Southbound Interstate 5 will be closed at Exit 60 near Toledo from 9 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 29, to 6 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 30, as crews continue work to replace the damaged southbound section of the state Route 506/Toledo-Vader Road overpass.
Specifically, contracted crews with SB Structures LLC will work overnight to install new bridge girders over the southbound lanes of I-5, according to the Washington state Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
“Each bridge girder weighs approximately 120,000 pounds and is critical for supporting the deck of the new structure,” WSDOT Project Engineer Paul Mason stated in a news release.
“To ensure everyone’s safety during demolition and bridge girder setting, all lanes of southbound I-5 will close overnight at the overpass.”
The overnight closure may be rescheduled to a later date after WSDOT decides how best to approach repairing damage to the northbound span of the overpass caused by an oversize load on Thursday, according to a news release.
WSDOT planned to make that decision by Tuesday, Mason told The Chronicle on Friday.
The overpass itself has been closed since an oversize load damaged the southbound span of the bridge on July 6, 2021. Contractors have so far demolished the damaged southbound section of the bridge and placed pedestals that the breakers will eventually sit atop, according to Mason.
Both directions of I-5 have been intermittently closed over the summer as crews began work related to the replacement of the damaged southbound span of the overpass.
Although the $833,000 project is scheduled for completion in late October, the bridge will remain closed to travelers until WSDOT can repair damage to the northbound side.
The continued closure is “for the safety of the traveling public,” WSDOT stated in a news release.
An oversize load traveling northbound on I-5 struck the underside of the overpass at approximately 10 a.m. on Sept. 22, closing the freeway for several hours as crews cleared the wreck and evaluated the damage to the bridge.
“We did have contractor personnel and a bridge inspector out there when the bridge strike happened, and I’m really happy that we’re here talking about property damage and not about injury,” Mason told a Chronicle reporter on Friday. “All in all, this went as good as it can for a bad situation.”
As of Friday afternoon, the Washington state Department of Transportation (WSDOT) was “working to determine next steps” for repairing the northbound span of the state Route 506 overpass, according to a news release.
“We’re evaluating our options,” Mason told a Chronicle reporter on Friday.
