Frequently Asked Questions

The city is focused completing 30% design by the end of 2024. This work will help the city understand costs, potential impacts to city- and privately-owned properties and benefits to redevelopment in the Wilburton area. The next steps include identifying and securing funding followed by construction with a goal of opening the Grand Connection Crossing by the end of 2028.

The Grand Connection Crossing project is a complex project involving at least five government agencies, numerous private property owners and I-405, which will be undergoing significant construction in the coming years. Adding to the complexity, this crossing will need to be compatible with the future park lid, I-405 Corridor Master Plan and development happening on both sides of I-405.  Finally, the city will need to raise substantial funds, including possible federal, state, local and private-sector funding to complete the design and construction of the crossing.

This project will provide:

• Improved access to downtown Bellevue: This crossing would connect users of the Eastrail regional trail and new regional light rail stations with safe, high-quality multimodal connections from downtown Bellevue to Wilburton and out to east Bellevue neighborhoods.
• Improved safety for pedestrians and bicyclists: Bellevue has no crossings of I-405 exclusively for people walking, biking and rolling. Existing crossings of I-405 connecting downtown and Wilburton are designed for moving cars, sometimes without continuous protected paths for people walking or using a wheelchair and/or designated bicycle lanes.
• New opportunities for community gathering, recreation and retail: Wilburton and the eastern end of downtown Bellevue currently lack high-quality community gathering spaces, such as plazas, independent retailers and open space. Together with planning for redevelopment of city-owned property and private redevelopment in Wilburton, the Grand Connection Crossing offers an opportunity to add substantial new high-quality public space.
• Coordination with local land use and transportation plans: The City of Bellevue has identified a need for an active transportation crossing of I-405 to seamlessly connect downtown Bellevue with the Wilburton Transit Oriented Development (TOD) area in the Grand Connection Framework Plan and the Bellevue Connector Feasibility Study Report.

When this preliminary design is complete at the end of 2024, the city will know more about how much it would cost to construct and maintain the crossing (excluding a park lid). Recent projects of similar size and scope have ranged from $40M to just over $200M. 

Funding for the 30% design of the Grand Connection Crossing comes from the City of Bellevue's Capital Investment Program with partnering funds donated by Amazon. Funding for final design, construction and eventually, ongoing operations, still needs to be identified. The city anticipates raising these funds through potential federal, state, local, and private-sector sources.