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King County Washington home

University Bridge Trolley Pole Replacement Project

 

Located in the City of Seattle, the University Bridge spans over the water connecting Lake Union and Portage Bay. There are 30 King County-owned poles on the bridge that need replacing.

By SounderBruce - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82252670

Project overview

This summer, King County Metro will begin replacing the poles and their foundations on the University Bridge. This necessary construction work will keep our electric trolley buses (like the Route 70) moving across the bridge.

Metro is coordinating closely with the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) RapidRide J Line (opens in a new window) and Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Revive I-5 Ship Canal Bridge (opens in a new window) projects to minimize impacts during this project.

Example of a pole and foundation SDOT replaced in 2018

The poles, and the foundations that support them, are reaching the end of their life cycle and need to be replaced to prevent lighting and safety issues.

Once this project is complete, the new trolley infrastructure will allow Metro to continue providing reliable, emission-free transit service over the University Bridge between Eastlake and the University District. This work will also support the upgrade of the current Route 70 to the future RapidRide J Line.

History overview

  • 1919

    A designated historic bridge was built by SDOT

  • 1933

    Bridge was rebuilt by SDOT

  • 2014 to 2018

    Two strained poles were replaced by SDOT with allocated budget. An evaluation on the remaining poles revealed that the remaining 30 poles needed to be replaced by King County Metro.

  • 2021 to 2025

    An engineering consultant was hired for project design completion.

Project timeline

Summer 2026

Contractor starts pole and foundation replacement, and community is informed about impacts, how to prepare and reach out to the team with questions.

Fall 2026 to Winter 2027

Pole replacement work continues and Metro continues to inform public about project progress and near completion.

Spring 2027

Project complete.

Project scope

King County Metro will perform the following work

  • Replace 30 trolley poles and foundations
  • Add 2 new poles at the north end of the University Bridge to provide the electricity needed to run the new RapidRide J Line
  • Replace electrical trolley wires and parts
  • Replace the electrical cables and fuses at each pole location to operate streetlights
  • Replace all street and pedestrian lighting fixtures

What to expect during construction

For any questions, please email us at community.relations@kingcounty.gov or call 206-263-9768.

  • Regular lane closures
  • Large machinery and truck activity
  • Construction staging near bridge
  • Some sidewalk and intersection closures
  • Detours for people walking, biking and rolling
  • Human flaggers to direct traffic around work areas

FAQ

The poles on the University Bridge are reaching the end of their life cycle and need to be replaced to prevent issues that can impact travel for riders using our buses.

Yes, the bridge will remain open during the project, with one lane of traffic available in each direction at all times.

Yes, to keep the project on schedule, work will take place on weekends and potentially overnight. King County Metro will notify neighbors in the area prior to any overnight activity.

King County Metro will pause most construction projects, including this project, during the FIFA games.

This project's timeline will overlap with WSDOT's Revive I-5 Ship Canal Bridge project (opens in a new window) and SDOT's RapidRide J Line project (opens in a new window). The trolley bus system needs to be replaced prior to the RapidRide J Line service launch, which includes the addition of two new poles at the north end of the bridge.

King County Metro is working closely with SDOT and WSDOT to ensure strong communication and coordination throughout this work.

Construction will begin summer 2026 and continue until spring 2027.

Project is estimated for spring 2027 completion.

Traffic delays are anticipated. We encourage riders to sign up for Transit Alerts to receive email and/or text updates on your route.

Noise levels will be typical for high-impact construction, including excavation, jack hammering and saw-cutting.