nearby forest and mining industry vehicles. The bridge is located less than two miles north of Snoqualmie Falls where Tokul Road SE crosses Tokul Creek.
While safe for travel, the 57-year-old bridge is aging and requires frequent repairs. In addition, the current bridge is too narrow and has weight limit restrictions.
We will replace the old bridge with a new bridge that is 28 feet wide, have two 10-foot-wide travel lanes and two 4-foot wide shoulders. The bridge will be built primarily out of steel-reinforced concrete and built to current seismic standards. The new bridge will have no weight restrictions.
The bridge will remain open during construction.
All vehicles will be diverted to a temporary one lane bridge located next to the active construction area. The temporary bridge will have no weight restrictions.
Project schedule
Construction to replace the bridge begins in September 2022. The estimated total project cost is $5.9 million.
Schedule for the Upper Tokul Creek Bridge project >> View larger Image JPG 103KB
Tokul Creek during construction
Construction stages
View larger image JPG 324KB
Stage 1: Construct temporary bridge
Stage 2: Shift traffic to temporary bridge and demolish existing bridge
Stage 3: Construct new bridge
Stage 4: Shift traffic to new bridge and demolish temporary bridge
Bridge access for residents and emergency vehicles will be maintained throughout construction. Construction activities will include demolition, concrete pouring, and crane lifts. After the new bridge is opened to traffic, crews will remove the temporary bridge and continue with low impact restoration work including plantings and site clean-up.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, there are. The current weight limits for single unit vehicles are:
3 Axles or less – 23 tons
4 Axles – 21 tons
5 Axles – 22 tons
6 Axles – 23 tons
7 Axles – 24 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.
There will be no weight restrictions on the temporary detour bridge.
Project documents
- Upper Tokul Bridge Project flyer (summer 2022) PDF 796KB
- Upper Tokul Bridge Project flyer (winter 2022) PDF 804KB
- Notice of Action Taken (NAT) - Date of Action Taken, June 2, 2021 PDF 311KB - signed May 25, 2021
- Determination of NonSignificance (DNS), PDF 363KB - issued April 15, 2021
- SEPA Environmental Checklist, PDF 15MB - signed March 26, 2021
Photos
July 20, 2023 – The new span stretches across Tokul Creek. Crews will return to add permanent striping down the center of the bridge in August 2023.
May 15, 2023 – Crews work to complete the new bridge deck scheduled to open to traffic in early June 2023.
March 16, 2023 – A crewmember smooths the freshly poured concrete on the new bridge deck.
March 1, 2023 – Crews put down reinforcing rebar before the concrete is poured for the new bridge deck. All traffic will continue to use the temporary bridge on the left for the duration of the project.
Feb. 7, 2023 – Crews use two large cranes to hoist the second of five massive girders for the new bridge.
Feb. 7, 2023 – It takes multiple crewmembers on each side of the new span to perfectly align the new bridge girders.
Dec. 5, 2022 – Crews will remove the final three concrete footings to complete the old bridge demolition in December 2022.
Nov. 21, 2022 – An excavator clears the footing debris from the old bridge.
Nov. 14, 2022 – Contract crew members work to remove the footings of the old bridge with the help of an excavator.
Nov. 8, 2022 – Two excavators tear down the old bridge during demolition.
Nov. 7, 2022 – Our contractor crew demolishes the old bridge before they build the new permanent bridge. All traffic will use the temporary bridge (shown here on the right) during construction.
Oct. 25, 2022 – Traffic shifts to the temporary bridge.
Oct. 21, 2022 – Our contractor finishes the temporary bridge on the left before the old Upper Tokul bridge on the right is removed. Photo credit to community member, Mike Smyth.
Oct. 20, 2022 – The temporary bridge gets paved before traffic switches over in late October.
Oct. 10, 2022 – Concrete abutments are placed to provide support for the new temporary bridge.
Oct. 10, 2022 – A large truck sprays water to damp down dust clouds.
Oct. 4, 2022 – Two crewmembers compact soil in preparation for the concrete abutments for the temporary bridge