One more headache for drivers: Dan Evans Bridge to close in east King County
Sep 16, 2025, 2:00 PM | Updated: 2:06 pm
A map showing the location of the SR 169 Green River Dan Evans Bridge. (Photo courtesy of WSDOT)
(Photo courtesy of WSDOT)
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) decided to shut down the Dan Evans Bridge on State Route 169 (SR 169) to all traffic Monday night to allow WSDOT crews to begin repairing the steel beams.
The bridge is expected to be closed for “about 30 days,” according to WSDOT.
The decision to close the bridge was made during the initial inspection, but the closure didn’t take place until Sept. 15, once WSDOT had all the materials in place.
In August, a routine inspection by WSDOT discovered excessive wear on portions of steel support beams on the Dan Evans Bridge. Since that discovery, WSDOT made the decision to limit travel across the bridge to a single lane, alternating traffic to lighten the load across the bridge deck.
With a full bridge closure, crews can work faster to reopen the bridge in both directions. The option was to work with single-lane closures, but that would have extended repair work well beyond the current one-month timeline.
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Multiple communities rely on Dan Evans Bridge
The 93-year-old Dan Evans Bridge is a direct connection between Black Diamond and Enumclaw. Now, drivers will have a detour around this closure, but it isn’t nearly as lengthy as the 38-mile detour at the White River Bridge in Buckley.
The White River Bridge on State Route 410 (SR 410) is a direct connection between Enumclaw and Buckley. This bridge suffered severe damage in August when an over-height truck struck the steel support beams.
Unlike the Dan Evans Bridge, the damage to the White River Bridge was deemed unsafe and was closed immediately. Coincidentally, repair work just started on the White River Bridge, too.
WSDOT estimated it will take six to eight weeks to complete work on the White River Bridge, which puts the reopening date somewhere between Halloween and mid-November.
The Dan Evans Bridge is estimated to take one month for repairs, placing the reopening date around Oct. 15.
Fall is typically the “rainy season” in the Pacific Northwest, meaning the weather will play a role in the overall timeline with both projects.
Nate Connors is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. Follow him on X. Read more of his stories here. Submit news tips here.
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