Date:  Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Contact: Denys Tak, WSDOT Kelso Area Engineer, (800) 545-1393 (Kelso) toll free
Annie Linstrom, WSDOT Communications, (360) 905-2079 (Vancouver)

Recovery Act provides $12.5 million needed to complete long-term project

LONGVIEW – WSDOT has been working since 2002 to improve the SR 433, Lewis and Clark Bridge in Longview, first replacing the deck and more recently painting and preserving the metal superstructure. On April 30, WSDOT awarded the final construction contract to Odyssey/Geronimo JV of Houston, Penn., with a winning bid of $33.7 million. Following recent trends, the project came in at 7.3 percent under the engineer’s estimate of $36.4 million.

This final phase of work, partially funded by the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, paints all the steel above the roadway and applies a protective coating to restore and preserve this historic bridge. Construction is expected to begin in July.

WSDOT added $12.5 million in federal funding to an existing superstructure painting contract. The total cost of this project is split evenly between Washington and Oregon, as are all interstate bridge projects over the Columbia River.

Originally built in 1929, the 80-year-old Lewis and Clark Bridge is a historic landmark and vital transportation connection for Washington and Oregon, carrying an average of 21,000 vehicles per day, 13 percent of which are trucks.

For more information, please visit:
www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/SR433/LewisClarkBridgePainter/.

Washington State is administering the Recovery Act investments with an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability. Gov. Gregoire has created a new website, www.recovery.wa.gov, enabling every Washingtonian to see where their tax dollars are going and hold government accountable for the results. 

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WSDOT's mission is to keep people, businesses and the economy moving by operating and improving the state's transportation systems. To learn more about what we're doing, go to http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/newsfor pictures, videos, news and blogs. Real time traffic information is available at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/trafficor by dialing 5-1-1.

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