CLALLAM COUNTY – On Wednesday of this week, KONP was included in an email between the employees and owners of a number of local construction companies, logging truck drivers and others, alarmed about the sudden posting of new load restrictions on the Indian Valley bridge on Highway 101 west of Port Angeles (Bridge #322, MP 237.55).
The allowable loads were lowered to a degree that appeared to restrict the movement of heavier loads, such as concrete trucks, between the east and west ends of the County. The posting on the bridge was apparently done without any previous public discussion or warning from the Department of Transportation.
The concern among many is the implication that many of this summer’s construction projects on the west side would have to be postponed or cancelled. Forks City Attorney and Planner Rod Fleck is among those seeking answers from the DOT but, like many others including KONP, he told us he had been unable to get any answers.
One local construction manager put it this way: “It is important to create public awareness around the choking off of this West End life line in order to generate the same WSDOT energy that repaired the downed, 4 lane, Interstate 5 span over Skagit River at Burlington in a matter of days. The “soft” posting of the limits with little to no public notice, no orange diamond placards on the weight limit signs to indicate a new regulatory sign and no Public Relations outreach from WSDOT, makes one suspect of the seriousness WSDOT is placing around this problem. Keep spreading the word.”
The DOT’s Olympic Region Communications Manager Linda Robson has responded to several of our emails since Wednesday, but only to say that she had no answers to questions regarding the condition of the 90-year-old bridge, the timeline for repairs, and who exactly could and could not use the bridge, among others.
KONP was also included in an email from Representative Mike Chapman’s office that went out Thursday which read in part: “Is there a reason that this wasn’t communicated to the public beforehand? What is the plan to reopen the bridge to heavy loads?”
On Friday at 5:22 PM, Robson sent us the following email:
“I just wanted to send a quick note and let you and everyone on this email know that there is a whole team of people in various offices and locations who are working on getting you answers right now. We hear you, and we’re working on taking all of the highly technical pieces in play here and getting it all sorted into clear, plain language that you can share with anyone who’s interested.
Right now, I can give you a preliminary piece of information, with more details to come on Monday, and that is this: I’m told the vast majority of commercial vehicles will have no problem crossing the bridge. For instance, a log truck and trailer, if its load is legal and does not require a special permit, should be good to go. For the most part, these newly posted weight limits only impact a handful of vehicles and specific cases.
Before I say more, I’ll admit to you that I’m still getting clarity on what those cases are, since I’m not a commercial vehicle expert and I’m not a bridge engineer myself. I hope to share more with you and the others who have contacted us on this issue on Monday.”
KONP will update the story as more information is made available.
Photo: Circulated copy of newly-posted load ratings.