SPOKANE, Wash. — The newly built East Trent Bridge is set to open to commuters on Tuesday. Before that, authorities and the public will celebrate the finishing of the new bridge with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday.
The East Trent Bridge was demolished has been under construction since 2020.
Washington Department of Transportation says the bridge will officially be open early Tuesday morning ahead of the morning commute.
The 110-year-old bridge was one of the first concrete bridges to cross the Spokane River. WSDOT says the bridge is getting too old and is costing more than it is worth. Typically WSDOT builds bridges to last 75 years, so the E. Trent Bridge had an impressively long life.
In 2020 work began on the replacement bridge and according to WSDOT, the opening is six months ahead of schedule.
Although this new bridge carries the same name of what formerly stood here in the past, the people of Spokane can expect some improvements while crossing. Two main upgrades include safer walking paths and increased space for bicycles to use the bridge.
Communications Manager for WSDOT, Ryan Overton said, "We’re really excited to get this back open. A lot of businesses have been looking forward to this in the area. It's created some challenges, difficult detours for the last couple of years but they've adapted and overcome so we're appreciative of their patience.”
According to Overton, from start to finish including the demolition and rebuild of the bridge, the project cost roughly $25 million to complete.
WATCH RELATED: Spokane's East Trent Bridge to be demolished starting this week
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