COLFAX — A long-anticipated bridge replacement project over the North Fork of the Palouse River has been postponed until 2029 because of the state's transportation budget shortfall.
"We were ready to go. In fact, the ad date was supposed to be October," said Ryan Overton, communications manager for Washington State Department of Transportation's eastern region.
The $13 million project would have replaced two aging bridges on State Route 26 and U.S. Highway 195 with a single structure designed to accommodate wide loads, heavy truck traffic, and a shared-use path at the north end of town. A roundabout was also planned to improve traffic flow at the intersection of the two highways.
"We are trying to understand why it was postponed," Overton said.
He said WSDOT had been working with the community since December 2022, having town halls with the city council, farmers and the trucking community to ensure they got local feedback on the project.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, one was built in 1931, with an average of 6,470 in daily traffic. The other bridge, built in 1936, has an average of 243 in daily traffic.
Both bridges are rated in "fair condition," according to the transportation department.
Matt Hammer, public works director for Colfax, said the delay won’t cause immediate issues but could lead to higher costs in the future because of inflation.
He also said the city is in the midst of designing a water improvement upgrade; the new bridge was going to support a new water pipe for future development.
"There's no leaks happening, but the current Highway 26 bridge supports our water pipeline," Hammer said.
Since they were notified of the delay, he said the city is scaling back its water infrastructure project until WSDOT provides further updates.
“It's not really hurting us right now, but we put some time and effort and a little bit of money into planning for something that didn't work out for us," Hammer said.
Casey Jones, manager and part owner of Jones Truck and Implement, said his business has been involved in discussions with WSDOT about replacing the bridge for about a decade. While he’s not immediately affected by the delay, the main concern is the life expectancy of the two aging bridges.
“We just had the largest tax increase in Washington State's history that I'm aware of, so resources are limited for building projects, and there are hundreds of bridges that are at the end of life in Washington State,” Jones said. “Nobody knows what the life expectancy for sure is of those bridges, but they've served this community very well.”
The only major issue he recalled was a 1996 flood that forced the closure of Highway 195 when water levels reached the bottom of one of the bridges.
“The water was cresting and hitting the bottom of the bridge. So that had been the only case where there had been a possible failure,” Jones said.
Jones also raised concerns about how the proposed roundabout would affect large agricultural equipment with the amount of traffic and heavy hauling that runs through the area north of Colfax, including for grain, hay and livestock.
He added the thought of moving into the new bridge design and having the roundabout has been a “scary proposition,” because farmers and truckers are going from four lanes across that area to two and a half.
“It's a pretty important piece of infrastructure for our whole farming community,” Jones said.
Overton said WSDOT remains committed to the bridge replacement project and will continue working with local community members in the lead-up to 2029.
“We've been able to work with WSDOT to come up with a design that will fit our region and fit for future growth of our region and look forward to the improvement,” Jones said.
Monica Carrillo-Casas is a Murrow News fellow for Spokane Public Radio and The Spokesman-Review. All stories produced by Murrow Local News fellows can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. Image rights may vary.