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Winlock Police Chief Terry Williams (center) is assisted by officers Blaine Empting (right) and Tyler Randt-Williams (left) in re-securing the fencing around Fir St. Bridge after observing a pedestrian illegally crossing the structure April 22. While the pedestrian was given a warning that day, crossing the bridge is considered a misdemeanor trespassing offence as well as a significant risk of harm due to its unsound foundation, according to Mayor Lonnie J. Dowell.
Winlock officials say Fir St. Bridge may not be replaced until around 2016, given current funding timetables, though a temporary footbridge is being pursued to help restore access across Olequa Creek.
In an interview Friday, Mayor Lonnie J. Dowell said the city will not likely know the approval status of a grant application to the Federal Highways Bridge Program until around the end of this year, and that the engineering and planning necessary to prepare for bridge replacement, among other tasks, will likely not be complete until another year after that.
Fir St. Bridge had been closed indefinitely to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic on March 13 after the city received a report March 12 from bridge inspectors who indicated the foundation of the bridge had eroded severely, rating it 26.13 out of 100 on a scale of structural sufficiency.
“The bridge itself is fine. It’s the foundation that’s toast,” said Dowell, who has emphasized the structure’s potential for suddenly collapsing under its own weight, according to the inspector’s report.
While Dowell initially reported the city was seeking $2.01 million in grant assistance to replace the bridge, he said Friday more recent figures from engineers estimate the cost of replacement at around $3.2 million and the application for the grant, due May 5, will be adjusted to reflect these figures and pursue full bridge replacement.
If awarded, the grant would require Winlock to contribute matching funds of 13.5 percent if construction is able to proceed by 2016, or 20 percent if construction begins after 2018, according to information from the Washington Department of Transportation, who is facilitating the grant. Dowell has said it remains unknown where Winlock would come up with matching funds, but has indicated other funding sources, such as a grant from the state’s Transportation Improvement Board, may be available.
Until the bridge is replaced, Dowell said Winlock is looking into the possibility of acquiring a pre-fabricated truss bridge, or Bailey bridge, to be installed alongside Fir St. Bridge and allow pedestrians access across that section of Olequa Creek, rather than traveling to Walnut St. Bridge to cross.
Dowell said his office has been in touch with Lewis County to determine the availability of such equipment and expects to learn this week if it may be an option. He said it is also the city’s hope to find a bridge large enough to facilitate one-lane vehicle traffic as well, but said the west slope of Olequa Creek may not be large enough to accommodate such a structure.
In the mean time, Dowell said it is the city’s advice to those needing to cross Olequa Creek to use Walnut St. Bridge rather than attempting to cross Fir. St. Bridge, acknowledging some residents have been observed by law enforcement stepping over the temporary fence securing the bridge to cross on foot. Dowell said those who do so are not only risking a misdemeanor trespassing arrest, but also substantial bodily harm, should the bridge fail.
“People don’t understand the severity of the bridge, how bad it is,” said Dowell, stating the bridge’s closure was a matter of ensuring public welfare rather than imposing an obstacle to residents. “We’re doing it for their safety, not for their inconvenience.”
Dowell added, if the city has an opportunity to acquire a Bailey bridge, they also plan to pursue cyclone fencing for a more thorough deterrent against pedestrian use of Fir S. Bridge.
