Fox Island bridge deemed ‘structurally deficient’
Jul 23, 2013, 12:29 PM | Updated: 1:46 pm
One of Pierce County’s busiest bridges gets a downgrade. The 60-year-old Fox Island span is now considered “structurally deficient.”
A recent underwater inspection revealed holes and gouges in the steel supported concrete footings on the county’s longest bridge. County bridge supervisor Kraig Shaner said they’re putting the structure on the “transportation improvement plan” to begin saving for future replacement or repairs.
“There’s not an imminent need for repair or replacement,” said Shaner.
The bridge has a sufficiency rating of 7.33 out of 100, but Shaner speculated there are “probably thousands of bridges” across the nation that are below a 10.
The 1,950-foot-long bridge, connecting Fox Island to the Gig Harbor Peninsula, handles more than 6,000 vehicles a day.
Shaner said the county must start planning now to replace the bridge. Meantime, the bridge’s substructure is something to monitor, but a replacement bridge, estimated to cost between $50 million and $60 million, could be 20 years down the road, he said.
