Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday issued an emergency proclamation authorizing emergency procurement procedures in order to repair the damage to the state Route 506 overpass in Lewis County caused when an over-height load struck the overpass on July 6.
The damage will require replacement of one span of the structure, with a cost estimated at over $1 million. The order is effective immediately.
The full proclamation is below:
WHEREAS, on July 6, 2021, the State Route 506/108 bridge over Interstate 5 (SR 506 overpass) was severely damaged when an over-height load heading southbound on Interstate 5 struck the SR 506 overpass where it crosses Interstate 5 near milepost 60 in Lewis County, Washington; and
WHEREAS, the damage sustained to the SR 506 overpass will require replacement of one span of the structure; and
WHEREAS, the Washington State Department of Transportation took emergency measures, closing travel lanes to restrict traffic from traveling over the damaged girders; and
WHEREAS, the estimated cost to repair the damage from the collision is over $1,000,000. Repair and the Washington State Secretary of Transportation approved necessary interstate highway closures. These emergency conditions caused, and continue to require, limited access to affected roadways for a significant period and will require the emergency procurement of a contractor to repair the damage; and
WHEREAS, the Washington State Department of Transportation is coordinating resources to repair the overpass and is working to implement repairs; and
WHEREAS, the overpass damage and its effects continue to impact the life and health of our citizens, as well as the property and transportation infrastructure of Washington State, all of which affect life, health, property, and the public peace, and constitute a public emergency demanding immediate action.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Jay R. Inslee, Governor of the state of Washington, as a result of the above-noted situation and under Chapters 38.52 and 43.06 RCW, do hereby proclaim that a State of Emergency exists in Lewis County in the state of Washington, and direct the plans and procedures in the Washington State Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan be implemented. State agencies and departments are directed to utilize state resources and to do everything reasonably possible to assist affected political subdivisions in an effort to respond to and recover from the incident. 2 Signed and sealed with the official seal of the state of Washington this 16th day of July A.D., Two Thousand and twenty-one at Olympia, Washington.
