Category: Trails

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Foothills White River Bridge

We started to understand that this bridge had captured the hearts and minds of the community when we saw the photos/videos uploaded onto Google Maps even before the official bridge opening on September 28. We were energized by the number of people who were there at the ribbon cutting celebration. We were humbled by the effort put in by the community members and decisionmakers that got the funding in place to replace the bridge and make it exclusively for non-motorized users.

What an honor to be entrusted with the role of designing this important connection, and to be there to see the finished bridge being enjoyed by so many – parents pushing strollers, kids on bikes, and the elderly. This is why we do what we do.

We are thankful for the partnerships with the larger project team, and we are grateful for the collaboration with the construction team. Their pride in their craft and their skills in fabricating the parts and constructing all the pieces together from plans, made what we see today possible. These photos below are courtesy of King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks. Here is their press release for more photos, a video, and further details. Enjoy!

The community walking and rolling across the bridge prior to the opening ceremony.
The three-arched bridge spans the meandering White River.
The community enjoyed snacks, music, and words from speakers before the ribbon-cutting.
Renderings conveyed the design vision of the V+M team to the decision makers, community, and the construction team.

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Opening of the Crab Creek Pedestrian Bridges

After completing the final design of the Crab Creek Pedestrian Bridges, the V+M team has been busily supporting their construction this past year on behalf of the owner. We’re proud to say the bridges are now ready to carry hikers, bicyclists, equestrians, as well as snow-sport enthusiasts along the Palouse to Cascades Trail, as a key link in the 185-mile-long State Park trail that starts in North Bend, Washington and extends to Idaho.

The bridges, located 10 miles east of Beverly, Washington, were old railway wooden trestles that burned down in the 2019 and 2021 wildfires. This historic trail follows an abandoned railroad grade that is now owned by the State of Washington. The west bridge is a three-span through girder bridge constructed using a cantilevered construction technique to overcome the very limited construction access. The steel plate edge girders are elegantly shaped in profile to reflect the forces in the structure while thinning over the middle of the creek to offer sweeping views out over the water and surrounding terrain. The east bridge is a steel trestle over wetlands.

Game, Inc. who were the contractors for the project put together this drone flyover video. Do check it out!

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V+M in the News: 6th Street Active Transportation Bridge Options Study

V+M wrapped up work on a detailed options study for a new pedestrian bridge in downtown Courtenay, BC. The new bridge will provide a key pedestrian and cycling connection across the Courtenay River between downtown and Simms Millennium Park, while relieving cycling and foot traffic from the existing 5th Street Roadway Bridge.

The team evaluated several options for the crossing – the structure’s geometry is driven by a number of site constraints. After careful consideration of the evaluation criteria and performance of each option, the cable-stayed option emerged as the preferred alternative.

V+M presented the findings of the study to City Council for adoption and progression to the next stage, which will include advancing the preferred option to detailed design and onto construction-ready documents.

Article: https://www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/news/multiuse-bridge-in-courtenay-in-conceptual-stage/

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V+M in the News: Lake Forest Park Town Center and Burke Gilman Trail Connector

V+M is currently engaged by the City of Lake Forest Park to conduct a Type, Size, & Location (TS&L) Study for a potential crossing of SR 522 that will link the Town Center and the Burke Gilman Trail. On September 24th, Schaun Valdovinos (Project Manager) presented to City Council the progress and preliminary findings of the study, which considered three options and their unique constraints.

https://www.shorelineareanews.com/2020/09/lake-forest-park-town-center-burke.html?m=1