Bridge will close May 27, with detour route in place
Parks & Recreation: 311 or 509.755.2489
Tuesday, May 17, 2022 at 11:55 a.m.
SPOKANE – Construction begins Monday, May 23 on the Don Kardong pedestrian bridge renovation.
The Kardong bridge is part of the Centennial Trail near Gonzaga University, connecting the University District and surrounding area with downtown. The overall management of the 39-mile Centennial Trial is under Washington State Parks, but City of Spokane Parks and Recreation is responsible for the maintenance and repair of the trail within the City of Spokane. The bridge is in critical need of repair, or risks closure. It sees about 160,000 pedestrians a year.
The bridge will close approximately Friday, May 27, and a temporary detour will be in place.
Bridge renovation work includes removal and replacement of bridge decking from wood to concrete, replacement of bridge overlooks with ADA accessible platforms, minor concrete pier replacement, guardrails, installation of a new lighting system, and bollards. Garco Construction is the contractor.
“Thank you to our funding partners for ensuring this pedestrian connection is fully renovated for the future,” said Garrett Jones, director of Parks & Recreation for the City of Spokane. “Bridges are expensive to repair, and when we have to allocate a large amount of our Parks & Recreation budget to bridges, our neighborhood parks don’t get the resources they need and deserve. Bringing together these incredible partnerships is what allows us all to succeed and deliver improved infrastructure to the community.”
Timeline
Detour
Thank you for your patience navigating around construction.
Trail users headed away from downtown on the south side of the river will keep going along the river path and past the entrance to the bridge, onto Spokane Falls Boulevard, turn north on Cincinnati, and reconnect with the trail at the Gonzaga parking lot.
Trail users heading toward downtown from Gonzaga will be re-routed within the Gonzaga parking lot around the construction area on a new paved, temporary path which will connect to the existing path near the Gonzaga soccer field.
River access at that location will also be closed during construction.
Funding Partners
The total anticipated construction,design, and engineering cost for the bridge is $3.9 million. Funding comes from a mix of donor, grant, and rescue plan funds:
Thank you to our generous funding partners for ensure the renovation of this important District 1 pedestrian connector.
*Update June 6, 2022: The City Council allocated an additional $750,000 of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to the Don Kardong Bridge, bringing the total ARP funds for this project to $2,950,000. This frees up $750,000 from the Parks Capital budget that would have been used to front the RCO grant, to instead complete neighborhood park improvement projects. They are: Wildhorse (playground and pathways), Liberty (playground, restroom, and sport court), Corbin (sport courts), Franklin (pathways, safe routes), and Coeur d’Alene (phase I irrigation upgrades).
About City of Spokane Parks & Recreation
City of Spokane Parks and Recreation stewards nearly 120 properties across 4,000 acres of park land, including manicured parks, natural lands, aquatic centers, golf courses, sports complexes, and an arboretum. We also offer hundreds of recreation opportunities for all ages and abilities to improve the health and quality of life for our community. Enjoy all your city has to offer by visiting spokaneparks.org. Follow us @SpokaneParks on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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The City of Choice
509.625.6200
parks@spokanecity.org
808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, WA 99201
