$17.6 million South End pedestrian-bicycle bridge gets April 1 start date; long trail detour planned

City and project staff told the East Wenatchee City Council on March 18 that construction of the South End Pedestrian & Bike Access Bridge — part of the Apple Capital Loop — will begin April 1, with most East Wenatchee work expected to be complete by mid- to late October 2025 and a long trail detour in effect during construction.

Nicole Brockwell, project engineer for the city of Wenatchee and construction-phase manager for the project, said the current project budget is $17,600,000 to cover design, right-of-way, inspection and construction. She said the work is funded primarily by INFRA and FHWA grants, with additional funding from the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program, the Carbon Reduction Program, Move Ahead Washington and roughly $234,000 in local funds.

Brockwell said Apollo Inc. was the lowest responsive, responsible bidder; the city awarded the contract Jan. 10, 2025, and Apollo’s bid was $13,260,000. She said construction will start on the East Wenatchee side with pier and ramp work and that crews expect to place the superstructure over State Route 28 and the Cedars Inn driveway in September or early October, using night closures for that work.

The project will create ADA-compliant ramps and a helical ramp structure, connect directly between downtown Wenatchee and downtown East Wenatchee, and relocate a portion of the Loop Trail to the back of Hill Park. Brockwell said the superstructure across the Cedar’s Inn driveway will be about 77 feet long and that the design includes LED strip lighting integrated into the railings and security lighting beneath ramps.

Council members pressed staff on impacts. Brockwell said the existing pipeline bridge will be closed from June 25, 2025, through November 2026 — roughly 17 months — and that detours will route trail users across George Sellar Bridge and other alternatives. She said Ninth Street Park in East Wenatchee will be closed for most of construction for safety; Hill Park in Wenatchee will be closed intermittently but not fully.

On the Wenatchee side, Brockwell said work is more staggered because of required irrigation-main relocation (workable Oct. 16–March 14) and a railroad no-work period (Oct. 1–Dec. 31). She said the contractor plans a winter shutdown in December through February and will return to finish pier work, set the prefabricated truss over the railway and complete decking and rail installations.

Brockwell outlined public-outreach plans including a joint press release, a groundbreaking ceremony April 23, door-to-door business outreach along Valley Mall Parkway, pop-up events (including March 29 and a May outreach at Classy Chassis), aluminum detour signs at trailheads, and social media updates. She said Link Transit will alter Route 12 to add an Alvin Court stop and noted buses have bike racks to help trail users bridge the detour.

Council members raised questions about temporary trail safety and enforcement; Brockwell said the city is exploring increased enforcement and will follow up on whether camera coverage exists on alternative crossing points. She also said Chelan County will partner with the city on detour signage and utility relocations; she said she had not engaged Douglas County PUD to her knowledge.

The presentation listed consulting and construction team members: Exeltek Consulting (design and construction management), RH2 Engineering, Aspect Consulting, AAR Testing Laboratories, Aqua Terra (cultural resource monitoring) and contractor Apollo Inc. Brockwell said the original design contract with Exeltek began in May 2023 and that the schedule reflects an accelerated project timeline.

Council did not take a formal action at the meeting; staff said they will continue coordination with partner agencies and will provide updated dates for park and dog-park closures as schedule details firm up.