Magnolia Bridge Replacement Progress – Your Action is needed NOW for the Seattle Budget

This update is an effort to crystalize ongoing behind the scenes multi-agency efforts to support a 1:1 Magnolia Bridge replacement, and identify immediate action you need to take to continue the progress. 

Progress, next steps, and immediate action needed from YOU
Dear Neighbors,
Our community’s unified message about a 1:1 Magnolia Bridge replacement has been heard; it has led a series of high level meetings including our 36th District legislative delegation, the Port of Seattle, our King County Councilmember’s staff, Sound Transit, Metro, and the City, all coordinated and led by our District 7 Councilmember, Sally Bagshaw.

In a nutshell, multiple governmental agencies, elected officials and decision makers are cooperating to strategize a regional solution to replacing our bridge. The 1:1 Magnolia Bridge Replacement can happen if it is part of a regional transportation corridor that involves freight mobility, Port operations, emergency response, ST3, and Metro.

There are a lot of moving parts to this effort, and with that, potential for regional funding in the upcoming state biennial budgets. All of that hinges on the City earmarking some funds and/or grant opportunity for the Magnolia Bridge to be part of an arterial system. If such a placeholder appears in the City budget, that will give our State delegation a two year window to prepare a comprehensive budget and plan to start replacing Magnolia Bridge.

At the moment, there is no allocation for the Magnolia Bridge replacement in the Mayor’s SDOT budget. LET’S CHANGE THAT!



We need to encourage City Council and the Mayor to make sure the budget reflects good-faith effort of near-term planning to replace the bridge. This will enable our wonderful 36th District delegation to pursue funds in next session’s state budget. 



The time to comment on including ongoing funding of the Magnolia Bridge replacement in the City budget is NOW.



Your comment can be as simple as, “I’d like the budget to reflect an investment in the 1:1 Magnolia Bridge replacement as part of a regional transportation corridor for freight, Port operations, emergency response, and transit.” 


Here are several ways to have your voice heard. We have been assured that emailed, written, or in-person comments are given equal weight.

Get your comments in by October 23rd:
* Click here to email your comments to the City Council Budget Hearing Your own words and reasons are most effective.

* Click here to download the Written Comments form You can email a scanned copy of the form to Council@seattle.gov, please copy Emilia.sanchez@seattle.gov. Make sure to use the subject line “Budget Public Hearing 10/23, Written Comment”.

* Attend the Budget Public Hearing on October 23rd. Click here for details. Details about the meeting, which starts at 5:30pm, are on the agenda. Sign-in for speaking begins at 4:30pm, and you will have 2 minutes to speak.

As long as you’re in action mode, forward this email to your neighbors. Click here to send an email to MagnoliaBridgeSeattle letting us know that you’ve added your comments, or will attend the October 23rd Public Hearing on the budget. Then take an extra minute and click on any or all of the highlighted names to thank them for their collaborative work so far, and to encourage them to continue their efforts to include the 1:1 Magnolia Bridge replacement as part of a regional transportation corridor.

Clicking on their name will take you directly to an email: CM Sally Bagshaw, Mayor Durkan, Senator Reuven Carlyle, Rep. Gael Tarleton, Rep. Noel Frame, CM Jeanne Kohl-Welles, and Port Commissioner Peter Steinbrueck.