Work to repair an 80-year-old bridge closed since November continues this week after WSDOT awarded a $3.2 million construction contract to Scarsella Brothers of Kent to complete phase two of the project.

The SR 169 Green River Bridge, which carries more than 9,000 vehicles a day between Black Diamond and Enumclaw, was closed in November after several large rainstorms super-saturated the ground and aggravated an ancient landslide under the support piers of the bridge. The damage was linked to the storms and was therefore eligible for federal emergency funding totaling $15 million.

Contractor crews will work six days a week and plan to open the bridge to traffic some time in July.

WSDOT contractor, Tri-State Constructors of Bellevue, completed the first phase of repairs in December. The work provided 17 jobs for two months. The second phase of the work, the construction of a 160-foot-long retaining wall drilled deep into the bedrock, will be completed by Scarsella Brothers. This phase will support 63 jobs.

“The bridge is in good working order. It’s the ground that supports the bridge that needs work,” said Aleta Borschowa, WSDOT project engineer.

Two phases of work

In phase one, crews excavated a 200-foot by 80-foot by 30-foot section of road just south of the bridge. These photos show the enormity of the work: www.flickr.com/photos/wsdot/sets/72157610963340028/

In phase two, crews will install drainage systems and build a retaining wall adjacent to the south east corner of the bridge. Work may be noisy at times, but crews will do the noisy work during the day so as not to disrupt the community.