Instead of adding more infrastructure, maybe consider replacing infrastructure that is way over its life expectancy.
I refer to the state Route 6 bridge just west of Chehalis.
That bridge was built in 1939, 85 years ago. I remember The Chronicle did an article years ago about which bridges were in the worst shape in the state of Washington. The state Route 6 bridge was in the top 10 worst in the state.
Is the state going to wait until it fails and falls into the Chehalis River with untold victims before it does anything? I talked to the Lewis County Road Department, and the guy I talked to said replacing the bridge isn't even in the 10-year road plan.
The bridge is way past its life expectancy, is very narrow and is just unsafe. It's supported with wood pilings and under layers of concrete and asphalt is a wooden plank deck.
I've been stopped on the bridge because of the stop light, and when oncoming log trucks, dump trucks and semi trucks cross, the bridge bounces like it's sitting on rubber bands.
When I called the Washington Department of Transportation, they said it was designed to bounce like that. I've been on thousands of bridges and the only other bridge that bounced like that was the suspension bridge at Rainbow Falls Park.
Come on, state of Washington. Fix the infrastructure that is outdated before adding more infrastructure that in the future has to be maintained.
Tony Christen
Chehalis
