Date:  Friday, April 01, 2011

Contact: Joe Irwin, WSDOT Communications, 360-357-2703
Ron Bashon, WSDOT Bridge Superintendent, 360-357-2743

JOYCE – The State Route 112 Lyre River Bridge in Clallam County is set to close twice over the next two weeks as crews switch out a decaying wooden beam with a much stronger steel one.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) bridge maintenance and preservation inspection crews recently discovered deterioration in one of the 12-foot long, 12-inch wide timber support beams . While the 1959 bridge is structurally sufficient and safe to cross, replacing the beam will prevent further deterioration, stabilize the bridge and help keep SR 112 open to traffic.

Approximately 1,700 vehicles cross 268-foot long bridge daily. Drivers should plan for one-way, alternating traffic from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, April 4-14. Crews will also close the bridge for an hour at a time between noon and 3 p.m. Monday, April 4 and between 10 a.m. and noon, Monday, April 11.

To replace the beam, crews will bring in a crane and use it to install and remove a 40-foot long temporary support girder beneath the bridge. Crews will use a jack on the girder to slightly lift a section of the bridge, relieving pressure from the segments around the deteriorating beam so they can remove it and install a new steel section in its place.

“There will be a lot of work going on, but most of it will occur off the highway and beneath the bridge,” said Ron Bashon, WSDOT bridge superintendent. “We’ll do our best to minimize traffic disruptions as much as possible

Stay updated on the project construction, or find out more about WSDOT’s bridge maintenance and preservation program.

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