White River Bridge projected to open in November

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson and Washington State Secretary of Transportation Julie Meredith got a first-hand look at the damaged White River Bridge Monday morning.

The bridge is on State Route 410 between Enumclaw and Buckley. A semi-truck struck the bridge on August 18, and it’s been shut down since then.

“There are 10 critical components that were damaged on this bridge, which is significant,” Meredith said at a press conference.

Damage is estimated between $5 and $6 million, and the bridge will remain closed to traffic until sometime between October 31 and November 15.

“They (workers) will be on the bridge seven days a week, replacing the damaged steel, heat straightening the bent members, and repainting the affected areas of what is a historic structure,” Meredith explained.

Ferguson noted the White River Bridge is a critical lifeline for the community.

“We’re doing all we can to get the bridge reopened as soon as possible,” he added.

Federal funding for White River Bridge could be stalled over WA’s sanctuary status

In fact, Ferguson signed an emergency proclamation, allowing the state to seek federal funding to reimburse the state for the cost of ongoing and future work on the bridge. However, Ferguson admitted assistance is uncertain, given the current state of affairs between Washington and the Trump administration over the state’s sanctuary status.

“We haven’t received FEMA funds for the whole River Road, for example, that have typically been provided in the past, for a fire in eastern Washington not too long ago, so we’re aware of that, but we’re going to put our best foot forward,” Ferguson said. “It’s going to get done, and it’s going to get paid for. Whether it’s entirely by the state, or with assistance from the federal government, which we certainly hope for and would normally expect. We have the resources, if necessary, to do this on our own.”

The Washington State Department of Transportation had hoped to have one lane of the bridge open to alternating traffic by sometime this month, but engineers decided that would delay full repairs until closer to the end of the year. Further delay was unacceptable. And the estimated date of completion is still a bit uncertain.

“Of course, there are no guarantees. It is weather-dependent—there are materials. There’s a lot that has to come together, but we wanted to lay out what we feel is the approximate timeline,” Ferguson said.

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