Liberty Lake pedestrian bridge bids to go out in September
A long-awaited pedestrian bridge linking Liberty Lake’s trail system with Centennial Trail is edging toward becoming a reality.
The bridge project goes out for bid in September. Officials estimate that construction costs will run between $900,000 and $1.3 million.
Construction is anticipated to begin in October and be mostly completed in mid-February.
The freestanding cement bridge, which will be located just west of the Harvard Road overpass, not only connects trails, it also links Liberty Lake with land north of the freeway that the city is in the process of annexing.
Bicyclists and pedestrians currently straddle a narrow shoulder to cross the four-lane Harvard Road overpass. Moving along side of traffic exiting and entering the freeway is akin to playing the video game Frogger, where a tiny frog maneuvers through perilous traffic, trying to avoid getting squashed.
Tom Specht, a local citizen who has volunteered on the Liberty Lake Trails Committee since its inception in the late 1990s, said the conceptual master plan for the bridge and citywide trail system was designed by a group of about 30 landscape architects. The architects, members of the Washington Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, volunteered their services and envisioned the bridge as a gateway into Washington from nearby Idaho.
The city inherited the project from the county, when it incorporated three years ago. Construction stalled for two years, because the proposed location for the bridge created a glitch that jeopardized state funding. Additionally, estimates placed the cost of the bridge at $1.7 million.
“The bridge was on a respirator for the better part of two years,” said Doug Smith, planning director for the city.
In order for state funds to apply, the bridge had to be located in conjunction with a major arterial, Smith explained. The city decided to move the bridge closer to Harvard Road and moved forward at the nudging of state officials, who cautioned that the clock was ticking on receiving state funds.
“The commitment had waned, and we were at the point where we were actually in jeopardy of losing the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board funding,” Smith said.
Representatives of the Washington State Transportation Board, Liberty Lake city government and the Transportation Benefit District, a voter-approved tax district that raised nearly $650,000 for the trail system several years ago, all opened their wallets wider to generate additional money to get the bidding process off the ground.
Specht is eagerly anticipating the completion of the bridge, but keeping his fingers crossed in the meantime, pointing out that the deal isn’t yet cemented.
“The bridge itself is not a reality until the bidding comes in and we know it’s in the range of the estimates,” Specht said. “It’s just kind of scary because of the construction materials and the prices have really been going up lately.”
“What we’ve developed out here is a tremendous system of trails that centers on a park,” Specht said, adding that the addition of the attractive bridge will not only serve as a gateway into Washington from Idaho, but create an entryway into Liberty Lake. “Right now it’s still the wish we’ve had for the past 10 years.”