SR 162 bridge near Orting opens ahead of schedule

All lanes of state Route 162 at the new Puyallup River bridge north of Orting have reopened to traffic.

All lanes reopened at 5:35 a.m. Sunday, 23 hours earlier than scheduled. The state Department of Transportation said in a news release that good weather played a helpful role.

The lane closures, which began at 9 p.m. Friday, allowed crews to connect the highway to the new bridge.

The new bridge has 11-foot lanes north- and southbound, with 9-foot shoulders. The concrete span is built to modern seismic standards and can be widened.

The new span replaces the 1934 McMillin Bridge, which is considered too narrow for today’s traffic and is showing signs of wear and tear. The McMillin Bridge is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and Transportation Department officials continue to talk with interested parties regarding its preservation. The combination concrete and half-through truss span is believed to be the only one of its type in the world, the state agency said.

This story was originally published September 20, 2015 at 11:52 AM with the headline "SR 162 bridge near Orting opens ahead of schedule."