Pedestrian bridge on Olympia’s Capitol Campus to close until 2025. Here’s why
The pedestrian bridge on the Capitol Campus in downtown Olympia will be closed until the 2025 legislative session, the Department of Enterprise announced this week.
The bridge crosses over Capitol Way, just south of where 14th Avenue SE heads into a tunnel from the campus to Interstate 5. It will be closed starting May 15 for safety reasons as DES works to replace the Irv Newhouse Building on the west side of the bridge. It’s part of the Legislative Campus Modernization project, a years-long effort to update part of the west campus.
There will be detours posted around the bridge to notify pedestrians and cyclists, according to the news release. One detour uses the sidewalk by the State Archives Building across from Tivoli Fountain. Another detour will be opened later this year after the department completes updates to sidewalks near the Capitol Childcare Center at Capitol Way and Maple Park Avenue.
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The LCM project is expected to be completed by 2028, according to the release. There are three main goals: to replace the Newhouse building by 2025, expand and rehabilitate the Joel M. Pritchard Building by the following year, and renovate the top two floors of the John L. O’Brien Building by 2028.
All of the buildings are within a historic portion of the campus that houses offices for the Senate and House of Representatives, among other agencies. According to the news release, upgrades will increase public access and energy efficiency, and address overcrowding issues.
This story was originally published May 5, 2023 at 9:58 AM.
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