Old Glory disappeared from the blue bridge. What happened and is it coming back?
The huge U.S. flag that has waved for years at the top of the blue bridge over the Columbia River in the Tri-Cities was taken down recently and has yet to be replaced.
The Washington Department of Transportation, which owns and maintains the Highway 395 span, said the mystery of the missing flag has a simple explanation.
Maintenance crews removed the old tattered flag on April 24 as part of DOT’s twice-yearly effort to replace it. However, workers realized some hardware needed replacing as well.
Replacement parts will take a few weeks to arrive.
Maintenance crews hope to install the new hardware and raise the new flag before the May 24-26 Memorial Day holiday weekend.
About 54,000 vehicles a day cross the bridge.
The Washington Department of Transportation just finished with its $33.5 million project to repaint the Pioneer Memorial Bridge with a fresh coat of Air Force blue.
The 2,500-foot, four-lane span built in 1955 carries traffic across the Columbia River between Kennewick and Pasco.
The year-long project began in February and jammed traffic across the Tri-Cities for much of the year.
This story was originally published May 7, 2025 at 2:54 PM.