 An image showing the repaired Hylebos River Bridge in Tacoma.
Public Works Board-supported project receives award
City of Tacoma’s Hylebos Bridge Fender Repair project was selected as a state project of the year
OLYMPIA, Wash. --- The City of Tacoma’s Hylebos Bridge Fender Repair project was selected as the American Public Works Association Washington State Chapter Project of the Year. In 2024, the Public Works Board awarded the city a $1 million low-interest loan from its emergency funding program to repair the Hylebos Bridge’s fender after it was damaged by a passing boat.
The bridge connects State Route 509 with the north end of the Port of Tacoma. The funding helped the city restore passage in the Port’s only shipping channel serving industrial businesses, minimizing economic impacts to the community. The total cost of the project was $2.3 million, meaning that PWB funds covered almost half of the work.
“Congratulations to the City of Tacoma for receiving this award,” said PWB Chair Vince McGowan, PE. “The PWB is pleased that we were able to offer timely support in emergency situations like this where critical infrastructure is quickly and efficiently repaired to serve the local community and businesses who rely on it.”
There were 11 projects selected for the award across the state, in categories including environment, transportation, and more. The Hylebos Bridge was selected for the “Emergency” category. The full award list is available online.
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 City staff accepting the Project of the Year award.
"We are honored to receive the APWA Project of the Year award for the emergency repair of the Hylebos Bridge fender,” said City of Tacoma Interim Public Works Director Kurtis Kingsolver, PE, in a city press release. “When the fender was struck, it created an immediate hazard in a highly utilized shipping lane serving our industrial core. The U.S. Coast Guard directed us to make swift repairs to ensure the waterway remained safe and open. Unplanned emergencies like this place a severe strain on limited city resources, and absorbing the cost alone would have had a significant financial impact on our community.”
It’s not the first time the City of Tacoma has worked with the PWB. In 2023, the city received $1 million from the PWB to make emergency repairs after a fire along the off-ramp from Union Avenue to South Tacoma Way. That quick collaboration built a foundation of trust for city staff to request aid from the PWB emergency program.
“Having successfully partnered with the PWB during the Union Avenue fire, they were our first call for emergency funding,” said Kingsolver. “I highly encourage other communities to remember that this funding source is available; the PWB is incredibly helpful to local agencies looking for a vital 'hand up' when facing unexpected infrastructure challenges.”
PWB applications for the emergency funding program are open continuously until funds are exhausted. For the 2025-27 biennium, PWB currently has approximately $3.6 million remaining. The maximum award is $1 million per project.
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