The Interurban may yet return to Fremont-someday-but patience has its limits. The commuters have up and gone.
But not far. "Waiting for the Interurban," the passing-strange, yet somehow cozy, statuary artifact that has weathered many a season near the north end of the Fremont Bridge has been schlepped to a temporary location one block east, outside the History House museum, while construction on the bridge gets under way.
Richard Beyer's hugely popular installation commemorates the loss of the Interurban railroad that once provided a key transportation link to the city's center as well as the hinterlands. According to Lorelei Mesic, project manager for the Seattle Department of Transportation, "The Interurban must be moved as part of a major upgrade to the Fremont Bridge. This $36-million construction project will ensure the bridge will continue to serve the community for generations to come."
New supports for bridge approaches are now under construction, and starting in early summer the street deck approaching the bridge will be replaced. The project also includes upgrading the electrical-mechanical bridge works.
History House is at 790 N. 34th St., at the intersection of North 34th and Troll Way North. And as of this past weekend, so are the imperturbable waiters, for the next 15 months.
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