Date:  Friday, August 28, 2009

Contact: MaryLou Nebergall, WSDOT Project Engineer, 360-570-6752
              Karri Workman, WSDOT Communications, 360-704-3270

OLYMPIA – Motorists traveling US 12 between Rochester and Oakville can expect around-the-clock alternating traffic at the Black River Bridge next week.

Flagger-controlled, alternating one-way traffic will be in place 24 hours a day between 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 31 and 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4.

Over the next month, crews will repaint the bridge’s steel trusses and support structures, requiring more alternating, one-way traffic.

Crews will strip the bridge down to the steel, prime and repaint. The new paint color is called “evergreen.” Engineers expect the new paint to last 15 to 20 years. The bridge was last painted in 1990.

WSDOT awarded the $794,963 painting contract in April to Purcell Painting and Coatings of Tukwila. The contract includes painting the US 12 Black River Bridge and the I-5 Capitol Boulevard Bridge in Olympia. Crews completed the Capitol Boulevard Bridge portion of the contract in July.

Repainting is an important aspect of WSDOT’s bridge preservation program. Repainting preserves the structural integrity and prolongs the lifespan of bridges by providing protection from weather and corrosion.

The bridge was built in 1932 and carries about 5,000 cars a day.

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