Hansen overpass rebuild estimated to cost $15-17 million

MOSES LAKE — While a final cost hasn’t been determined, the new overpass at Hansen Road west of Moses Lake will cost an estimated $15 to $17 million. Chris Keifenheim, director for the Washington Department of Transportation, North Central Region, said Wednesday that demolition should start in June or early July.  

“Probably by the end of July or (early) August, you'll see a new bridge construction starting, and that will last until about the end of the year, when we anticipate completion,” Keifenheim said. 

He gave an update during a community meeting on the project; the bridge has been closed since mid-January due to deterioration both in the bridge deck and in the supporting structure. The closest detour route is Hiawatha Road, and Keifenheim said the contracts for Hansen Road include money to monitor the Hiawatha overpass.  

“Since we closed Hansen bridge, we said, ‘Let's take a real close look at Hiawatha.’ Hiawatha bridge is built in the same timeframe, 1958, so it is in similar condition to Hansen, but a little bit better. It's going down the same path, which isn't a great thing, but the good news is it's in a little better shape,” Keifenheim said. “We're actually including some provisions in the contract for Hansen bridge that if we need to, we can make some temporary repairs, in order to keep Hiwatha open for the duration of the detour.” 

Bridge demolition, and later some of the bridge construction, will require temporary closure of some lanes of Interstate 90 – and, said Randy Giles, WSDOT local construction engineer, complete freeway closure on a couple of occasions. 

“While we're demolishing overhead of I-90, we will have to shut I-90 down, and when we do one side, we'll put everybody over on the other (lanes), or we probably will use the westbound ramp for westbound traffic,” Giles said. “But that will be of very short duration. We expect the overhead to come down two or three days during the daytime.” 

Some of the work requiring lane closures and detours might happen at night, Giles said.  

“When we come back and set girders during the construction of the new bridge, we'll have to have a similar situation, because it's overhead work,” he said. “Now that work could probably happen at night, and that's probably what we'll do, is set that up for nighttime work.” 

Keifenheim was asked about revisions to the offramps and onramps, as long as the bridge itself was being replaced. He said the current project will only replace the bridge. While other revisions around the bridge are needed, in his opinion, the current contract is only to replace the bridge.  

In answer to a question, Keifenheim said the bridges at Broadway and Pioneer Way are both newer and in better condition than the bridges farther west. They are scheduled for regular inspections, he said. 

Dodson Road was built in the 1990s and is in better shape than Hiawatha or Hansen, Keifenheim said. But Adams Road, the next freeway overpass to the west of Dodson, was closed to traffic in early March. 

“We closed that one for basically the same situation that we're seeing out here at Hansen Road. And right now we're working through potential solutions, what exactly needs to be done, if it needs to be replaced, if it needs rehab, and then working through funding on that as well,” he said.