The Grand Connection, a long-envisioned corridor linking Meydenbauer Bay to the regional Eastrail system, is steadily moving from concept to reality. It’s Bellevue’s most ambitious public realm project in decades, designed to knit together civic, commercial, and cultural districts while redefining how people move through and experience the downtown core.
Stretching roughly 1.5 miles, the route begins at the water’s edge and travels inland through Downtown Park, across Bellevue Way and NE 6th Street, and eventually over I-405 into the fast-evolving Wilburton area. On the far end, it will connect to Eastrail — a 42-mile regional trail network extending deep into King and Snohomish counties.
But the minds behind the Grand Connection don’t see it as just a way to get from point A to point B. The city is treating it as a layered civic space, where transportation, public art, green infrastructure, and community all converge. Designed with pedestrians and cyclists in mind, the corridor will offer flexible gathering areas, active landscapes, and public installations that reflect the physical and cultural texture of the neighborhoods it moves through.
One of the most transformative features in the plan is a new pedestrian bridge over I-405, running parallel to the light rail bridge. It’s also one of the more technically complex components of the project, requiring careful collaboration with land use planning, traffic engineering, and future development in Wilburton. The newly established Office of the Grand Connection is now leading design work on the crossing, with updated concepts expected later this year and construction slated to begin in 2027. Once complete, the 2,000-foot bridge will serve as both a functional connection and a city-defining landmark.
Alongside design and permitting, the city is laying the groundwork for activation. Through the 2025 Community Programming Fund, Bellevue is awarding grants to organizations that will host events along the corridor in a bid to activate the public spaces as soon as possible.
With early investments already shaping momentum, the Grand Connection is well on its away. If the timeline holds, the I-405 crossing could open before 2030.
This article was based on information found on 425 Business.
Renderings by: OJB and LMN