Local

Cold weather blamed for Umatilla Bridge delays

By Wendy Culverwell
The Oregon-bound Umatilla Bridge won’t reopen until spring or summer, after the weather warms up enough for crews to pour a new concrete deck as part of a $10 million rebuild. The bridge was originally constructed in 1955. A second bridge will carry Interstate 82 across the Columbia until the bridge reopens.
The Oregon-bound Umatilla Bridge won’t reopen until spring or summer, after the weather warms up enough for crews to pour a new concrete deck as part of a $10 million rebuild. The bridge was originally constructed in 1955. A second bridge will carry Interstate 82 across the Columbia until the bridge reopens. Archive Tri-City Herald
Kennewick, WA

The eastbound Umatilla Bridge won’t reopen until next spring or summer thanks to unanticipated repairs and cold weather.

The Washington Department of Transportation said cold weather is the primary reason the $10 million project to rebuild the bridge. Crews won’t wrap up this year as planned. Crews won’t be able to finish pouring the new concrete deck until the weather warms back up.

The bridge opened in 1955 and carries eastbound traffic on Interstate 82 from Washington to Oregon. The rebuild began in 2017 and was supposed to wrap up this year.

Until the bridge reopens, I-82 is limited to a single bridge over the Columbia. The newer bridge normally carries westbound traffic toward Washington.

The bridge is jointly owned by Washington and Oregon but Washington is leading the project..

DOT reminded drivers to leave added time when traveling over the holidays. With traffic limited to a single bride, backups form, as seen on the Sunday after the Thanksgiving holiday.

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