Lewis and Clark Bridge will close starting Sunday night for up to eight days for repairs
The Lewis and Clark Bridge between Rainier and Longview, WA will close for up to eight days starting Sunday night.
The nearest highway crossings are the Astoria-Megler Bridge and the Interstate Bridge. The Wahkiakum County Ferry will be open with priority given to emergency services.
July 13, 2023
Contacts:
WSDOT, Kelly Hanahan, 360-905-2076
ODOT, Don Hamilton, 503-704-7452
The Lewis and Clark Bridge will close at 8 p.m. Sunday, July 16 for up to eight days while crews make repairs on the 1930 span across the Columbia River between Rainier and Longview, Washington.
During the closure, Combined Construction, Inc. crews will replace two of the bridge’s three expansion joints and a fractured floor beam. The repairs are necessary to ensure the long-term life of the bridge.
Pedestrians, bicyclists and emergency vehicles will be able to cross the bridge except from 10 p.m. Sunday, July 16 to 8 a.m. Monday, July 17 during replacement of the fractured floor beam when no traffic at all will be allowed.
The 93-year-old Lewis and Clark Bridge is the only span across the Columbia River between the Astoria-Megler Bridge near the mouth of the river and the Interstate Bridge between Portland and Vancouver. The closure may create hardships for communities along the Columbia River in Clatsop and Columbia counties in Oregon and require residents to plan ahead for important appointments.
Ferry Service
An alternative may be the Wahkiakum County Ferry between Westport and Cathlamet, Washington, which will run twice an hour, 24 hours a day while the bridge is closed. The ferry has extremely limited capacity and should be reserved for urgent matters that do not require an ambulance. Travelers choosing the ferry should expect lengthy wait times.
“As a critical connection for this bi-state community, we know this long disruption is an inconvenience for commuters, families and first responders,” said WSDOT Southwest Region Administrator Carley Francis. “We ask that travelers postpone their trips or assess their travel options using the available detours through Astoria or Portland, as the ferry will be prioritized for first responders, healthcare workers and those needing urgent medical attention. Others may face frustrating lengthy wait times.”
The bridge expansion joint replacement project had long been planned. But on April 12, bridge inspectors discovered the fractured floor beam resulting in a 12-hour emergency closure. Before that discovery, the bridge was scheduled to close for up to six days for expansion joint replacement work. The closure has now been extended to accommodate the additional work of installing a new floor beam.
For more information, go to WSDOT’s project web site.
Some night single lane closures will be necessary after the July 16 full bridge closure is completed.
Depending on where people begin and end their travel, using a detour could add upwards of two and a half hours of travel time. People who use the Washington SR 433 Lewis and Clark Bridge to reach scheduled medical services should plan their travel with this in mind and contact their providers to confirm or reschedule appointments.
The public can stay up-to-date on news and closure dates by subscribing to project email alerts.
For real time traffic updates in Oregon, go to TripCheck.com.
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