A bridge south of Lake Stevens remains at one lane of travel after a heavy truck damaged the structure in a crash earlier this month.
A single lane of North Machias Road is closed at Bridge 270, over Little Pilchuck Creek, just north of 16th Street.
A concrete mixer truck was northbound when the driver swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle that crossed the centerline, according to a sheriff’s deputy report. The truck went off the road, took out guardrail and broke off bulkhead planks at the southeast corner of the bridge before sliding down the slope and landing on the passenger side next to the creek.
The lane has since been closed to keep traffic away from the exposed drop-off at the edge of the pavement.
The lane will remain closed until repairs can be made. There is no date set for that work. Snohomish County engineers are working on design for a fix.
About 5,000 vehicles travel across the 28-foot bridge each day, an increase over traffic counts four years earlier, according to county bridge reports. The bridge was built in 1977. It’s a “timber stringer” type, meaning the deck is laid atop wooden beams. The county had made $15,000 in improvements to the bridge in 2015.
Street Smarts: streetsmarts@heraldnet.com, 425-339-3432
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