Northgate Bicycle & Pedestrian Bridge
Northgate Bicycle & Pedestrian Bridge Bridge Length: 2,060 feet Seattle, Washington Project Type: Transportation/Civic
Vision The Northgate neighborhood in Seattle is undergoing rapid urban development. With new and planned mixed use infill development and a new light rail station currently under construction, upgraded pedestrian and bicycle improvements are needed to better connect the surrounding neighborhoods. One key identified connection is across I-5 at 100th Street N via a pedestrian/bicycle bridge. This connection would relink the western neighborhoods and North Seattle College to the future station, transit center, bicycle pathways, and commercial core of the area. The bridge is also an opportunity to create an iconic gateway into the city that has the potential to enhance the surrounding landscape and ecology. Program The 2,060 foot long bridge structure comprises of four major components. To the east, an approach ramp and a span over 1st Ave NE connect the structure directly to the mezzanine ticketing level of the new light-rail station. To the west, two primary highway spans connect to a curving approach ramp that meets grade on the campus of North Seattle College.
Design The structure traverses a variety of urban, infrastructural, and ecological conditions. The bridge is designed to unite these varying environments in a singular, unified gesture, enhancing the contrast of these experiential conditions to create a unique pedestrian and bicycling experience within the city. The structural geometry of the primary spans is made possible by the development of custom cast steel connections, designed to facilitate in the fabrication and ongoing maintenance and inspection of the structure. The resulting form is a tubular structural network that will support the twenty-foot wide walking surface while simultaneously integrating the necessary guardrails, throw barriers, handrails, lighting, and drainage systems into a singular, iconic gesture. The structural form also serves to frame distinctive views of the surrounding context on either side of the highway; the vibrant, multimodal transit network to the east, and the quiet, pastoral nature preserve to the west. The project not only reconnects the neighborhoods on either side of I-5, but will also augment the local ecological systems through an integrated landscape design. New and existing vegetated areas accommodate an advanced stormwater management system featuring vernal ponds and swales on both sides. The project substantially enhances the natural habitats of local wildlife as well as the growing pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure of Seattle.
Vision The Northgate neighborhood in Seattle is undergoing rapid urban development. With new and planned mixed use infill development and a new light rail station currently under construction, upgraded pedestrian and bicycle improvements are needed to better connect the surrounding neighborhoods. One key identified connection is across I-5 at 100th Street N via a pedestrian/bicycle bridge. This connection would relink the western neighborhoods and North Seattle College to the future station, transit center, bicycle pathways, and commercial core of the area. The bridge is also an opportunity to create an iconic gateway into the city that has the potential to enhance the surrounding landscape and ecology. Program The 2,060 foot long bridge structure comprises of four major components. To the east, an approach ramp and a span over 1st Ave NE connect the structure directly to the mezzanine ticketing level of the new light-rail station. To the west, two primary highway spans connect to a curving approach ramp that meets grade on the campus of North Seattle College.
Design The structure traverses a variety of urban, infrastructural, and ecological conditions. The bridge is designed to unite these varying environments in a singular, unified gesture, enhancing the contrast of these experiential conditions to create a unique pedestrian and bicycling experience within the city. The structural geometry of the primary spans is made possible by the development of custom cast steel connections, designed to facilitate in the fabrication and ongoing maintenance and inspection of the structure. The resulting form is a tubular structural network that will support the twenty-foot wide walking surface while simultaneously integrating the necessary guardrails, throw barriers, handrails, lighting, and drainage systems into a singular, iconic gesture. The structural form also serves to frame distinctive views of the surrounding context on either side of the highway; the vibrant, multimodal transit network to the east, and the quiet, pastoral nature preserve to the west. The project not only reconnects the neighborhoods on either side of I-5, but will also augment the local ecological systems through an integrated landscape design. New and existing vegetated areas accommodate an advanced stormwater management system featuring vernal ponds and swales on both sides. The project substantially enhances the natural habitats of local wildlife as well as the growing pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure of Seattle.
