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Consultants recommend replacing North Aberdeen Bridge unless $10 million in private funds are secured
Summary
Consultants for the North Aberdeen Bridge presented three alternatives and said a federal $23.1 million grant funds design, right-of-way and construction work; stakeholders preferred salvaging the existing span but consultants said they will move forward with a full replacement (option 3C) unless roughly $10 million in private funding is secured to close the gap.
A consultant team led by David Evans and Associates told the Aberdeen City Council that a federal grant of about $23,100,000 will cover design, right-of-way acquisition and construction costs for the North Aberdeen Bridge project, but that estimated construction costs for the three shortlisted options range roughly from about $22 million to nearly $29 million.
Deborah Seaman, the consultant presenting the alternatives analysis, summarized the level-2 screening that advanced three options: two variations that salvage portions of the existing bridge (options 2A and 2B) and a replacement in the existing footprint that would allow elements of the old bridge to be repurposed in the adjacent park (option 3C). Seaman said stakeholder groups favored a salvage option (2B) but that preference was contingent on securing an additional private funding commitment of about $10,000,000. Without that private funding, the project team indicated they would move forward with option 3C as the preferred alternative.
Seaman said the study process included AutoCAD-based design concepts, construction feasibility reviews, environmental/permitting assessments and detailed cost estimates with contingencies. She described staging needs (temporary contractor access, work bridges and cranes), right-of-way impacts across a small number of parcels (option-dependent), and coordination needs with permitting agencies including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for river pilings and cultural-resource review.
Council members pressed the consultants on schedule and permitting. Seaman said the team’s goal is to obligate construction funding by Sept. 2026 — meaning right-of-way, environmental permits and project obligations would need to be in place by that date — and that environmental review is a major driver of the two-year-plus timeline to reach that point. On demolition, Seaman gave a ballpark figure of about $700,000 for the full-replacement option (3C), but noted that demolition and pilings work remain subject to permitting and further study.
The project team proposed forming a Kurt Cobain Memorialization Committee to engage community members and stakeholders on creative reuse of parts of the existing span if option 3C proceeds. No formal council vote on a final alternative was taken during the presentation; Seaman said the technical team would present the preferred alternative moving forward based on funding realities and permitting outcomes.
What happens next: the consultant team will continue design refinement, permitting and community outreach; council members and stakeholders signaled interest in remaining involved in outreach and in continuing to seek private contributions if salvage is preferred.
