This online open house is an opportunity to share progress on—and how community input has shaped—the design for the Bellevue Grand Connection: I-405 Crossing – Downtown to Eastrail project, also known as the Grand Connection Crossing. The images shared in this open house are concepts that the project team will continue to refine with community input in 2025. Please read through the information provided here, take a brief survey and sign up for project updates.

What is the Grand Connection Crossing?

When complete, the Grand Connection program will provide a safe, lively and enjoyable route for people to walk or roll from Bellevue's waterfront to the Eastrail regional trail.

The Grand Connection Crossing is the heart of the Grand Connection Program and the key to making downtown accessible for all Bellevue community members and visitors, not just people living or working in downtown Bellevue. It will be an entirely car-free crossing over I-405, meant for walking or rolling. It will connect downtown Bellevue with 175 miles of trails and the region’s growing light rail network. It will be compatible with a future lid park over I-405 and help catalyze Bellevue’s next vibrant urban neighborhood—Wilburton—and its future shopping, dining and housing.

What is the purpose of this online open house?

This online open house shares the city’s progress on designing the Grand Connection Crossing, including how community input has influenced the design. We are nearing an important milestone: completing preliminary design (30% design). Here are the questions we have answered with this milestone:

• How does this project further the city’s goal to provide a safe and enjoyable connection for people walking, biking or rolling?
• Where will the crossing be located?
• What are the main elements of the crossing?
• How will the bicycle paths and pedestrian networks look and feel?

The answers to these questions are helping the city estimate how much the project will cost to finish the design and construct the crossing and identify funding opportunities from regional, state, federal and private sources.

How has community engagement shaped the Grand Connection Crossing?

Community engagement has greatly influenced the project. Throughout 2024, the project team has spoken with community members at two open houses, small meetings and community fairs and festivals. The community has shared how they plan to use the crossing, elements they would like to see on the crossing and what will make them feel safe and welcome. The project team has incorporated that feedback into the concepts shown in this online open house.
At this stage of the project, the city is reporting back on how we have addressed community input in the design concept. We also want to continue learning about how community members plan to use the crossing. While we are not collecting formal feedback on the project designs at this online open house, there will be more opportunities for the community to share their input on the design in 2025.

How did the Grand Connection team develop the preliminary design concept?

This summer, the City of Bellevue conducted a Type, Size and Location Study that compared four design options, using the following criteria:

• Cost to build and maintain the crossing
• User experience and safety
• Look and visual appearance
• Opportunities to connect with nearby public and private development in the future

After reviewing the Type, Size and Location Study, the City of Bellevue advanced a design concept that prioritizes user experience and opportunities to connect with nearby future development over iconic architecture.

Find the full study here Image shows a section of the preferred design option from under the bridge, on the east side of I-405 facing northwest towards City Hall Plaza. This bridge type will connect well with nearby buildings and the Eastrail and create a great user experience without compromising schedule and budget. Image shows the preferred design option from the west side of I-405, from the point of view of someone starting on the City Hall Plaza side of the crossing looking southeast towards Mount Rainier.

What is the City of Bellevue’s progress to date?

Scroll down to learn how we addressed community priorities in the 30% design. The images shown are conceptual—they are not the final design. As the project team continues to refine these concepts, we will be back in early 2025 to gather community input on specific design elements. For more information about upcoming community engagement, visit What’s Next? section of this online open house.

Crossing Location

The crossing will start at the Bellevue City Hall Plaza and end at Eastrail. To learn more about how the crossing will fit with the surrounding area, visit the Alignment Alternative Analysis Report

Crossing Experience

View the images below for a sense of what the experience will be like for people walking or rolling on the crossing.

Separated Uses

Nearly 80% of people who responded to the March 2024 survey told us that for safety and comfort, it is important to separate bicycles and people walking or using a wheelchair.

Image shows how cyclists will be separated from people walking or using a wheelchair, from the perspective of standing on the bridge and looking east from City Hall Plaza towards Eastrail.

Image shows how different modes will be separated from a birds-eye view just south of the 2 Line tracksLighting and Weather Protection

To feel safe and welcome to use the crossing, 85% of survey respondents told us it was important to have lighting. Overhead weather protection from sun and rain was another priority we heard from community members, with more than half of survey respondents indicating it was important to them.

Image shows an overhead view of the potential weather protection features throughout the crossing.

Image shows possible lighting and sound features and wayfinding at key spots along the crossing from the point of view of a pedestrian on the crossing heading east towards Eastrail.

Nature and Community Gathering

Nearly half of community members who responded to the survey in the online open house indicated they plan to use the crossing to enjoy nature and gather with friends and neighbors.

Image shows early landscaping concepts and benches from the point of view of someone on the crossing heading east from City Hall Plaza towards Eastrail.

Image shows early landscaping concept and benches, from the point of view of someone on the crossing looking northwest towards Downtown.

Image shows early landscaping concepts, benches and a community gathering space from the gateway to the crossing that connects to City Hall Plaza, looking east

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What about nearby sites owned by the City of Bellevue?

The Bellevue City Sites initiative aims to reimagine city-owned properties, furthering a vibrant and livable experience for the Downtown and Wilburton communities with housing, commercial, and/or public spaces. These properties offer unique opportunities due to their proximity to multi-modal connections. The Metro site is currently temporarily utilized as a dog run while the Lincoln Center site serves as a Safe Parking pilot space for individuals experiencing homelessness.

The Metro site is situated between City Hall and Bellevue Downtown Station, and the Lincoln Center site sits between I-405 and 116th Ave NE. Each site is close to key placemaking and mobility elements such as the Transit Center, City Hall Plaza, and Eastrail.

We’re looking at what could be built on each site, based on criteria like location and market needs. The Metro site may have housing, retail, or spaces for arts and culture, while Lincoln Center could have shops, places for fun, and services for the neighborhood. We are just getting started and will continue to explore opportunities that can help activate the Grand Connection Crossing experience

• Overhead weather protection
• Landscaping
• Lighting
• Benches
• Guardrails
• Colors and materials
• Program Activation approaches along the crossing
• Art
• Vertical circulation (for example, stairs elevators and ramps) and street-level elements

Sign up for project updates to be notified when we post new materials to the Grand Connection Crossing webpage and schedule open houses and community events.