The bridge had to be flown into the park via helicopter. Photo courtesy King County

The Black Diamond Open Space has fully reopened to hikers, mountain bikers, dog walkers, and nature lovers.

Various trails on the south side of the state Route 169 were closed for four days in October as King County worked to replace a bridge that crosses the Ravensdale Creek; construction ended Nov. 1.

“This bridge replaces an old homemade structure that was illegally built without our permission or permits and wasn’t built to code,” said Doug Williams, King County media relations coordinator. “I’m not sure when the old bridge was put in place, but the code violation was issued in January 2019. This new bridge meets code and has more clearance over Ravensdale Creek, and it can be used by multiple user groups, including equestrians, mountain bikers and hikers.”

The bridge, which cost $420,000 to install and weighs 30,000 pounds, was flown in by a Sikorsky UH-60 “Black Hawk” helicopter.

“The bridge was delivered to the project site in 10 pieces: Two concrete footings, three girders, and five bundles of decking and railings,” Williams said. “There were many additional flights to bring in equipment and materials, particularly gravel, to construct the bridge approaches.”

The bridge is a little more than 66 feet long, longer than the old structure to provide more water clearance.