The City of Bellevue has received approval from all five required local taxing authorities to move forward with a key funding strategy for the Grand Connection Crossing, a planned pedestrian and bicycle bridge over Interstate 405 that would connect Downtown Bellevue with the Wilburton neighborhood.
According to The Urbanist, Bellevue has now secured participation agreements from the King County Library System, the Port of Seattle, Sound Transit, King County, and the King County Flood Control District, allowing the city to move ahead with the use of tax increment financing (TIF) as part of the project’s funding plan.
The approvals mark an important step for the Grand Connection Crossing, one of Bellevue’s largest and most ambitious infrastructure projects. The city estimates the bridge will cost between $175 million and $230 million, covering design, property acquisition, and construction.
The Grand Connection Crossing is the centerpiece of Bellevue’s broader Grand Connection program, a long-term effort to create a more walkable path stretching from Meydenbauer Bay, through downtown Bellevue, across I-405, and east to the Eastrail trail in Wilburton. Once complete, the bridge will provide a safer, vehicle-free route for people walking, biking, and rolling between downtown and one of Bellevue’s fastest-growing neighborhoods.
Momentum on the project has been building over the past year.
During a Bellevue City Council update last summer, city staff outlined plans to use a construction method known as General Contractor/Construction Manager, or GC/CM, which allows contractors to join the project earlier in the design process. City officials said this approach can help reduce risk and better manage costs. Bellevue later received state approval to use that method.
At the same time, officials shared that the city would need to demonstrate it has the financial capacity to complete the project and presented several possible funding options, though no final funding package had yet been selected.
To help oversee the effort, Bellevue launched the Office of the Grand Connection in July 2025. The office was created to coordinate planning, design, and delivery of the larger Grand Connection corridor, with longtime planning leader Nathan Torgelson appointed as director.
The bridge is currently at about 30% design. A preferred concept released by the city shows the crossing beginning near City Hall Plaza and extending east over I-405 to connect directly with Eastrail. Bellevue has said the design is being refined to preserve key community-requested features while staying within budget.
The Grand Connection program has been in development since 2014 and has already led to several completed improvements across downtown, including raised intersections near the Bellevue Transit Center, expanded access to Meydenbauer Bay Park, and public art installations such as Piloti in Downtown Park.
The city is currently targeting 2030 for the opening of the initial Grand Connection Crossing.
