Date:  Friday, November 16, 2007

Contact: Contact: Summer Derrey WSDOT Communications, (509) 577-1943
Will Smith, WSDOT Project Engineer, (509) 577-1844

EASTON - Last night families in Easton were pleased to hear that the Washington State Department of Transportation is moving forward quickly to restore full interstate access to their community.

“We heard it!” A resident of Easton described how the sound of the collision was so loud it was heard thoughout the town. Early on October 31, an over-sized load collided with and severely damaged one of only two bridges serving the community of Easton from Interstate 90. Within 24 hours of the collision, WSDOT and the emergency contractor removed the damaged span over the eastbound lanes and I-90 traffic was back to normal. WSDOT’s next step is to get traffic back to normal for the community of Easton, which means restoring the damaged overpass bridge.

At last night’s open house, Easton residents learned that a Tacoma firm has already started fabricating the replacement girders, and WSDOT has hired Max J. Kuney Co. to restore the overpass bridge. Kuney's crew and equipment will place the five girders in the fifty foot gap left when the severely damaged bridge span was removed. Emergency contracting procedures allow WSDOT to speed up the timeline for the repair project.

The residents of Easton were highly responsive to the meeting. They were excited to know WSDOT is repairing their bridge so quickly. The WSDOT crew even received a warm applause at the end of the presentation.

Secretary of Transportation Paula Hammond understands that Easton families and businesses would like to get back to normal. “I challenge WSDOT construction and bridge engineers to find a way to restore interstate access for this community by getting this bridge fixed before Christmas,” she said.

The proposed work is dependent on Mother Nature. The contractor is making the necessary plans to set the girders and accomplish the necessary concrete work even though weather conditions can be harsh in December near Easton.

Assistant Project Engineer Bob Hooker is optimistic that the project will meet the anticipated milestone dates. “The biggest question mark will be the girders’ journey from Tacoma to the project site. We will need favorable weather to ship them to Easton,” said Hooker. The over-sized loads can only cross Snoqualmie Pass when there are no traction advisories posted. We are hoping for a good weather window in late November so the girders can be shipped to the project site.

Visit the project web page to see the project timeline and photos of the demolition work. www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I90/EastonBridge/

< Back to News Home