Snohomish County bridges are under the microscope with the release of the latest Annual Bridge Report, revealing a decade's worth of upgrades to the area's arterial pathways. Spanning across 1,600 miles of rustic veins that bind communities and majestic natural sites, 56 bridges have gotten major facelifts since 2003, painting a picture of progress for the county's infrastructure, according to the report made public on the county’s website.
There's no slowing down for these essential lifelines as Public Works honcho, Kelly Snyder, affirms the mission to match the pace of the growing county, "As our county continues to grow, it is essential that our infrastructure keeps pace and provides access for residents and responders," she underscored, detailing the scooping up of federal funds that made up over 80 percent of bridge construction scratch and the drive to keep these crossings safe and functional for the community.
Last year’s run saw the county bridge group giving 107 local bridges the once-over and perfecting eight significant repairs like bandaging up the Riley Slough Bridge 52 with a new timber beam straight out of an emergency situation, additionally, 28 city-owned bridges got a check-up under joint agreement with towns and in the name of safety, every bridge gets eyeballed at minimum, biennially, which is the straight dope straight from the bridge engineer’s mouth, Tim Tipton, who told the county website, "Our bridge inspection teams are working throughout the year to gather information and prioritize maintenance and repairs,” elaborating on the importance of the sufficiency ratings and the dibs on which bridges get tender love and care or total makeovers.
The county's bridge inventory swelled from 205 to 210, counting fresh additions like Seven Mile Bridge 673 and Mann Road Culvert 145 which are part of larger projects to enhance road safety and accommodate new housing developments, the Stillaguamish Tribe pitched in as well, building the 236th St Culvert 680, not to mention the Woods Creek Vista culverts 681 and 682 developed by eager beavers in the construction sector, all compliant with the National Bridge Inspection Standard, crews finished construction of Seven Mile Bridge 673 on the reopened section of Index-Galena Rd and built Mann Road Culvert 145 as part of the Mann Rd and Ben Howard Rd Improvements project south of Sultan, ensuring these newbies are up to scratch and linking lives across the county, this according to the same annual report released by the county.
The hard hats go out ever steady, with all county bridges undergoing a meticulous inspection regime at least every two years, following the commandments of the National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS). The state of these structures isn't just local news either, as all this data gets fed to the big guns at the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) as they figure who gets a slice of the federal funding pie, ensuring the buck gets passed along to keep the county connected.
