2 key South Sound bridges were damaged. Here’s how and who pays for repairs
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- Two work trucks struck critical bridge supports, closing SR 410 and SR 167.
- WSDOT estimates repairs at $4.5M for SR 410 and $2.5M for SR 167.
- WSDOT seeks third-party insurance reimbursement while crews proceed with repairs.
The tales of two recently battered South Sound bridges are almost identical.
Two work trucks, two companies and two drivers who forgot to lower components of those trucks as they approached bridges in critical areas of the region’s highway system.
That’s the picture Washington State Patrol collision reports paint of the wreck that has closed the state Route 410 White River Bridge between Buckley and Enumclaw since Aug. 18 and the crash that has closed two lanes of northbound state Route 167 in Pacific since Sept. 23.
Both wrecks happened on major commuter routes and are having ripple effects throughout the region’s transportation system.
In the case of the state Route 410 wreck, the 27-year-old driver of a truck owned by Puget Construction Services in Buckley “had his water tank up in the air” and forgot to put it down as he approached the bridge, the report said.
The tank hit several support beams, the report said. King County District Court records show the driver was cited for operating a vehicle over the legal height.
In the case of the SR 167 wreck, it was the boom trailer of “a recycling semi truck designed to move 40 yarder recycling containers” that hit a support beam as it tried to drive under state Route 167 on 3rd Avenue Southwest, the report said.
Valley Recycling in Pacific owns the truck, and the boom trailer moves up and down to help load containers, the report said. The driver didn’t know that it “was stuck in the up position,” the report said, and the top of the trailer hit and damaged “a concrete support beam.”
The crash threw the 69-year-old driver forward, and he suffered chest injuries, the report said. Crews took him to the MultiCare Auburn Medical Center to get checked out. The State Patrol cited the driver for second-degree negligent driving.
Workers who answered the phone at Valley Recycling and Puget Construction Services Tuesday told The News Tribune the businesses are not commenting at this time. Representatives did not immediately respond to emails from The News Tribune seeking each company’s perspective on what happened, how the company has been affected and what the insurance process will look like.
The State Patrol records show that both companies had liability insurance in effect. Safety records on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration website for the past two years don’t list crashes for either company.
Who pays for repairs to damaged bridges on SR 410 and SR 167?
RB McKeon, a spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Transportation, gave The News Tribune an overview of the insurance process and what repairs for each bridge might cost.
A letter WSDOT sent to the Federal Highway Administration on Oct. 2 gave a preliminary estimate of $2.5 million for the SR 167 repairs, and a Sept. 12 contract between WSDOT and Guy F. Atkinson Construction estimates the cost for SR 410 repairs to be about $4.5 million, McKeon said in an email.
“It is WSDOT’s customary practice to seek reimbursement when our infrastructure is damaged by third-parties and we are doing that in both of these instances, SR 410 and SR 167,” McKeon wrote. “The process is managed by WSDOT’s Risk Management office and is similar to when private individuals are involved in an insurance claim process due to collision.”
That can take months or years, McKeon said, and WSDOT starts repairs while the reimbursement process plays out, including the process of seeking federal funding.
“We seek third party damage first and any federal funding we receive is used to close the gap between what we receive from the at-fault party’s insurance company and the cost of repair,” McKeon wrote.
Emergency funding from the Federal Highway Administration can reimburse the state for 87.5 percent to 100 percent of the cost of a project, and WSDOT uses insurance funds to reimburse the Federal Highway Administration if the federal agency already has paid for the work, McKeon wrote.
Asked how much insurance funding WSDOT usually receives after something like this, McKeon said it varies.
“WSDOT pursues reimbursement for the full amount of repairs, however each insurance policy and claim is different, so there isn’t a standard amount,” McKeon said.
WSDOT has said crews will work seven days a week on repairs to both bridges, and that its goal is to reopen the SR 410 bridge between Oct. 31 and Nov. 14. Businesses in Buckley and Enumclaw have said the lost traffic and logistical challenges during the closure have been devastating.
WSDOT plans to temporarily reopen the two northbound lanes of the SR 167 bridge by Oct. 17 with traffic adjustments. Crews will make it a one-lane bridge again next month to proceed with repairs, which WSDOT expects crews will finish by early next year .
Staff writer Isabela Lund contributed to this report.
This story was originally published October 8, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
