Bellevue City Council recently received an update on the Grand Connection with the news that Amazon will match Bellevue’s $2.5 million in funding 30 percent design for a pedestrian bridge that would cross from Bellevue City Hall Plaza to Eastrail.
The Grand Connection today links people and places through the heart of Bellevue. A “pedestrian corridor” has been created with major public and private investments, according to an article by the Bellevue Downtown Association.
“The Grand Connection has been a very important multi-decade project to help improve non-motorized access to downtown for our residents, workers, and visitors,” Canedo said. “We hope the project will help enable and improve the value of redevelopment in Downtown and Wilburton moving forward.”
The purpose of the Grand Connection is to create a non-motorized connection from Meydenbauer Bay Park, across I-405 and into the Wilburton Commercial Area, which connects to the Eastside Rail Corridor.
The Lid Park which was chosen at a Bellevue City Council meeting in 2018, crosses over I-405 between Northeast 4th Street and Northeast 6th Street. 200,000 square feet of public space has been created along the connection for public use and events, as a result.
The open space is on top of a lid that sits over the highway. Bellevue City Council agreed that the ability to create almost four acres of parkland creates benefits like transportation connections, park land, place making, and economic development.
The Bellevue Downtown Association has partnered with the City of Bellevue on a Grand Connection activation pilot program for the past three years. They will continue to advance the vision and program the corridor.
Last year, Amazon donated $7.5 million to close the funding gap for two portions of the Eastrail in Bellevue including the Wilburton trestle.
According to DBA’s article, City staff will work collaboratively with partners to expedite the design work, with a goal of completing the 30% design on the bridge in 2024. The full Grand Connection project will rely on a combination public capital projects, private development projects, and unifying operations and management along the route.
The Main priority of the Bellevue City Council is for the project to move forward.
