Hansen Road bridge construction to begin late June, early July

MOSES LAKE — Demolition of the Hansen Road overpass will begin in late June or early July. Chris Keifenheim, North Central Region administrator for the Washington State Department of Transportation, said DOT officials will be monitoring the Hiawatha Road overpass to ensure it stays open during construction. 

“I think you’re all aware we were able to get the funding to replace the bridge,” Keifenheim said. “You’ll see bridge construction happening out there from July until about the end of December. Right now, our plan is to finish around the first of the year, the end of 2026, the (beginning) of 2027.” 

Keifenheim gave an update on the bridge to the Moses Lake City Council at its regular meeting Tuesday.  

The bridge was closed in January after inspectors found considerable damage to the bridge's deck and supporting pillars. The closest alternate route for residents of Mae Valley and the area south of Interstate 90 is Hiawatha Road, which required repairs to the bridge deck in early February.  

“That bridge has seen some deterioration as well. We are monitoring that closely with the intent to keep that bridge in full operation during the detour,” Keifenheim said. “We did do some fluoride testing on that as well, and it is seeing some deterioration similar to that at Hansen, but just a little bit behind.” 

Money was included in the Hansen Road project for repairs to Hiawatha Road if necessary, he said. 

The new Hansen Road bridge will be designed with central columns as the main support, which is slightly cheaper and easier to maintain, he said. Demolition and some of the work on the new bridge will require closures of one lane in each direction on I-90, he said.  

Mayor Dustin Swartz said the Hansen Road intersection could use additional work. 

“One that comes to mind is where you added, like a half-roundabout on the south side,” Swartz said. “Will that be put in in a more permanent fashion?” 

Keifenheim said the only work scheduled for this contract is the bridge replacement. 

“I fully agree that there are some improvements, both on the north and south side, that would be beneficial that would be beneficial to the operation of that intersection, the safety of that intersection, but that’s not the funding we have,” he said. “This is strictly to replace the current bridge.” 

In answer to a question from council member Victor Lombardi, Keifenheim said the new bridge is projected to last about 75 years.  

“With good maintenance and preservation, we could expect them to last even longer than that, but that’s part of the reason you’re seeing this deterioration on some of these bridges now is that we just haven’t been able to keep up with the maintenance and preservation we need to with the funding that we have,” Keifenheim said. 

Council member Don Myers said the city owns a fire truck that can’t cross the existing bridge when it’s fully loaded with water. He asked if the new bridge would be able to handle that weight. Keifenheim said he didn’t know. 

“All regular load ratings should be able to cross the bridge,” Keifenheim said. “I’ll double-check on that.”  

Neighborhood information meeting 
Hansen Road bridge construction
6:30 p.m. March 18
Pillar Rock Grill, 1373 Road F.2 NE