City of Everett graphic
Edgewater Bridge detour map
EVERETT — The Edgewater Creek Bridge is being replaced by a new, stronger bridge. The bridge on W. Mukilteo Boulevard will see a year-long closure starting Oct. 30 and ending in November 2025.
On average, 6,000 cars cross the bridge. Much of the traffic is between Mukilteo and Everett. Traffic going toward the ferry crosses the bridge, as do Boeing workers and many others.
Drivers will be detoured along a route using the Mukilteo Speedway, the Boeing Freeway, Glenwood Avenue and Merrill Creek Parkway. The route “will take 5 to 15 minutes longer during the closure,” the city website says.
For pedestrians wanting to go to the Mt. Baker crossing, there will be an alternative route on “the closed portion of W Mukilteo Blvd and Mukilteo Lane on the Mukilteo side,” the city website says.
Walking near the ravine to cross the creek is not allowed.
Edgewater Park will be closed with the exception of the tennis court. After the bridge is done, the whole park will be renovated, public works spokeswoman Kathleen Baxter said.
The project replaces an almost 80-year-old bridge that was constructed in the late 1940s. At the time, the earthquake standards “weren’t as stringent as they are now,” city engineer and project manager for the project Dan Enrico said. The new bridge will be up to seismic standards.
The current bridge is 366 feet long and 60 feet tall and made of concrete. The city will add two temporary structures that will be directed north of the current bridge. These structures will help make the bridge more earthquake-resistant. After the replacement bridge is completed, the structures will be taken down.
Recently, the city worked on two bridges nearby.
The Mukilteo School District has students who live in Mukilteo and Everett. The city of Everett is working with the Mukilteo School District and the city of Mukilteo to reduce interruptions of school commutes and nearby construction sites. Also, they are working with the Mukilteo and Everett School Districts to detour bus routes for the 2024-25 school year.
Both the Everett and Mukilteo fire and police departments made mutual agreement with each other. It will let both cities distribute resources to assist their residents.
“We encourage anyone who travels frequently through the area to spend some time planning for alternate routes now before the closure starts,” Enrico said in an interview for the closure.
“There are three major bridges along Mukilteo Boulevard that are within Everett city limits. Engineering assessments of the bridges determined that two of the three, Edgewater and Merrill and Ring Creek, would be vulnerable in a major earthquake and need replacement,” a city press release said. “The third bridge, Maple Heights, underwent seismic retrofitting in 2020. If two of the three bridges along West Mukilteo Boulevard were lost in a major earthquake, portions of several neighborhoods could be completely isolated with no road access in or out.”
The project has an estimated budget of $34 million. Federal grants are paying for $28 million of the project, $6 million is local funds.
