Date:
Friday, August 24, 2007
Contact:
Kelly Stowe, WSDOT Communications 360-357-2716
EATONVILLE –State Route 7 at the Mashel River Bridge reopened to traffic yesterday afternoon after a week-and-a-half closure for bridge maintenance operations.
This section of roadway was originally scheduled to be closed August 13 – 31 while crews replaced timber bridge supports with steel cap and support structure. Crews used huge jacks to hold the bridge while the timber was removed and replaced with steel.
During the closure, workers also repaired damaged guardrail, built a safety turn-out, and removed dangerous trees and shrubs adjacent to the highway.
Set up for the job had the crews hard at work prior to the closure. Workers came up with an innovative process using caterpillar jacks to bring necessary equipment onto the work site. There isn’t a lot of space for crews working on a two-lane highway. Just getting the platforms needed underneath the bridge and bringing all the equipment into the area was a job in itself.
The crews hard work before and during the bridge work paid off for drivers with the roadway reopening a week ahead of schedule and the cost savings (estimated to be around $20,000) associated with the early finish.
The Mashel River Bridge was built in 1949 and carries about 2,100 vehicles across this stretch of highway daily. Drivers can call 511 or visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/ for road and traffic updates and www.wsdot.wa.gov/regions/olympic/construction to learn more about weekly construction and maintenance activities.
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