The following is a Bonney Lake press release by Mayor Neil Johnson:

On April 13, 2015, an unspeakable tragedy occurred in the City of Bonney Lake. A young family was killed by a concrete bridge barrier which fell from a State Route 410 overpass as they drove along Angeline Road.

A mere two days after this tragedy, we are still investigating the accident and there is much yet to be determined. The purpose of this press release is to inform our community and the general public of what we do know at this time.

The construction being done at the time of the accident involves the completion of approximately one half mile of a pedestrian path along SR 410, including a span across the Angeline Road overpass. This project is intended to improve the safety of pedestrians and motorists along this major arterial.

The City followed state law requirements for competitive bidding, and in December 2014, awarded the contract to WHH Nisqually Federal Services, LLC, the lowest responsible bidder.

The contract requires the contractor to submit a bridge demolition plan for the City’s approval prior to performing any demolition work on the overpass. In February, a subcontractor submitted a demolition plan, which was carefully reviewed and approved by the City and the Washington State Department of Transportation.

The demolition plan calls for the bridge to be disassembled in pieces by saw cutting the concrete and rebar in sections, then removing the sections with hydraulic excavators. The contract expressly requires the contractor to protect traffic from falling concrete and debris while demolition is being performed. We are still looking into whether the demolition plan was followed.

The City performs regular inspections of work in progress, but is not continually on site, and had no inspector present at the time of the accident. The contractor’s schedule did not indicate that bridge demolition would be occurring on April 13.

The structural integrity of the bridge has been inspected and found safe for travel over and under the work site. The westbound shoulder of the bridge is closed to pedestrian and other traffic until further notice.

At this time, and on a temporary basis, I am ordering the Public Works Director to suspend work on the Project. We need time to complete our investigation, but more importantly we need to show respect to the family and friends of the victims. Construction of the pedestrian improvements remains a very important step in improving the safety of the traveling public in this area, and work will resume in the near future.

I express my heartfelt condolences, and those of the City of Bonney Lake, for the Ellis family members and friends surviving this young family. My personal thanks to all of our first responders who were at the scene of this terrible tragedy.