SPOKANE, Wash. — Washington State Department of Transportation construction crews will restart construction on the East Trent Bridge on June 1.
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 has had an impressively long life.
The process of demolishing the current bridge and building a new one will take four years because crews can only work during certain months. Crews also have to check water heights and the speed of the river. If the water levels and speed of the river reach certain thresholds, crews have to stop construction.
WSDOT Spokesperson Ryan Overton said the unique part of construction on the bridge is that crews are demolishing and building the bridge in portions. WSDOT crews try to remove and construct one pier each year. Crews aren’t able to demolish the entire bridge all at once based on the restrictions with in-water work, Overton said.
Crews put bird nets around the existing bridge to ensure the demolition does not endanger any wildlife. WSDOT also determined detours for people who need to get around the closure.
Normal cars can take Spokane Falls Boulevard to Martin Luther King Junior Way to reconnect to Trent Ave. Or they can take Mission to get across the Spokane River and use Napa to reconnect to Trent Ave.
Bikers and walkers should use the Iron Street Bridge just north of Trent.
Semi-trucks will have to use I-90 East to Freya Street, then head North to reconnect with Trent.
The closures and detours will be in place for four years. The new bridge will be done by the end of 2023, and will have a new bike lane, walking path, and less pillars in the river.