City of Tacoma announces immediate closure of bridge for safety concerns

The City of Tacoma announced the immediate closure of a bridge Friday as a safety measure after a recommendation from the Federal Highway Administration.

The Fishing Wars Memorial Bridge, which spans the Puyallup River, will be closed immediately to all vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians.

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The bridge will be closed until steel tension members and connections are cleaned, a complete inspection is completed, the inspection results are analyzed, and the load rating is updated (if required).

The most recent load rating for the Fishing Wars Memorial Bridge was conducted in 2019.

Anyone with questions about the bridge is asked to contact Project Engineer Steve Carstens at scarstens@cityoftacoma.org or (253) 591-5263.

🚧 The Fishing Wars Memorial Bridge in #Tacoma is recommended for immediate closure by the @USDOTFHWA. This precautionary measure ensures safety as non-redundant steel tension members and the bridge completes inspection and necessary load updates. ➡https://t.co/scoSfCnsfQ pic.twitter.com/WWSUbhcekl

— City of Tacoma (@CityofTacoma) October 21, 2023

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