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Aug. 20, 2008 at 10:23am Chehalis bridge replacement to beginThe Washington State Department of Transportation announced a project to build a new bridge over the South Fork of the Chehalis River on State Route 6 will begin Aug. 25. The contract was awarded to Scarsella Bros., Inc. of Seattle, which submitted a bid of $7,854,340.30. This project is funded through the 2005 Transportation Partnership Account. "This is a project that many local citizens have been waiting to see happen for years. We are excited to see this work get started," said Chehalis-area engineer Colin Newell.
The bridge will help improve safety and relieve congestion on this portion of SR 6. It will be 40 feet wide, consisting of two, 12-foot lanes with eight-foot shoulders. The bridge will also be constructed on a new alignment 20 feet to the north, flattening the curve at the east end of the existing bridge. Motorists will no longer be stopping as they approach the bridge, decreasing the likelihood of rear-end collisions.
The existing bridge will not be removed until the new bridge is open to traffic, scheduled for late fall 2009. The majority of the work will not require lane closures. When lane closures are necessary, motorists can expect delays of up to 20 minutes. Those interested in weekly updates on the project can visit here, and a summary of the project can be viewed on the WSDOT project web page.Posted in BE Daily, Building, Lewis County, Manufacturing/Trade/Transportation by News Room | Email News Comments (0) Add your comment below |