News

Temporary signals have been set up and work has begun to replace the Potato Hill Bridge on the southern edge of Moses Lake. Crews from Weaver Construction Company of La Grande, Ore., have installed a temporary concrete barrier and signals, in preparation for replacement of the $2.7 million bridge over Interstate 90.

Erection of the new structure is scheduled to begin in April, with completion planned by Thanksgiving, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.

The bridge's replacement has slimmed the roadway to one lane of traffic until September. The department of transportation is asking motorists to pull all the way up to the signs in the pavement in order to motion the temporary stop lights sensors that a car is present.

Traffic impact will be minimal on I-90, the department of transportation said.

The bridge is the last of 10 under-height overpasses to be replaced in Grant County, which have forced tall trucks for years to take a 36-mile detour off Interstate 90 and through Ephrata. The project was funded through existing gasoline taxes, and the 2003 and 2005 gas taxes passed by the Legislature. The 2005 gas tax provided $750,000 toward the construction of a bicycle and pedestrian structure as part of the bridge, for which the city of Moses Lake is contributing $25,000.

The current bridge sits between two-lane Potato Hill Road and four-lane Division Street. The new structure has been designed with four lanes of traffic in mind to accommodate the anticipated future growth of the area, and will be repainted to four lanes when traffic increases.