Detour no more. Temporary bridge coming for state highway in Buckley
When the state closed the Route 162 bridge over Spiketon Creek between South Prairie and Buckley last August, the locals weren’t happy about it.
“We heard from the community, including schools, first responders, local residents, drivers and elected officials, just how important this connection is to local traffic,” said Washington state Department of Transportation administrator John Wynands in a statement.
Relief is coming.
While a permanent replacement is still five years away, a temporary bridge should be in place by fall 2019, WSDOT said.
The original bridge was closed after engineers found that piers — the large columns that hold up the bridge — had settled to a degree that the 82-year-old bridge was too dangerous to use.
The temporary bridge will be installed on new foundations and over the top of the original span. WSDOT said it won’t put additional weight on the old bridge.
“The temporary bridge allows us to hold our original bridge replacement schedule while restoring the crossing,” Wynands said.
Work is expected to begin in spring 2019.
This story was originally published December 6, 2018 at 10:49 AM.
