Richmond Beach Saltwater Park pedestrian bridge to close for repairs

Photo courtesy City of Shoreline

From the City of Shoreline

The City's contractor, MJ Hughes, will tentatively close Richmond Beach Saltwater Park pedestrian bridge from January 20 through the beginning of April to complete much needed structural repairs and upgrades. However, there are a number of factors outside of the City's and the contractor's control that could extend the timeline.

Railroad regulations require flaggers to be located at the construction site during construction to ensure safety. Unfortunately, natural landslide disasters and other delayed projects in the same railroad segment are limiting the amount of available flagger staff to devote towards our project. BNSF has tentatively stated that flaggers should be available to dedicate to the project in March.

Pedestrian bridge
Photo by Keith Miles

The contractor will complete as much of the work as possible outside of the area directly above the tracks first. This will allow the contractor to move quickly to complete the project once the flaggers are available. However, it also means that there may be periods when the bridge remains closed and no work is being done while the contractor waits for flagger availability.

Richmond Beach Saltwater Park is a heavily used park, even during the winter months. While our goal is to complete the project as quickly as possible and open the bridge, the number one priority for the City, the contractor, and BNSF during construction is safety. We want to ensure that construction and railroad crews and residents are safe. As a result, it is possible that the contractor will need to keep the bridge closed longer than anticipated.

The repair work requires complete closure of the bridge and beach area, including the off-leash dog park. Please remember crossing private property without permission and crossing the railroad tracks to access the beach are illegal.

The repairs and upgrades are necessary to maintain a safe bridge and allow continued access for emergency and maintenance vehicles. Completion of these repairs will extend the life of the bridge 20 or more years at a fraction of what it would cost to replace the bridge.

More information here visit  or call 206-801-2700.