With the help of a crane, workers from WSDOT's emergency contractor, Guy F. Atkinson Construction, guide a 50-foot temporary steel bridge into place over the damaged Chamber Way overpass in Chehalis in August.
Workers from WSDOT's emergency contractor, Guy F. Atkinson Construction, inspect the 50-foot temporary steel bridge prior to using a crane to set it into place over the damaged Chamber Way overpass on Monday night in Chehalis.
Cars and trucks stream by as workers from WSDOT's emergency contractor, Guy F. Atkinson Construction, guide a 50-foot temporary steel bridge into place over the damaged Chamber Way overpass in early August.
A project to install a temporary bridge to replace a demolished span of the Chamber of Commerce Way overpass is right on schedule, leading businesses on either side of the busy thoroughfare to breathe a sigh of relief.
“From the day it happened, businesses were contacting me scared, nervous,” said Alicia Bull, executive director of the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce.
Bull said business owners were “horrified” when the WSDOT announced after the accident July 22, that Chamber Way would close indefinitely. The quick movement on the installation of the temporary bridge has them feeling more optimistic, she said.
“The effort shown by the WSDOT has been incredible,” she said.
Kris Strickler, regional administrator for WSDOT’s Southwest Region, gave an update on the project during a meeting Monday afternoon organized by the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce at the Chehalis Holiday Inn Express.
“There is a lot to be optimistic about,” Chehalis Mayor Dennis Dawes said Monday, thanking the WSDOT and state representatives for their quick response. “Things are moving fast.”
At about 11:45 a.m. on July 22, an oversize load of two excavators towed by a southbound 2005 Freightliner semi truck hit the underside of the overpass, scraping baseball-sized chunks of concrete onto two passing cars, according to the Washington State Patrol. All six girders supporting the bridge deck were damaged, most beyond repair.
The driver of the semi, identified by the WSP as Henry Abadia, 35, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was cited for having a load that was too tall. The crash was caused by inattention, according to the WSP.
WSDOT staff immediately closed the bridge to traffic, but determined it was structurally able to support its own weight.
The bridge has been hit by oversize loads nine times in the past 10 years. With that in mind, WSDOT engineers decided to tear down the damaged third span of the nearly 60-year-old overpass last Tuesday.
While Chamber Way is not the only way over I-5 in Chehalis, it is a busy intersection, and its temporary loss has put a damper on business in the area, Bull said.
“Our traffic flow has cut completely in half,” she said. “It’s been so quiet at the Chamber.”
Dave Antilla, of NC Machinery in Chehalis, said he is not only concerned about getting truckloads to his business, but also getting customers there.
“Part of it is making sure customers … know where to go,” he said.
Navigating the busy intersection at State Street and the overpass is even trickier now, he said.
Strickler said Monday the Acrow temporary bridge had been assembled and was waiting to be put in place on the overpass using a crane Monday night or early Tuesday morning, depending on how well the concrete support pads had cured.
The WSDOT announced Monday it would divert traffic around the exit Monday night for work on the bridge.
The Acrow Company has a location at the Port of Centralia.
While the existing bridge surface is supported by six girders, or support beams under the bridge deck, the Acrow bridge has just two girders on either side. Crews build concrete pads on the four corners of the existing bridge decks to connect to the temporary steel structure.
“These pads are designed to hold that weight,” Strickler said.
After securing the bridge in its location, crews will install guard rails. Traffic could be moving over the bridge as early as this weekend, Strickler said.
Any load that’s legal on I-5 without a permit can travel across the new bridge. However, no oversized loads will be allowed to cross the temporary steel bridge.
This helps alleviate some business concerns, but not all. Antilla said most of the trucks coming and going from his business and crossing the Chamber Way bridge are oversized loads, and will still not be able to take advantage of the temporary structure.
The temporary bridge will sit 16 feet above traffic, making it less at risk for strikes from oversized loads than the old span, which is marked at 14 feet, 8 inches.
The WSDOT also plans to add “more aggressive” signage warning drivers about the height restrictions at Chamber Way, Strickler said.
Once the temporary bridge is in place, WSDOT engineers plan to look toward a longer-term solution.
The state Legislature has set aside $75 million to redo the Chamber Way Overpass and accompanying on- and off- ramps in preparation for the future addition of two lanes to I-5. Funding for the design on the project isn’t authorized until 2019, with construction scheduled to take place between 2021 and 2023, Strickler said.
While the WSDOT doesn’t have the authority to move up funding for the project, Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, said at Monday’s meeting that he’s working with legislators to build support for possibly moving the funding up for a complete redo of the intersection.
Strickler said the bridge could also be replaced “in-kind” before the 2021 start date for construction of the revamped intersection. That would mean replacing the damaged bridge deck as it was before it was demolished.
The temporary bridge doesn’t have an expiration date, Strickler said, saying the bridge can stay put “as long as we maintain it.”
“We don’t envision it being in place that long,” he said.
