White River bridge to reopen three days early | Department of Transportation

The State Route 410 White River Bridge between Enumclaw and Buckley will reopen to traffic three days earlier than originally planned following a full closure for permanent repair work. The bridge will reopen at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20.

April 19, 2016 5:40 pm
Work crews inspect the bent overhead beam and prepare it for heat straightening on Saturday
Work crews inspect the bent overhead beam and prepare it for heat straightening on Saturday

The State Route 410 White River Bridge between Enumclaw and Buckley will reopen to traffic three days earlier than originally planned following a full closure for permanent repair work. The bridge will reopen at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20.

Contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation closed the bridge at 10 p.m. Friday, April 15, to repair damage the span suffered when it was struck by an over-height load in April 2015. The bridge was scheduled to reopen Saturday, April 23.

“We’re extremely pleased that we can open the bridge early for the thousands of people who use it every day,” said WSDOT Project Engineer Mike Askarian. “Come Thursday morning, drivers can start using the bridge and avoid a 45-minute detour.”

During the closure, crews replaced two support beams on the 67-year-old steel-truss span and used repetitive heating and cooling cycles known as heat straightening to reshape two other beams before sandblasting the repaired portions and painting them.

A combination of state and federal investments funded the $1.8 million repair project, which includes the cost of last year’s temporary repairs.

WSDOT bridge maintenance crews will conduct a final inspection of the permanent repairs Sunday, April 24. One lane of the bridge will be closed for an hour beginning at 6 a.m. for that work.