The historic I-82 Columbia River Bridge at Umatilla will be closed in July to receive a $9.4 million deck replacement, with work lasting until the fall of 2018.
Under a total closure, Max J. Kuney Construction will replace the bridge deck in sections, and rehabilitate critical steel members, to bring the structure up to standard.
Initially, traffic will be confined to a single lane on the older bridge, while workers build the detour. The two-way structure was built in 1955 and now carries traffic southbound into Oregon.
After July 4, all traffic will be routed to the newer bridge, built in 1988, with a single lane for each direction. Speeds will be reduced for safety.
The Washington Department of Transportation takes the lead on identifying and administering the preservation and maintenance needs on the I-82 bridges at Umatilla.
The older steel truss bridge is 3,308 feet in length and the newer concrete bridge is 3,433 feet in length. More than 8,000 vehicles use the bridges daily.
A future project, painting the steel trusses, is expected to cost $40 million and be funded in the 2021-23 biennium.
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