Shift coming at Mount Si bridge
July 17, 2008
By Ed Farrell
Although the new Mount Si Road bridge is still months from completion, motorists will begin using the new structure on July 28.
According to the King County Department of Transportation, traffic will be diverted to the new span beginning at 5 p.m. that afternoon to allow crews to start dismantling the old, historic bridge immediately upstream.
The new, wider $21.5 million bridge is slated to open this fall, according to the department. But work on both the old structure and approaches to the new span will be undertaken simultaneously.
Preliminary work, including pulverizing the bridge approaches on the old bridge, began Saturday. Motorists are encouraged to use caution while driving on the loose gravel.
Beginning July 23, the new bridge approaches will be paved, and motorists will start using the new structure when the paving is completed.
The county sold the old bridge to the Cle Elum firm Scatter Creek Holdings in May for $102.51, but the firm faces costs upwards of $1 million to dismantle and relocate the structure.
Much of the anticipated cost in relocating the old bridge is in the fact that the span is encased in lead-based paint, which must be professionally removed before the structure can be relocated.
County officials have said that Mowat Construction, which is building the new span, plans to lift the old bridge from its moorings in one piece once the new bridge is fully completed.
The old span was initially erected in 1914 to span the White River between Buckley and Enumclaw. It was relocated to the Snoqualmie River on Mount Si Road in 1955.
The new bridge features better alignment for motorists, and its greater width includes an 8-foot shoulder on the west side and a 4-foot shoulder and 6-foot sidewalk on the east side.
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