We are so excited to complete the pipe bending on another bridge that will provide people access and help enrich a community. 

The Totem Lake Pedestrian Bridge is a pedestrian and bicycle bridge that is being built in Kirkland, Washington. The project’s construction began in December 2020. The final touches will be added to the project in July 2022, giving the community of Kirkland time to enjoy the bridge through the rest of summer and fall 2022. At BendTec, we’ve enjoyed working with the project’s contractor, Kraemer North America, as well as the designer, COWI, on this bridge’s bends and fabrication.

The Totem Lake Connector will connect the nearly 6-mile Cross Kirkland Corridor at both ends of the corridor. The corridor is currently “severed” by two busy intersections of Kirkland, according to a press release announcing the project from the city of Kirkland website: Totem Lake Boulevard and Northeast 124th Street. 

The bicycle and pedestrian bridge will bring a much-needed structure for Kirkland’s only urban center. The Village at Totem Lake is expected to add more than 800 homes, in addition to 400,000 square footage of retail space this year. The City of Kirkland expects the space to employ up to 2,000 people. In addition, city planners for the city expect 24,000 trips to the new urban center each day, mostly by vehicle. 

In addition to linking Kirkland to the urban center’s mall, the new bridge will also make an alternative transportation corridor possible from Renton to Woodinville, WA. 

BendTec is happy to help the City of Kirkland by providing steel bends to the Totem lake Pedestrian Bridge, which will give the community solutions for how to navigate the urban center, and beyond. In addition to a clear transportation gateway, the bridge is expected to serve as a local landmark.

The bridge will include undulating arches below and above the deck, meant to represent a skipping stone, according to a release from COWI. In addition to bringing people closer to nature, the bridge will minimize the impact on surrounding designated wetlands in the area, according to the release from COWI.