WSDOT keeping eyes on Island bridge deck

Rumors of pending weight restrictions for the Puget Island bridge are unfounded, Washington State Department of Transportation officials said this past week.

The officials were responding to a query from Wahkiakum County Public Works Director Pete Ringen.

The bridge has a wooden plank deck covered with asphalt, and potholes occur in the paving.

"Weight restrictions are not planned at this time," WSDOT Local Programs Engineer Lynn Rust, P.E., said in an email to Ringen. "The issues are being tracked, and the region bridge crew has been diligently working on maintaining the bridge to keep it open to legal truck weights."

However, another WSDOT official commented that the deck is nearing the end of its life expectancy, and weight restrictions are a possibility if damage becomes extensive.

"My answer would be that unless the deck gets replaced, there eventually may be a weight restriction on this bridge" SW Region Bridge Supervisor Mike London told Ringen.

"There are holes that go all the way through the deck," Landon said. "These holes are caused by rot. We are and have been for several years covering these holes with steel plates. As more holes appear, we put down more steel plates. Also, as the rot spreads on the current holes, we put down bigger steel plates to cover the larger area. All this extra steel adds weight to the structure supporting the wooden deck.

"If I am correct, the life expectancy on this deck is 25 to 30 years. Currently, this deck is about 28 years old. I am not sure what the time frame will be for a deck replacement project. "