(2020 photo by Doug Ollerenshaw)

Three years ago, we published a reader report about that wooden bridge across Longfellow Creek, near Greg Davis Park, after Doug Ollerenshaw noticed it had been removed without notice, Seattle Parks subsequently explained to him that it had long been “compromised structurally” and then literally started falling apart, so it had to be removed, but they had to find funding to replace it. He’s been tracking it ever since – still no sign of a replacement, and his followup inquiries hadn’t been answered. So we asked Parks about a timeline for what we have since learned is called the “truss bridge,” and finally got an update today, through spokesperson Karen O’Connor: “Looks like mid – 2024; we have successfully obtained the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s – HPA over-water crossing permitting. The bridge is currently under internal design review as well as undergoing the Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections (SDCI) permit approval process.” They’ve also updated the project website since our inquiry; it goes into some other details about the delay.

P.S. We’re working on details for a separate report on a different Longfellow Creek bridge project; permit files indicate Seattle Public Utilities is planning some work on the “fishbone bridge.”