May 20, 2008

Biggs bridge reopens to interstate traffic
Businesses hope for end to lag in bridge traffic

     GOLDENDALE — After a near five-month closure, Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) re-opened the Sam Hill-Biggs Rapids Bridge on Monday evening to all traffic for the 2008 summer vacation season.
     The bridge will remain open throughout the entire summer season, until Sept. 3, when it will close again for the remainder of construction activities, according to a Washington State Department of Transportation news release. All previous weight restrictions have also been lifted.
     It’s too early to know what change in business traffic will be, said Codie Stroud this morning. Stroud manages Dinty’s Market in Biggs Junction.
     “It’s not noticeably different yet,” she said this morning. “I’m sure a few of the people from Maryhill will be coming over — people who usually came over every day and we haven’t seen in four months.”
     Stroud said business dropped about 30 percent while the bridge was closed.
     “We didn’t see a lot of our truckers that would come in. We have missed them. I’m sure they’ll start coming.”
     Reports from Dinty’s Motor Inn indicated that they weren’t as badly affected by the closure. People who arrived from the south on Highway 97, sometimes stayed the night when they discovered they couldn’t travel north.
     “It was necessary for us to close the bridge entirely due to safety concerns for the construction crews and the traveling public, to minimize the length of impacts to the surrounding communities, and to ensure the highest quality construction,” said WSDOT’s Columbia Gorge Project Engineer Chris Tams. “We appreciate the community’s patience, as the crews worked hard to ensure that the bridge is safely open for traffic before the Memorial Day weekend,” concluded Tams.
     Despite periodic work stoppages for unsafe conditions due to extremely high winds and a one-week work suspension due to a fatal work-zone accident, construction continued on schedule and on budget throughout the winter and spring of 2008.
     Originally scheduled to take place in 2010, the repair work was accelerated to start in 2007 due to the increased rate of deterioration. In addition to accelerating the project start date, the construction duration was shortened by the decision to fully close the bridge during construction so the work could be completed as quickly as possible, minimizing impacts to the people who depend on the bridge.      A full closure of the bridge during the deck reconstruction also eliminates vibration due to passing traffic ensuring a better concrete cure and a longer-lasting bridge deck.
     Since the complete closure in January, WSDOT contractor Mowat Construction Company of Woodinville, WA has completely replaced the concrete deck on the Washington bridge approach and the truss span. The bridge rail has also been upgraded to meet current design standards for vehicles and bicycles and to match the historic context of the bridge. Work began on the Washington approach, which was the most deteriorated section, in order to lift all weight restrictions on the bridge when the bridge reopened for the summer.
     In response to community feedback, the bridge is being reopened in time for the Memorial Day weekend, the start of summer tourism and harvest seasons. After Labor Day, the bridge will close again for the replacement of the bridge deck on the Oregon bridge approach. Construction is expected to conclude and the bridge is expected to fully reopen in winter 2008/2009.

     For information regarding the US 97, Biggs Rapids-Sam Hill Bridge Deck Replacement project, please visit http://wsdot.wa.gov/projects/US97/BiggsBridge/.