Date:  Thursday, April 09, 2009

Contact: Jerry Barsness, WSDOT Bridge Superintendent, (360) 601-8590 (Vancouver)
Abbi Russell, WSDOT Communications, (360) 690-5367 (Vancouver)

Bridge inspectors find damage under southeast pier

MORTON – The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) restricted the SR 508 Tilton River Bridge in Lewis County (milepost 32.25) to single-lane traffic and no overweight loads today after bridge inspectors found a sizeable amount of damage under the southeast pier.

The bridge, located just west of Morton, is currently restricted to single-lane, legal-weight traffic in alternating directions. An automated signal device directs all traffic to use the westbound lane. This will minimize stress to the affected pier under the eastbound lane. Drivers can expect 15-minute delays during peak travel times.

WSDOT is developing a permanent repair for the bridge. Once engineers determine the extent of the necessary repairs, WSDOT will release a tentative timeline for the work.

The SR 508 Tilton River Bridge was built in 1947 and carries an average of 2,600 vehicles per day. Its last biennial inspection was performed in February 2008.

The underwater portions of the bridge were inspected by WSDOT’s specialized bridge inspection dive team on Tuesday, April 7. The results of their inspection led WSDOT to implement restrictions for the safety of travelers and preservation of the bridge. Bridge engineers suspect that the damage was caused by the January 2009 flooding.

WSDOT inspected 1,909 state and local agency-owned bridges in 2008. This year, the agency is scheduled to inspect 2,018 bridges, including 59 underwater bridge inspections performed by WSDOT’s dive team. For more information on WSDOT’s Bridge Inspection program, please visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Bridge/Reporting/Inspection.htm.

For weekly updates on this and all other traffic impacts in the region, please visit the WSDOT Southwest Region Weekly Travel Advisory Web page at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Regions/SouthWest/Construction. 

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WSDOT keeps people, businesses and the economy moving by operating and improving the state's transportation systems. To learn more about what we're doing, go to http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/newsfor pictures, videos, news and blogs. Real time traffic information is available at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/trafficor by dialing 5-1-1.

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