Tacoma commuters forced into a two-mile detour since the Fishing Wars Memorial Bridge closed in October 2023 are one step closer to getting their crossing back.
The City of Tacoma has secured a $7.6 million federal BUILD grant to fund the environmental analysis and final design of the bridge replacement, a prerequisite before the city can pursue the estimated $263 million needed for construction.
The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded the grant through its Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development program, the city announced July 6. The money will cover most of the $9.6 million design phase, with the City of Tacoma and the City of Fife splitting a $2 million local match.
What it means for residents
The bridge, which spans the Puyallup River and connects Tacoma to Fife, carried up to 15,000 vehicles daily before its closure. According to the city's press release, the replacement would eliminate a two-mile vehicle detour and up to a 45-minute pedestrian detour. The new structure would add a separated 15-foot shared-use path, sidewalk protection, an extra travel lane, and design for heavy freight.
The new bridge would also replace deteriorating 1920s-era wooden piles with concrete piles and include bioswales to filter stormwater runoff and protect Coho salmon habitat in the Puyallup River.
Why the bridge closed
The Federal Highway Administration found in October 2023 that the unreplaced portion of the bridge had too much debris and buildup to be properly inspected. A structural assessment in October 2025 found that repair was not viable and the bridge's maximum load capacity had fallen to 15 tons or less, according to Tacoma Weekly reporting in January 2026.
The numbers
- Federal grant: $7.6 million (BUILD program)
- Total design phase cost: $9.6 million
- Local match: $2 million (Tacoma and Fife)
- Estimated construction cost: at least $263 million
- Phase 1 cost (completed 2019): $42 million
What happens next
Environmental analysis and design work is projected to start in December 2026 and wrap up by December 2027, according to the city's press release. After that, Tacoma will seek construction funding. City spokesperson Maria Lee told Tacoma Weekly in January 2026 that officials are exploring a "design-build" method that could shorten what she described as a potential seven-year timeline under a traditional approach.
Design firm H.W. Lochner, selected in May 2025, was working toward 30 percent design completion by the end of 2026, according to Tacoma Weekly. The BUILD grant funds the subsequent environmental review and final design phase that follows that preliminary work.
Who's backing it
Mayor Anders Ibsen called the grant "a major step toward restoring one of the South Sound's most important transportation connections" and thanked U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and Representatives Emily Randall and Marilyn Strickland for making the project a federal priority.
District 4 Council Member Sandesh Sadalge, who raised the bridge as his top issue during a trip to Washington, D.C., said residents on the Eastside and South End have told him repeatedly how the closure disrupted their daily routines.
The bridge connects directly to the Port of Tacoma, which the city's release describes as the nation's third-busiest container gateway and a designated commercial strategic seaport supporting Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
The New Tacoma Neighborhood Council declared bridge funding its top priority for the 2026 legislative session. Vice Chair Tom Ebenhoh put it plainly: "If businesses wanted to come in and put new businesses, develop whatever's happening down there, they all look at the end of Puyallup Avenue."
