Nightly paving closures set for PI bridge
County officials seek delay to accommodate county fair
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August 8, 2019
The Washington State Department of Transportation has announced late last Friday that full overnight closures of the SR 409 Puget Island bridge will take place four nights next week to accommodate paving work.
The closures would run 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Thursday nights.
However, Wahkiakum County officials have asked the department to delay the closures one week to accommodate Wahkiakum County fair activities. People will enter items and animals Monday through Wednesday evenings, and the fair opens next Thursday, closing for the day at 9 p.m.
The Eagle has asked to be notified of WSDOT's response to the county's request as soon as possible. Check the website http://www.waheagle.com or The Wahkiakum County Eagle on Facebook for an update.
According to the WSDOT announcement, beginning Monday, crews will fully close the bridge for final paving work. The schedule is:
--Beginning at 9 p.m. Monday until 5 a.m. Tuesday;
--Beginning at 9 p.m. Tuesday until 5 a.m. Wednesday;
--Beginning at 9 p.m. Wednesday until 5 a.m. Thursday, and
--Beginning at 9 p.m. Thursday until 5 a.m. Friday.
"The around-the-clock, single lane closure of the bridge will remain in place until construction is complete," said Tamara Greenwell, WSDOT regional communications officer. "Our contractor anticipates all work to be completed before the end of the year, ahead of schedule!"
To ensure travel access on and off the Island, the Wahkiakum County ferry Oscar B. will run during the bridge closure hours, free of charge. In the event that the ferry is inoperable, the contractor will reopen the bridge as quickly as possible.
The Wahkiakum County Department of Emergency Management has created a notification system to alert people of delayed bridge openings or canceled bridge closures. To be added to the notification list, text the word: BRIDGE to 474747 or email your cell phone number to Beau Renfro at renfrob@co.wahkiakum.wa.us, or call 360-795-7876. The text option is preferred.
For everyone’s safety, the speed limit across the bridge is 25 mph, Greenwell said. Drivers are urged to slow down, pay attention and give crews room to work.
WSDOT provides updated closure information by visiting their travel advisory web page: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/regions/southwest/construction/. Current travel conditions are available with the mobile app: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Inform/mobile.htm.
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