164th Street's Lane Shift Started Before the Bridge Repair Was Designed

Eastbound on 164th St SE near North Creek Presbyterian Church, the curb lane is closed. Since Friday, October 23, cars heading east have used the left lane and the center turn lane to cross North Creek. The far-right lane next to the sidewalk sits empty behind traffic control.

The City expects the setup to stay through mid-December 2026. When it announced the closure, though, the actual repair hadn't been designed yet. In the City's words, restoration work starts "once the repair design is finalized." So the lane shift you're driving through is first of all a protective measure around one weak part of an older bridge. It also leads into a bigger conversation about this crossing, one the City has already said it plans to start.

One Column Out of Seven

The structure is officially called the Mill Creek No. 1 Bridge. It's the short span that carries 164th St SE over North Creek, and the City describes it as a major east-west arterial crossing. Mill Creek hired the engineering firm Otak to evaluate its maintenance needs and structural integrity, and Otak ran a physical field inspection of the bridge.

That inspection found that one of the seven support columns on the south side of the street was in poor condition, according to the City's announcement. An emergency declaration was signed on October 20, and the traffic adjustments started three days later.

Which side the column is on explains which lane closed. Eastbound traffic runs along the south side of 164th, so the curb lane that's now shut is the one nearest the flagged column. The City's project page lists "lane shifts and turn restrictions" among its safety goals for the work.

Interim Public Works Director Keegan Pocinwong called the repairs "essential to maintaining safe travel through one of Mill Creek's most important corridors," in a statement included in the City's release.

The South Side Has Been Worked On Before

The bridge is only 28 feet long, a single span. According to the City's project page, it's made up of two components, the original bridge and a later widening.

The 1989 widening, the 2012 pile cap repair and this fall's flagged column all sit on the south side of the bridge. The City hasn't said whether the failing column belongs to the 1967 bridge or the 1989 addition. Still, the south side is clearly where most of the work on this bridge has happened over the years.

Checking bridges like this one is routine. Mill Creek's 2023–2028 Capital Improvement Plan, adopted in November 2022, described a citywide inspection program for the City's eleven bridges, usually on a two-year cycle. Repairs that turn up are funded or scheduled separately as they're identified. The same plan listed an unrelated storm-pipe project on the stretch of 164th between North Creek Presbyterian Church and the bridge. That was drainage work. It had nothing to do with the structural repair now underway.

The regular inspection cycle is what caught this column, and the emergency declaration is what let the City close the lane right away instead of waiting for a normal budget cycle.

Driving the Work Zone

The lane shift is near North Creek Presbyterian Church at 621 164th St SE. Westbound lanes aren't part of the published change. Eastbound, three things are different now:

• The far-right lane next to the sidewalk is closed.
• Eastbound vehicles use the left lane and the center turn lane through the work zone.
• The City asks drivers to expect delays, follow posted signs and use other routes when they can.

The City hasn't named an official detour. The best picture of the lane layout is the City's traffic impact map, dated October 21. The City also notes that "traffic patterns may be modified as the project moves from planning into the construction phase." What you drove through this week may not be what you drive through in early December.

Bus riders should check separately. Community Transit's Swift Green line lists a 164th St SE station, and the City's notice only covers vehicle lanes. Community Transit's rider alerts page is where any service changes would show up.

What This Stretch of 164th Serves

Most people come to 164th for everyday errands. The City's business directory lists QFC at 926 164th St SE and Mill Creek Shell at 1026 164th St SE. Several restaurants share the 800 164th St SE address, including Arirang BBQ House, China Garden Chinese Restaurant and Poke Nation. The City lists Nickel Creek Park at 1900 164th St SE. Mill Creek Town Center describes itself as one-half mile north of 164th on Bothell-Everett Highway.

The same stretch is part of a larger plan for this area. Under the City's South Town Center plan, the redevelopment area runs from Bothell-Everett Highway west to North Creek and includes the QFC building on the south side of 164th. The City Council approved that master plan, the zoning changes and the design standards on September 1, 2026. We covered the budget reasoning behind that push in Mill Creek Is Trying To Get Bigger. Here's What That Actually Costs.

That's why the bridge matters beyond this fall. The crossing's west edge is the boundary of the area the City has just planned for long-term redevelopment.

Why Mid-December Is a Checkpoint

The City has said two things about the future of this crossing. First, the current work covers "the bridge's immediate needs." Second, the City "will also conduct a comprehensive study to determine long term solutions to guide future improvements and address increased traffic volume." HeraldNet's October 23 report and the Mill Creek Beacon's October 22 story both reported the planned study along with the mid-December lane timeline.

Put that next to the project page, and the City's emergency plan has two layers. The first is reinforcement: "critical reinforcement to ensure the continued safety, stability, and reliability of this major transportation corridor." The second is rehabilitation meant to "restore full capacity and extend the service life of the crossing." The City says it will also conduct the study but hasn't given it a timeline. The study is the step most likely to decide what a 1967 bridge with a 1989 addition should look like when traffic on 164th keeps growing.

So far the City has published no cost, no funding source and no construction completion date. The project timeline has two entries: the signed declaration and the traffic adjustments, which are marked in progress. On the City's capital projects list, the project status reads "Planning." Expect the mid-December date to be firmed up, or moved, once the repair design is final.

Where Updates Will Show Up First

1. The City project page. millcreekwa.gov/northcreekbridge is the channel the City named for construction progress, traffic impacts and timelines.
2. The traffic map. The October 21 traffic control map shows the current lane layout. A newer file would mean the pattern has changed.
3. The Communications Department. Questions go to [email protected] or (425) 582-6003.
4. Community Transit rider alerts. These cover Swift Green or any other route that changes service near the bridge.

If you also walk or ride in the North Creek corridor, our guide to the North Creek Trail covers the greenway the creek runs through. The City lists the trail as running from McCollum Park to the southern city limits, with entrances along Main Street. Our earlier look at Silver Crest Drive's missing sidewalk is another example of how Mill Creek's infrastructure timelines play out.

At Becca Locke, we follow projects like the 164th St SE bridge because they shape the daily drive, the errand run and, eventually, how a block feels to the next person who lives there. If you're wondering how the bridge work or the South Town Center plans might affect a home near this corridor, we're glad to talk it through with you. Start Your Search.