Severe corrosion is visible on the 82 -year-old steel bridge crossing the Newaukum River five miles east of Onalaska.
The South Fork Newaukum River Bridge on state Route 508 five miles east of Onalaska was built in 1930.
ONALASKA — The state Route 508 South Fork Newaukum River Bridge is expected to open to restricted traffic on Tuesday night, just in time for the Fourth of July.
That’s according to Doug Ficco, WSDOT assistant regional administrator for maintenance and operations, who spoke at a public meeting in the Onalaska Elementary School dining hall Monday night to update the community on the status of the bridge, which closed June 21 after inspectors found severe corrosion weakening the bridge girders.
Ficco said crews plan to open the bridge Tuesday night, but with a seven-ton weight limit. The bridge had a 15-ton weight limit before the closure.
The seven-ton weight limit allows residents to travel over the bridge, but commercial trucks will still have to use U.S. Highway 12 as a detour.
Ficco said the WSDOT began designing a permanent replacement bridge last week, with a focus on better alignment, height and width.
The WSDOT is in the process of finding construction funding from state and federal funds, Ficco said. No timeline has been set, but Ficco said it will likely take about three years to fully replace the bridge.
WSDOT spokesperson Abbi Russell said the bridge was closed when the department received a report on June 21 that showed significant corrosion on the bridge girders, requiring closure and emergency repairs.
Since the closure, crews have repaired the bridge enough to safely carry seven tons, Ficco said.
The bridge is located five miles east of Onalaska and carries about 1,400 vehicles a day.
