Bridge trouble

Federal rules delay Silverton span replacement

By Leslie Moriarty

Herald Writer

SILVERTON — It may be another long, hard winter for the handful of residents on the south side of the bridge.

It looks like it will be the summer of 2002 before the county-owned bridge over the Stillaguamish River is replaced.

For people such as Mary Deaton, that means dealing with the aging wooden bridge, built in the 1920s, through another winter. The bridge, part of which is less than 8 feet wide and now has a 5-ton weight limit, won’t support the trucks that deliver propane and other goods needed by homeowners across the Stillaguamish from Silverton.

Snohomish County roads official Stephen Dickson said the Silverton Bridge won’t be replaced until next summer. Plans to get the bridge replaced this year have been delayed because of a complex federal permitting process.

"We understand that it is awkward for the residents out there," Dickson said. "But we have to go through the federal permitting process for the project because it is near a river."

Silverton is a community of about 50 residents, about 22 miles east of Granite Falls on the Mountain Loop Highway. The town recently gained fame because it will soon get telephone service, something the locals have wanted for years.

But now those who live south of the Mountain Loop Highway and must cross the Silverton Bridge to get to their homes are seeking Snohomish County’s help in getting the bridge replaced.

"It’s been a battle for about the last two years," Deaton said. "We’ve seen them take planks out of the bridge as they failed, and now it is so narrow that a standard truck can barely fit through."

There’s also the 5-ton weight limit, meaning those who need things such as propane have to take tanks to the other side of the bridge to have them filled and then cart them home in their own vehicles, she said.

"We bought this house hoping that we would be able to live there year-round," said the Seattle resident by weekday, and Silverton resident by weekend. "But without propane deliveries and the septic pumping service being able to get over the bridge, it can’t happen."

She also said snow removal off the county-owned bridge isn’t what it should be in the winter.

Dickson said the bridge replacement project has been on the board for the past year. But new environmental regulation regarding salmon in the Stilliguamish River has slowed the project.

"We would like to build it just as quick as we can," he said. "But we have to abide by the rules."

Dickson said he isn’t sure what the project will cost. He said construction specifications and bids won’t be done until next spring. And while the work is under way, there will only be pedestrian access to the far side of the river.

Longtime Silverton resident Diane Boyd, who doesn’t have to cross the bridge to get to her home, said she feels for those who use the bridge.

"In the condition it’s in right now, I’d pray every time I crossed it," she said.

Deaton also plans to get a new, larger propane tank at her place. But that’s going to have to wait until the bridge is replaced.

"It’s not the end of the world," she said. "But it is an inconvenience and has the potential to deprive us from using our cabin."

You can call Herald Writer Leslie Moriarty at 425-339-3436

or send e-mail to moriarty@heraldnet.com.

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