Salmon Bone Bridge Rehabilitation Project
Salmon Bone Bridge with new decking, repainted “bones” and new safety cables.
Before: deteriorated bridge deck.
Project description
The Salmon Bone Bridge was designed by renowned Seattle-based artist Lorna Jordan and was installed in 1999 as part of the Longfellow Creek Habitat Improvement Project. The bridge was designed to invoke the skeletal structure of a fish and the deck was made from recycled cedar timbers arranged in a herringbone pattern. The Bridge is also known as the Adams Fish Bridge.
SPU replaced the deck in the summer of 2024. The decking has patinaed to a rich wood-colored finish. The bridge structure below the decking was painted with marine grade paint. The restored bridge preserves the artist’s original design, but is more durable, accessible, safer, and requires less maintenance.
Detail of bridge decking after weathering.
SPU completed the remainder of the project in the summer of 2025 because improvements to the bridge must be scheduled around fish migration windows. Restoration work included:
- Replacing the bridge’s safety cables
- Stripping and repainting the bridge’s metal tubular “bones”
- Planting two trees
Location
The Salmon Bone Bridge is near the Dragonfly Garden and Pavilion (also designed by Lorna Jordan) on Longfellow Creek in West Seattle, in the greenspace between SW Nevada St/SW Yancy St and 28th Ave SW/26th Ave SW.
Community benefits
- Improved pedestrian safety
- Improved pedestrian access to the bridge, especially for the sight-impaired
- Reduced future closures for maintenance