Bridge Guardrail Upgrades 2025
The 2025 Bridge Guardrail program is expected to run from January to April 2025
Newly installed guardrail on SE 208th Street east of 136th Avenue SE south of Fairwood, WA. The guardrail was installed to a standard height over a creek crossing.
Status update
September 2024The locations for the 2025 Bridge Guardrail Upgrade Program have been identified and work is planned for January to April 2025.
Overview
The county will remove the existing guardrail that is made from outdated materials such as wood or isn’t the correct height and install new guardrail approaching and alongside the bridge. In some cases, additional guardrail will be added on the approach of a bridge to add additional safety. All of the bridges in the 2025 program are short span and less than 100 ft long.
Bridge guardrail increases safety by preventing vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycles from falling several feet into a river or creek. Guardrail is designed to absorb impact and minimize damage to vehicles and the bridge structure in case of a collision.
What to expect during construction
During construction, crews will reduce traffic on the bridge to a single lane and flaggers will direct two-way traffic. Travelers can expect delays. This work can be done in the rain, but not high winds, the snow, ice, or if the road is flooded. This work is weather dependent and may be rescheduled.
For the most up to date information regarding lane restrictions and road closures in unincorporated King County, visit kingcounty.gov/MyCommute.
2025 Guardrail work locations
Bridge name | Location | Neighborhood | Expected construction |
Tate Creek Bridge 112N | N Fork Rd SE between 434th Ave SE and 440th Ave SE | North of North Bend, WA | Winter/Spring 2025 |
Boise Creek Bridge 3051 | 276th Ave SE between SE 464th St and SE 456th St | Southeast of Enumclaw, WA | Winter/Spring 2025 |
284th Ave SE Bridge 3049 | 284th Ave SE between SE 464th St and SE 456th St | Southeast of Enumclaw, WA |
Winter/Spring 2025 |
May Creek Bridge 593C | 164th Ave SE between SR 900/Renton Issaquah Rd SE and SE May Valley Rd | East of Renton, WA | Winter/Spring 2025 |
Stossel Creek Bridge 5032 | Stossel Creek Rd 5.9 miles northeast of 348th Ave NE and Swan Mill Rd | East of Duvall, WA | Winter/Spring 2025 |
Green Valley Rd Bridge 3020 | SE Green Valley Rd 0.8 miles west of 202nd Pl SE | West of Black Diamond, WA | Winter/Spring 2025 |
Veazie Bridge 3038 | Veazie Cumberland Rd SE between SE 392nd St and SE 384th St | South of Cumberland, WA | Winter/Spring 2025 |
Frequently asked questions
Regular guardrail is a metal safety barrier placed along roads or highways to stop cars from going off the road, especially in dangerous spots like sharp curves or steep drop-offs. It helps reduce crashes by keeping cars on the road.
Bridge guardrail, on the other hand, is specifically installed alongside bridges. Its purpose is similar, but it is often designed to be stronger or more protective because many bridges are elevated and may have higher risks if a vehicle goes over the side.
In short, bridge guardrail is a type of guardrail designed for the unique safety needs of bridges, while a general guardrail can be found along any part of a road.
King County uses a system to decide which bridge rails need to be upgraded first. This system looks at things like how weak the bridge is, how hard it is to upgrade, the type of rail on the bridge, and how the guardrail connects to the road.
We also look at the five-year crash history focused on run-off-road collisions. All traffic crash and collision data is reported and stored at the Washington State Transportation Data, GIS, and Modeling Office. This office is the source for the most complete and up-to-date information regarding any location in Washington State. It is the source we use for crash and collision information. For information on crashes on your roadway, submit your data request here.
Photos
Crews will change the type of guardrail and add more rail as travelers approach the bridge on 276th Avenue SE over Boise Creek. These changes will make the road safer for all to use.
This guardrail over Tate Creek east of Snoqualmie, WA is not to standard. The current wood guardrail will be replaced with steel as part of this project.