Over the next several weeks, motorists traveling over the state Route 167 Puyallup River Bridges will encounter closures, lane restrictions and detours while crews execute repairs on the 89-year-old northbound steel truss bridge.
Starting Sunday night, Jan. 12, crews will close the northbound Puyallup River Bridge every night through Monday, Feb. 3. During the closures, crews will reconfigure the southbound bridge to accommodate two-way traffic.
In addition to the bridge, crews will also close Fourth Street Northeast and North Levee Road East under both bridges each night. Signed detours will reroute motorists around the closures.
Closure details:
- 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays until 5:30 a.m. each following morning
- 10 p.m. Fridays to 10 a.m. Saturdays
- 10 p.m. Saturdays to 11 a.m. Sundays
During the closures, crews will reinforce corroded steel at eight areas along the bridge’s steel truss. The steel plates will be attached to the sides of the trusses near the underside of the bridge and along some lower connections. Motorists will not likely see crews working on the surface of the bridge during the closures, nor will they see a difference in the bridge once the work is complete.
The repairs come after a bridge inspection in late 2013 showed that the corrosion, if not addressed, would result in prohibiting all trucks from driving across the structure. WSDOT already prohibits trucks weighing over 80,000 pounds (overweight loads requiring permits) from crossing the bridge, and restricts trucks weighing up to 80,000 pounds to the right lane. This work will allow the 80,000 pound trucks to continue to use the right lane.
The work, performed by design-builder Atkinson/Jacobs, is the first part of a $30.8 million project to replace the northbound bridge. The repairs will ensure the existing bridge remains useable until the new bridge is complete in 2015.
