Date:  Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Contact: Al Gilson, Communications Manager
WSDOT Eastern Region
(509)324-6015
gilsona@wsdot.wa.gov

The new Pine Creek bridge along SR 27 opened to traffic on Thursday, October 21st, making flood-related closures a thing of the past.

The new taller, wider concrete bridge located between Oakesdale and Tekoa, in northeastern Whitman County, replaced a vintage timber bridge originally built in 1937. Crews also raised the adjacent roadway during construction.

Prior to the new bridge, Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) maintenance crews routinely had to close SR 27 when snow was melting because water would flood across the low-lying roadway.

The new bridge and elevated roadway are long-term fixes that will help reduce the risk of flood damage and prevent costly emergency repairs.
 
Although the bridge and roadway are finished and is open to traffic, the contractor will wait until spring to pave the final layer of asphalt. The warmer spring weather will ensure that the final layer will be high quality and meet specifications.

Funding for this $2.3 million construction project came from the Transportation Partnership Act passed by the 2005 legislature.

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