Delayed repairs to start on county bridge

SULTAN — After postponing it for three months, work on an important connecting bridge is scheduled to start next week. The work will temporarily cause people living south of the Skykomish River Slough to spend more time reaching U.S. 2.

The 90-foot-long bridge at 311th Avenue SE is scheduled to be closed Monday through Thursday, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. If needed, work could be extended into the following week. The bridge will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

A bridge crew from Snohomish County public works department needs to replace support beams and portions of the timber deck. The bridge has one lane closed to prevent weakening the bridge.

The closure means people will have to drive through Monroe on Ben Howard and Lewis roads to reach U.S. 2.

“We are doing this to extend the service life of the bridge,” said Kinyan Lui, bridge group supervisor for the Snohomish County public works department.

Drivers should plan for their commutes to take at least 30 minutes longer, she said.

Almost 600 postcards have been sent to people living in the area to inform them of the closure.

In 2010, an average of 1,600 vehicles used the bridge every day, according to county’s data. The bridge is vital because it is used frequently by school buses, Lui said.

The main reason in choosing these days for the work is because schools are out for spring break, public works spokeswoman Tina Hokanson said.

Crews were at the site this week doing preparatory work and are observing water levels, she said.

“We are not expecting rains to be a problem by Monday morning,” Hokanson said.

The bridge was scheduled to be closed for 10 days in December, but the work was postponed because of weather conditions and community concerns.

People can check for project updates at the county’s website, www.snoco.org and type the name of the street in the search box.

You can also call Tina Hokanson at 425-388-3789 or send her an email, tina.hokanson@snoco.org.