Permanent I-5 Span in Washington to be Completed Sept. 14

Crews in Washington state are planning to move a new span of the Interstate 5 Skagit River bridge into place on the night of Sept. 14, the Washington State Department of Transportation said.

The span will replace temporary bridge pieces that have been in place since June in northwestern Washington, after a truck’s oversize load hit the bridge’s truss structure and caused part of it to collapse May 23. Workers have been building the span next to the bridge so they can complete it before sliding the temporary pieces out and the permanent one in.

Traffic will be detoured around the bridge for about 12 hours the night of Sept. 14 and the morning of Sept. 15, and likely be open for traffic that morning, WSDOT said in a Sept. 9 statement.

“Moving bridges is not easy,” WSDOT Assistant Regional Administrator Jay Drye said in the statement. “Drivers need to stay engaged and plan for detours.”