News from King County Department of Transportation
Release date:  July 5, 2007

King County Roads to kick off busy week of construction

There are several road and bridge projects scheduled to begin next week in unincorporated King County that could disrupt local traffic. These critical repair projects are taking place near the communities of Index, Snoqualmie, North Bend, Hobart, and South Park. Some of the road closures are lengthy.

The King County Road Services Division will begin work Monday, July 9 on four separate projects, with a two-day closure of the South Park Bridge scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, July 14 and 15. Here is a breakdown of each project.

Baring Bridge – Index
King County will be making repairs to the Baring Bridge over the South Fork of the Skykomish River for approximately three weeks beginning Monday, July 9. The bridge is located on Northeast Index Creek Road near the community of Baring, which is between Index and Skykomish on State Route 2 (Stevens Pass Highway). During the closure, repairs will be made to both timber and steel parts of the bridge that are deteriorating. Work is expected to be completed by July 30.

During the work, Northeast Index Creek Road will be closed from 639th Avenue Northeast to 641st Avenue Northeast between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Traffic will be allowed to pass through at the top of each hour, but motorists should expect long delays.

396th Drive Southeast – Snoqualmie
Near Snoqualmie, 396th Drive Southeast north of town will be closed for seven weeks to make major repairs. The road will be closed from Monday, July 9 through Thursday, Aug. 23 between Southeast 53rd Street and Southeast 60th Street.

The county will be replacing two deteriorating culverts underneath the roadway. The culverts are showing signs of failure, which could lead to serious problems on the road above them. Also, the pipes have become inaccessible for fish passage, and stormwater is starting to undercut the stream.

During the closure, motorists can detour via Mill Pond Road Southeast, State Route 202 and Southeast Tokul Road.

North Fork Road Southeast (Wagners Bridge) – North Bend
Wagners Bridge, which carries North Fork Road Southeast over the North Fork of the Snoqualmie River about 10 miles northeast of North Bend, will be closed for construction from Monday, July 9 through November.

The road is a popular access point to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness for hikers and recreationalists. The deteriorating one-lane bridge will be replaced with a concrete girder bridge at the same location. The new bridge will be built to current safety standards, will support legal highway loads, and will span the 100-year flood plain.

While the bridge is closed, motorists can purchase a vehicle access permit to the Hancock Forest Management Group's private road network to get into the public recreation areas beyond the bridge. For information about the vehicle permit call (360) 879-5823. Vehicle permits are also available for sale at the Ace Hardware in North Bend. There is also access to the Alpine Lakes area on Forest Service roads from the north and east.

276th Avenue Southeast – Hobart
In Hobart, 276th Avenue Southeast will be closed for seven weeks to make major repairs. The road will be closed from Monday, July 9 through Wednesday, Aug. 22 between Southeast 197th Street and Southeast 200th Street.

The county will be replacing a deteriorating culvert underneath the main road through Hobart – which is also the continuation of the Issaquah-Hobart Road south of State Route 18. Motorists can detour via Southeast 216th Street, 244th Avenue Southeast and SR 18.

South Park Bridge – South Seattle/Tukwila
The South Park Bridge over the Duwamish River will be closed Saturday and Sunday, July 14-15, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. During the closure, crews will be trimming the center ends of the draw span to restore alignment, and repair rail posts and electrical conduits.

While the bridge is closed, there will be no vehicle or pedestrian access on14th/16th Avenue South. The bridge will open one side of the draw span for boat traffic with a four-hour advance notice. Motorists can detour via the First Avenue South Bridge.