Contract for Hansen Road overpass to be awarded next week

MOSES LAKE — The Washington Department of Transportation expects to award the contract for replacement of the Hansen Road overpass next week. That in turn will help answer the question of a construction schedule.  

“The contract will be awarded May 20,” said Summer Derrey, assistant communications director for the Washington Department of Transportation South Central region. “We’ll know for sure shortly after that.” 

As every driver who lives in Mae Valley – and plenty of other drivers – know, the overpass was closed in January, after an inspection uncovered extensive structural damage. While WSDOT officials considered repairs to extend its life, ultimately they decided to replace it. 

Department of Transportation officials reallocated money from other projects to Hansen Road, which allowed them to speed up construction. As of now construction is scheduled to start anywhere from mid-June to early July. Completion of the project, estimated at $15 to $17 million, is scheduled for late December 2026 or early January 2027.  

Road crews have working on various projects, and drivers have been encountering them, since March, and while some projects have been completed already, some are ongoing and others have just started. 

The roundabout at the intersection of State Route 17 and West Cunningham Road near Othello is one of those in the beginning stages. There’s 24-hour traffic control at the intersection, and will be until the project is completed in mid-July. 

“One-way alternating traffic controlled by temporary signals will remain in place, including weekends and off-duty hours,” Sebastian Moraga, communications consultant with the Washington State Department of Transportation North Central region, wrote in a press release.  

Construction crews will be working from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, Moraga said. Project completion is scheduled for mid-July. 

There are detour routes with signs via Lee Road to the west of SR 17, Booker Road to the east and State Route 26 to the south for people who want to avoid the intersection.   

Travelers on Interstate 90 will encounter a repaving project on the east side of the Vantage Bridge near George, and the bridge itself is in its third year of bridge deck replacement. 

Crews are working on repaving sections of the eastbound and westbound lanes of I-90 between the bridge and George. Moraga said crews will be working at night, so drivers should plan accordingly.  

“Work will occur from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Friday each week,” Moraga said. “Contractors will repave and restripe approximately 11 miles of I-90 to extend the service life of the pavement.” 

It’s the third year of construction on the bridge, with the work in the daytime – but traffic restrictions and reduced speed limits in the work zone are in place 24 hours per day. Crews are replacing the existing bridge deck. 

Summer is the season of camping and heading into the woods, but some areas will be off-limits for at least part of the summer as crews repair damage on State Route 20, also known as the North Cascades Highway.  

Typically, SR 20 closes sometime in late October and reopens in April or May, but 2026 is not typical. The road was damaged due to washouts in December.  

A section of SR 20 is open and accessible from Winthrop and Mazama, but it’s closed about 24 miles west of Mazama at Porcupine Creek, according to the DOT. It’s closed between Porcupine Creek and Diablo Lake, about 23 miles east of Marblemount.  

The Easy Pass trailhead is not accessible, wrote Rachel Terlep, DOT statewide social media manager, in a press release.  

The closure is projected to last at least through midsummer, Terlep said. The goal is to reopen by July 4. 

“Please understand this is a goal, not a promise,” she said.