A hearing is scheduled today in the state House Committee on Transportation on a bill that would allow Tacoma to tap into sales tax revenue to raise money for fixing the bridge. The bill introduced last month by state Rep. Dennis Flannigan, D-Tacoma, would allow the City of Tacoma to create a transportation improvement district to impose an additional 0.2 percent sales tax for maintenance and operation of the bridge.

The state Department of Transportation closed the 94-year-old bridge across the Thea Foss Waterway last fall after an inspection found corrosion that made it unsafe for traffic.

The goal would be to generate $54 million in new funds, said Tacoma lobbyist Randy Lewis. An additional $26 million set aside for demolition would bring the total funding to $80 million.

A detailed inspection is expected to be completed this week, but the results won’t be known for a while, a Tacoma city official said.

David Evans and Associates is performing the work for the city. It’s more in-depth than the state’s inspection and is aimed at determining whether the bridge can be repaired or rehabilitated, and if so how much it would cost, Jim Parvey, interim city engineer, said Monday.

A 2004 feasibility study estimated that full replacement of the bridge would cost $135 million; a full rehabilitation, $80 million; and a full restoration, $77 million.

Once the inspection is complete, the consultant will write a report, Parvey said.

Jason Hagey, The News Tribune