After 70 years of service, the Preston Bridge has reached the end of its service life and will be replaced with a new bridge spanning the Raging River. Construction will begin this month.

The Preston Bridge on Southeast 86^th Street will be closed for the demolition starting Tuesday, April 15 at 7 a.m. The county plans to reopen the bridge by November of this year. During the road closure, motorists are advised to detour from the Preston-Fall City Road by turning east on the Upper Preston Road SE and then north (left) on 312^th Avenue SE.

The Preston Bridge was originally built in 1912, and was rebuilt in 1932 and again in 1957. In 1999, the King County Road Services Division began preparing for a major rehabilitation project to improve the bridge’s ability to withstand large earthquakes and washouts from major floods. While conducting the engineering study and design work, the project team discovered the main bridge piers were not deep enough to meet modern safety standards. It was determined that a new bridge with deeper piers was needed to provide sufficient stability.

County staff held several public meetings to inform the Preston community about the project, and to solicit opinions on design elements. Community concerns focused on the operation of the Preston Food Bank, parking at the Preston Baptist Church, and the location of school bus stops during construction.

The county project team found a temporary home for the food bank at the Preston Trailhead Park, located at the SE 87^th Place and Preston-Fall City Road. The food bank is now operating at its new, temporary home. During the road closure, the church parking lot and school bus stops in the vicinity of the bridge will be temporarily relocated to the old Preston Mill site just off Preston-Fall City Road.