FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 22, 2010
Contact: Rick Olson, 206-971-3050, rolson@psrc.org

PSRC Sends $15 Million to South Park bridge replacement

SEATTLE – The Puget Sound Regional Council unanimously approved $15 million in additional funding for the South Park Bridge replacement project. The $15 million is targeted for demolition of the existing structure and can be used almost immediately.

King County Executive Dow Constantine said the PSRC funding will put the county in the “strongest position” to secure enough funding from an additional federal grant to complete the replacement project.

The Puget Sound Regional Council began funding efforts to replace the South Park Bridge in 1999 and provided additional funds in 2002, 2006, and 2009. The bridge serves two regionally designated Manufacturing and Industrial Centers which together support roughly 80,000 jobs. PSRC has provided the project a total of $9.7 million to date.

The existing South Park Bridge closed on June 30 due to extensive structural problems. In recent weeks, significant progress has been made toward securing funding for a new bridge.

To read the King County news release, see:
http://www.kingcounty.gov/exec/news/release/2010/July/22SouthParkBridgePSRC.aspx

To watch today’s meeting, see:
http://psrc.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=143

For background on today’s action, see:
http://www.psrc.org/assets/4274/South_Park_Memo.pdf

For more information on the South Park Bridge Replacement project: http://your.kingcounty.gov/kcdot/roads/cip/projectdetail.aspx?cipid=300197

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