Pasco’s $27M lifeline for eastside homes, businesses and schools is back on track

Plans to replace the dilapidated Lewis Street underpass with a bridge are back on track with the awarding of a $22.3 million construction contract.

The Pasco City Council has selected Cascade Bridge of Vancouver, Wash., to build the overpass, which is a lifeline between the downtown corridor and east Pasco.

The 84-year-old underpass is the primary east-west route in the city for fire trucks and ambulances, school and transit buses, and for many businesses.

Built in 1937, the tunnel currently goes under the railroad.

Occasionally the roadway must be closed so crews can clean up crumbling concrete or fix exposed rebar that has become a danger to both motorists and for people using the narrow staircase.

“I know it took the council before us, it took a lot of visits to Olympia, a lot of work to do this, and I finally (can) see it come to fruition,” said Mayor Saul Martinez. “I just want to thank everybody that had a big part of this and all the work that was put into it.”

The new bridge has been in the works for two decades. It was sidelined in early 2020 when statewide transportation construction projects were stopped by Gov. Jay Inslee following the passage of Initiative 976.

A majority of the total $27 million price tag for Pasco’s project is being covered by state grants, with the city contributing nearly $4.5 million.

It was shovel-ready at the time and just one month shy of going out to bid.

Now that the city has been given the green light by the state to proceed with the construction phase, staff reviewed competitive bids from six different general contractors before choosing the company based in southwestern Washington.

Cascade Bridge had the lowest bid at $22,345,000. Council members unanimously agreed on the choice.

The city received one bid protest on the project, but it was determined by legal counsel to be invalid.

Cascade Bridge is described on its Facebook page as a “heavy-highway general contractor specializing in bridge construction primarily in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.”

The company posted a Feb. 24 advertisement for the immediate hire of experienced field engineers for a project in Pasco.

Steve Worley, Pasco’s public works director, told council members that this process has been long-awaited and came with several requirements that have all been met.

Worley said the city has been coordinating with BNSF Railway, or Burlington Northern Santa Fe, and recently was told that the existing underpass will need to be demolished.

“The structure was designed and built for another time, is functionally obsolete and well past its useful life cycle, which presents safety and security concerns,” said the city.

It does not meet requirements of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act since the underpass was built decades earlier.

Buildings in the new overpass zone where Lewis Street will be re-routed were demolished several years ago. The construction project is expected to take about 1 1/2 years.