SPOKANE, Wash. — More than 100 years after its construction, the Sunset Bridge shows significant signs of wear that have prompted safety concerns among nearby residents and forced the city to implement traffic restrictions.
As drivers cross the Sunset Bridge, they can see signs of aging including missing railings, closed sidewalks and lanes, and weight limits. The aging is also visible underneath the bridge.
Some neighbors want to see the historic bridge updated, fixing things like broken railings or cracked pavement. Others say it might be time for the bridge to be rebuilt entirely. Either way, neighbors say it is time for safety changes to be made.
Tim Lynch, who lives near the Sunset Bridge, has noticed the deterioration and changed his driving habits because of it.
“I will take alternate routes, to not have to use the bridge. And not that I’m afraid it’s going to collapse under me. I mean, it might, but I just don’t trust the integrity of the bridge,” Lynch said.
Lynch has also observed concrete falling from the structure.
“I have noticed pieces of it falling to the ground underneath the bridge. There are several pieces at the west end on the ground in Highbridge Park,” Lynch said.
The city of Spokane agrees with residents’ concerns, which is why a bridge rehabilitation project was launched and is slowly progressing.
“We’ve seen some deterioration obviously with the walkway and we’ve had to do some work there. So, definitely been on the list. And so we’re making some progress there,” said Kirstin Davis with the City of Spokane.
In 2023, the city made the rehabilitation of the bridge a legislative priority. Since then, they have secured enough funding to begin the design process next year, with hopes to begin construction by 2029, all while continuing to monitor the safety of the current bridge.
The city implemented weight restrictions in 2023 based on safety information and has continued monitoring the structure.
“In 2023 we had some information come back that said, you know, we need to restrict the weight on that. So we went ahead and did that. We did go ahead and inspect it again in late 2025 and it has not deteriorated any more since 2023,” Davis said.
Originally estimated to cost $65 million, the city says the new design will update that cost, and that is when they will move forward with securing funding.
In an effort to help with fundraising, neighbors have begun to reach out to local representatives. The city says it can never hurt to show support for the project.
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