Travelers urged to check for travel impacts at Vantage Bridge, along alternate routes

VANTAGE — Work on the Vantage Bridge is expected to lead to delays — maybe long delays — especially on busy summer weekends. As a result, the Washington Department of Transportation is suggesting that drivers look for alternative routes on those busy weekends. 

The $79 million project will repair the bridge deck, which has shown signs of deterioration. Work is scheduled for spring, summer and fall through 2027. The cost of the project is about $79 million. 

Megan Lott, DOT public information officer for the South Central region, said travelers should prepare for longer trips, no matter what route they take.

“Unfortunately, there is going to be a lot of construction work taking place across the state this summer,” Lott wrote in response to an email from the Columbia Basin Herald. “So even if drivers detour around the Vantage Bridge, they will still run into areas where there will be active construction work zones.”

Lott said travelers should check the DOT’s “real-time travel map” on the website to determine the best route before they take to the road. 

The DOT map will have the most up-to-date information, Lott said in a separate interview. Travel apps that aren’t updated have sent people down inadequate roads — Lott cited the case of closure on Interstate 90 where travel apps sent drivers down a US Forest Service road. 

One lane in each direction will be open during construction. Crews will be working Monday through Friday through the end of May. Construction work will expand to seven days per week from June through the end of the construction season in September or October. 

Both lanes on the bridge will be open from Friday evening to Tuesday morning of Memorial Day weekend, from July 1 through 8, and from Friday evening to Tuesday morning of Labor Day weekend. Only one lane will be open on other summer weekends, including concert weekends at the Gorge Amphitheatre. 

In addition, companies and farmers should be aware that the restrictions will be in place during harvest, and plan accordingly if they’re shipping produce to the west side. 

Lott said construction conditions are expected to cause some slowdowns.

“It’s going to be pretty narrow through there,” Lott said of the bridge construction zone. “So we’re going to be reducing the speed limit to 40 miles per hour.”

The narrow lanes and slower speeds are expected to slow traffic on the approaches to the bridge — not stop it, but slow it down considerably. Lott said DOT engineers don’t anticipate major traffic delays during the week; it’s the weekends that are expected to cause delays, possibly up to 90 minutes or longer.

As a result message boards will be installed along I-90 to alert travelers to the current travel times. One will be set up at Ellensburg, another in Ritzville, where people can take advantage of alternate routes. 

Highway 395 is one alternative westbound, from Ritzville through Tri-Cities, then Interstate 82 through Yakima and to its junction with I-90 south of Ellensburg.

That route does take travelers over the Pioneer Memorial Bridge between Pasco and Kennewick, also known as the Blue Bridge. The bridge is being repainted, a project that began in February and will continue throughout the summer. Travelers can expect intermittent lane closures in both directions; closures can occur day or night, according to the DOT website.

Highway 97 is an alternative westbound, over Blewett Pass through Wenatchee and Quincy back to I-90. No construction is planned for state Route 28 between Wenatchee and Quincy, according to the DOT website, and no DOT projects are listed for U.S. 97 over Blewett Pass. Crews may be working on county roads, however, which could lead to delays.

Cheryl Schweizer may be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.