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View From on High

From the Jose Rizal Bridge, the sweeping view includes Harborview Hospital, downtown Seattle, and Elliott Bay.

One of the benefits of walking in Seattle is enjoying the view, and seeing details you would never notice as you whiz by in a vehicle.

Walking across the Jose Rizal Bridge feels like floating in mid air—and indeed it is, at 110 feet above Dearborn Street. The bridge connects Beacon Hill with the International District and Downtown Seattle.   The 420-foot long arched steel structure is a beauty in itself, and is trimmed with graceful, decorative pedestrian railings. From the bridge sidewalk there is a panoramic view towards Elliott Bay, taking in downtown Seattle, the stadiums, and industrial SODO. From the eastern side of the bridge there is a territorial view, including a crossing of highways with all nature of vehicles.  A view at sunset combines the city’s outline against a rosy skyline with dramatic streams of white and red vehicle lights from the freeway.

From the Jose Rizal Bridge watch traffic on Dearborn Street and I-5, and in the horizon see the sports stadiums and freight cranes on Elliot Bay.

The bridge was built in 1911, after the ground beneath the structure was re-graded and lowered by 112 feet to provide easier access to Rainier Valley from downtown. The bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Points of interest anchor both ends of the Jose Rizal Bridge, with the Jose Rizal Park, Sturgus Park, and the Mountain to Sound Trail on the Beacon Hill at the south end, and the International District at the north end.

At the south end of the bridge is a connection to the Mountain to Sound Trail .