Kenmore city officials have worked hard during the past few years to make SR 522 a safer place for motorists and pedestrians, including using its own money to pay for upgrades to the state route. And while the project was deemed to be one of the most pressing by city officials, the financing to replace the nearly 80-year-old west half of the Sammamish River Bridge has been in question.

But the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is now returning the favor in the form of $12 million in federal highway funds for the aging bridge. The money is part of $70 million being given to various agencies in the state to help fix 32 bridges, according to a WSDOT release on Dec. 12.

The release to the media is the first information city officials received about the highway funds.

“We had an idea we would get it but this is the first official confirmation,” Kenmore Mayor David Baker said. “It means that we can now move forward with planning for the new bridge.”

Baker and city of Kenmore Director of Engineering and Environmental Services Kris Overleese said that the city still needs between $6-8 million to complete the project.

“We do need it fully funded before we start construction,” the mayor said.

Baker is confident the city can find the remaining funds for the project. He said that the city was denied a grant by the Transportation Improvement Board last year but has reapplied. Baker believes the city was denied the funds because the project was scheduled too far into the future.

But for now, the city can begin the long process thanks to the WSDOT.

“We will be able to get the design done, the right-of-way acquisitions, permitting and begin construction,” Overleese said. “The city has about $2 million in money for this project already. We have what we need to get going.”

The east span of the bridge was built in the 1970s and is still in good shape but officials have been monitoring cracking and other issues in the west span for about a year. Overleese called the monitoring “robust.” Baker said that the Washington State Patrol is vigorously enforcing the weight restrictions put on the span in order to prolong its life.

“Using that bridge is not an issue,” Baker said. “It is completely safe.”

Each span has carries an estimated 13,000 vehicle trips per day. In a city of just 21,000 residents, that means that the bridges are of regional importance.

Officials said that construction of the new bridge is projected to begin in 2017 or 2018 and the city will be able to build the bridge in addition to the current spans, meaning that traffic flow will not be impacted during the construction work.

“We may have to close the bike and pedestrian areas,” Overleese said.

Construction will take approximately two years to complete.

“We have to monitor the fish windows since we have in-water construction work to complete,” Overleese said about the long duration.

Building the new bridge, in addition to the current spans, will mean changing the corridor between Northeast 170th St. and Northeast 175th St.

“The right-of-way acquisition is minor and will not be significant from a land perspective,” Overleese said.

WSDOT’s bridge replacement advisory committee received and reviewed 73 applications requesting approximately $180 million. The committee evaluated each bridge application based on the bridge’s condition and sufficiency rating.

“Approximately half of these bridges are beyond the point of repair and need to be replaced,” said Kathleen Davis, WSDOT Local Programs director. “And by repairing and preserving the other half, we are adding many years of operation to their lifespans.”

The committee is composed of bridge and engineering professionals representing Washington cities and counties that provide perspectives from urban and rural communities.

The local bridge program’s primary objective is to enhance safety for all travelers through replacement and rehabilitation of old, deteriorating bridges owned by city and county governments.

The Sammamish River Bridge was one of just two projects to receive the maximum $12 million. The other is the West Cashmere Bridge in Chelan County. Most of the other projects received between $1-3 million.