By Karen Robes Meeks
Everett officials earlier this month broke ground on a project that will reconnect the Grand Avenue bluff to Puget Sound with a pedestrian footbridge.
Set for completion in late 2018, the $15 million bridge project stemmed from the replacement of utility pipes that carried drainage and storm water, also allowing for a car-free path to the waterfront, according to the Port of Everett.
The bridge will enhance the port’s new mixed development on the waterfront, expected to be completed by summer 2019, which will feature a hotel, splash pad, and retail.
“The Port of Everett is in the midst of waterfront redevelopment creating a neighborhood down there, which is a mixed-use development of residential housing, restaurants, public access, spaces and so forth,” said Les Reardanz, executive director for the Port of Everett. “So the opportunity to have connectivity between the bluff and down to the waterfront will be great and enhance that neighborhood.”