WSDOT will relocate 90-year-old Puyallup River Bridge this weekend

Drivers who rely on the State Route 167 Puyallup River Bridges at Meridian Avenue are encouraged to plan for delays and alternate routes this weekend, according to Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) officials.

Both the northbound and southbound bridges that span the Puyallup River will be closed to traffic while crews relocate an obsolete steel truss bridge. The 1920s-era bridge was replaced earlier this summer because it had reached the end of its useful life, according to WSDOT officials (see “WSDOT opens new State Route 167 Puyallup River Bridge,” Tacoma Daily Index, June 29, 2015).

As a result, all lanes of northbound and southbound State Route 167 near Meridian Avenue will close from 8 p.m. on Fri., Aug. 7, through 5 a.m. on Mon., Aug. 10, at the Puyallup River Bridge. During those times, crews will also close the southbound State Route 167 exit leading to the southbound bridge, as well as 4th Street and Levee Road under the bridges. Signed detours via State Route 512 and area roads will direct motorists around the closure.

Moving the 379-ton bridge will be a complex and time-consuming process, according to WSDOT officials. Crews working for WSDOT will lift and methodically place the old bridge truss onto the new northbound State Route 167 Puyallup River Bridge. The span will be taken, via a system of dollies, to a nearby WSDOT property where it will be stored for up to four years. WSDOT’s goal is to recycle the truss by offering it for another purpose, perhaps on a pedestrian or bicycle trail. If unsuccessful, WSDOT will recycle the steel.

Drivers traveling through Puyallup can help avoid delays by allowing extra time to reach destinations, traveling early in the morning or late in the evening, and considering rescheduling discretionary trips.

More information is available online here and here and here and here.

Crews working for WSDOT will use these dollies to relocate the old State Route 167 Puyallup River Bridge to a nearby property for storage. (PHOTO COURTESY WSDOT)

To read the Tacoma Daily Index‘s complete and comprehensive coverage of the new northbound State Route 167 Puyallup River Bridge, click on the following articles:

WSDOT opens new State Route 167 Puyallup River Bridge (Tacoma Daily Index, June 29, 2015)
WSDOT plans milestone Puyallup River Bridge relocation (Tacoma Daily Index, July 1, 2014)
WSDOT: Puyallup River Bridge inspections continue (Tacoma Daily Index, Oct. 25, 2013)
WSDOT: Puyallup River Bridge inspections resume this weekend (Tacoma Daily Index, Oct. 15, 2013)
WSDOT: Puyallup River Bridge inspections ahead (Tacoma Daily Index, Oct. 9, 2013)

Crews working for WSDOT will use these rails to relocate the old State Route 167 Puyallup River Bridge to a nearby property for storage. (PHOTO COURTESY WSDOT)

The steel truss, northbound State Route 167 Puyallup River Bridge, built in 1925, was replaced this summer because it reached the end of its useful life, according to WSDOT officials. (PHOTO COURTESY WSDOT)