The Kenmore City Council voted at a May 9 meeting to file a lawsuit against the state after an environmental permit was issued to the contractor charged with demolishing the old State Route 520 bridge at Lakepointe.

The environmental permit reevaluation by the Washington State Department of Ecology, called a SEPA/NEPA permit, was issued on April 20.

Kenmore city manager Rob Karlinsey said the city sued to keep their options open moving forward, viewing the reevaluation as short and insufficient.

The lawsuit is the latest development in an ongoing dispute between Kiewit/General/Mason (KGM), a contractor which the state Department of Transportation chose to construct and replace the old SR 520 bridge spanning Lake Washington.

Kenmore’s Lakepointe industrial park, located at the mouth of the Sammamish River, was selected as the construction site for the bridge.

However, in March KGM notified the City Council of their intention to demolish the bridge in Kenmore as well, a process which involves barging in large portions of concrete before breaking them down into smaller chunks.

The city blocked the demolition, and KGM filed a lawsuit against the city’s decision.

Karlinsey said KGM and the city are in negotiations but would not go into specifics.