For the second time in a year, a bridge has been given weight restrictions in the heart of the Puyallup Valley, where heavy freight moves regularly between the Interstate 5 corridor and points east.
The City of Sumner is banning trucks and other vehicles weighing more than 12 tons from crossing the Bridge Street Bridge.
The 360-foot steel and concrete span links downtown Sumner and Valley Avenue East across the White River. It dates to the 1920s.
“The bridge is an important connection in our city,” Sumner Mayor Dave Enslow said in a statement.
Sumner officials said the weight limit is meant to extend the life of the bridge until there’s money for a replacement.
Last February, the state Department of Transportation began restricting heavy vehicles to a single lane on the northbound state Route 167 bridge spanning the Puyallup River. That bridge also was built in the 1920s.
Sumner officials estimated replacing their bridge could cost $10 million to $12 million. They’re applying for state money and will look into grants that support a design similar to the bridge’s current look, said Carmen Palmer, city spokeswoman.
She didn’t have a timeline for the replacement, saying it depends on funding.
The bridge connects downtown Sumner to businesses on West Valley Highway and Valley Avenue East. Drivers crossing the bridge from downtown can connect to Puyallup, Edgewood, Fife and the Port of Tacoma.
The city doesn’t keep traffic counts for the bridge, but Palmer said it’s well used by heavy vehicles. Sumner has a busy industrial and warehouse area.
“It is going to be a change. We don’t want to negatively impact commerce, but safety comes first,” she said.
The decision to impose the weight limit came after state DOT officials conducted a routine inspection of the bridge late last year, Palmer said. The state recommended the change, and a consultant hired by the city for a second opinion agreed, she said.
Palmer said cars and other light vehicles can continue to cross safely.
The weight restriction took effect last week. Heavy vehicles can access downtown Sumner by taking other routes including state Route 167 to state Route 410 and Traffic Avenue.
In addition to its transportation function, the span is the centerpiece of a popular community tradition: the holiday bridge lighting put on by the nearby Old Cannery Furniture Warehouse on Valley Avenue East.
Sara Schilling: 253-552-7058
sara.schilling@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/street
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