Date:  Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Contact: Bronlea Mishler, WSDOT Communications, 360-757-5947 (Burlington)
John Milton, WSDOT Director of Risk Management, 360-704-6363 (Olympia)

BURLINGTON – The Washington State Department of Transportation will be reimbursed by CNA Insurance for repairing and replacing the State Route 11, Chuckanut Drive overpass in Burlington. Taxpayers will not have to foot the $888,204.71 repair bill.

The overpass was severely damaged in July 2008 when it was hit by a truck towing an excavator on northbound Interstate 5. The overpass was closed from Jan. 26 to March 30, 2009, while crews demolished and rebuilt the damaged portion.

“While this was an unfortunate event, we are very pleased that CNA Insurance stepped up and paid for the damage and repairs,” said John Milton, WSDOT Director of Enterprise Risk Management. “CNA was very prompt and cooperative and helped bring this to an amicable resolution.”

Crews rebuilt the eastern portion of the overpass with stronger, wider concrete girders, increasing the height clearance over northbound I-5 by 6 inches – the clearance is now 15 feet 9 inches.

Pictures and videos of the damage, demolition and construction are available on the WSDOT Flickr account:
Damage - www.flickr.com/photos/wsdot/sets/72157606094350288/  
Demolition - www.flickr.com/photos/wsdot/sets/72157613079963114/  
Construction - www.flickr.com/photos/wsdot/sets/72157613624894603/  

For more details about the nearly $1 million project, visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I5/SR11ChuckanutBridgeRepair/.  

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