Date:  Friday, March 04, 2011

Contact: Bronlea Mishler, Communications – 206-440-4696 (Shoreline)
Chad Brown, Project Engineer – 425-225-8725 (Everett)

EVERETT – The most important parts of the US 2 trestle are in need of repair, but they’re nearly invisible to most drivers. They are the hundreds of steel and concrete girders that support two miles of highway over Ebey Island near Everett.

The concrete on the girders is beginning to crack and fall away, exposing the steel rebar inside to the elements. Wet weather causes the steel to rust and corrode, diminishing the strength of the girders. This spring, crews will begin a project to repair and reinforce more than 844 of the girders that support the westbound lanes.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) recently awarded MJ Hughes Construction, Inc. the construction contract.

“We know this project will be easy to miss because our crews will be working underneath the trestle, but it’s an important step in helping to preserve the highway for the 70,000 commuters who depend on it daily,” said project engineer Chad Brown.

During construction, crews will chip away the old concrete, remove rust and corrosion from the exposed steel, and reseal the exposed areas with carbon fiber mesh and new concrete mortar. Drivers should expect up to 65 nighttime closures of the trestle during this work.

Construction on this $4.1 million project is expected to wrap up by October.

Find more information about the girder repair project can be found on the project website at www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/US2/TrestleRehabStage2/default.htm. Watch a video about the project narrated by the project engineer at www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT9blxb0WnE.  

In 2007, WSDOT completed a similar project on the eastern end of the trestle. Read more about the 2007 project online at www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/US2/EbeyIslandBridgeRepair/default.htm.  

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