The public will get its first chance to learn about the Totem Lake Pedestrian Connector Bridge during a drop-in-style open house from 6-8 p.m. Feb. 2 at the Kirkland Justice Center.

“This is really the public’s chance to learn about the bridge’s background, its scope and some of the design challenges we are anticipating,” said Aaron McDonald, the City of Kirkland project engineer assigned to the bridge’s design.

The city is seeking community input for the design of a bicycle and pedestrian bridge that will connect two sections of the Totem Lake Urban Center and the two ends of the Cross Kirkland Corridor, currently separated by NE 124th Street and Totem Lake Boulevard. The Feb. 2 open house will be the first of three the design team plans to host during the design process, which is expected to be complete by summer 2018.

“However, we will be reaching out to the public through a variety of forums,” McDonald said. “We’ll be using the project’s webpage to share information with the public and to glean feedback from the public.”

The project’s webpage can be found by searching “Totem Lake Pedestrian Bridge” on kirklandwa.gov.

As it is now, to get from one side of the CKC to the other, 230 feet away, it takes nearly four minutes and a willingness to navigate one of Kirkland’s busiest intersections. For that reason, many people avoid the crossing.

“It’s difficult,” said Finn Hill resident Beriah Osorio. “Too many lights. Too many intersections. Too many cars making left-hand turns; right-hand turns and not paying attention to you in the crosswalk.”

The bridge will resolve this problem, while connecting Totem Lake Park and The Village at Totem Lake to the CKC, which King County plans to extend along the Eastside Rail Corridor all the way to Woodinville’s wine country.

“We’ll make sure the engineering is sound,” said Kirkland City Manager Kurt Triplett. “We’ll make sure the bridge does its job. But to bring it to life, we really need the community’s input.”

Specifically, Kirkland’s leaders are asking the community to help them design a bridge that could serve as an icon and gateway of the city.

“We want to make this a special place in Kirkland,” Triplett said.

The public is welcome to attend any time between 6 and 8 p.m. at the Kirkland Justice Center, located at 11750 NE 118th Street, in the Totem Lake Room. For more information, contact Neighborhood Services Coordinator Christian Knight at (425) 587-3831 or cknight@kirklandwa.gov.

This is taken from a City of Kirkland press release.