King County officials will close the century-old Alvord T. Bridge just south of Kent on Wednesday, June 5, three weeks earlier than planned because too many drivers are ignoring the oversize load restrictions.

County Executive Dow Constantine directed the Road Services Division on Monday to close the bridge early after county staff observed drivers not following the load restrictions. County officials had previously determined to close the bridge because it’s worn out from the foundation to the structure.

“We recognize the heightened sensitivity to the potential for accidents involving old fracture-critical bridges such as the Alvord T. Bridge so we are accelerating our closure date,” said Road Services Division Director Brenda Bauer in a county media release. “I made this decision given the bridge’s location within an industrial area and the potential for load limit violations.”

The bridge, originally built in 1914, spans the Green River on 78th Avenue South at the southern city limits. The bridge has low traffic volumes. It is rated as one of the most deficient bridges in the state of Washington and is classified as structurally deficient and functionally obsolete. The county had planned to close the bridge on June 28.

Just days before the Skagit River Bridge collapse along Interstate 5, Constantine accompanied inspectors in examining the deteriorating structure. That visit helped prompt Constantine to call for a wider review of all fracture-critical bridges in unincorporated King County, following the I-5 collapse.

Constantine directed the Roads Division to perform the review to determine whether any additional steps should be taken beyond standard bridge inspection procedures. The bridge review was completed Friday.

Of the 180 bridges in the county’s inventory, eight are fracture-critical through-truss bridges similar to the Skagit River bridge. Of those, only the Stossel Bridge on Carnation Farm Road near the town of Carnation is still open and of a similar era.

The county’s ongoing bridge program focuses on preserving bridges by proactively performing repairs, and replacing or closing bridges when repair is no longer feasible.

Due to current funding challenges, the county expects to close 35 bridges over the next 25 years. These bridges will have exceeded their useful life and will no longer be safe for use.

The county had asked the state Department of Transportation to fund a replacement bridge for the Alvord T. Bridge but state officials turned down the request because of the bridge’s proximity to bridges on Central Avenue and Highway 167, said city of Kent Public Works Director Tim LaPorte.

A new bridge would have cost an estimated $18 million, according to county officials. The state did give the county a $920,000 grant to demolish the bridge because it would be a big liability if the bridge stayed in place even though it was closed.

The bridge crosses the river at 78th Avenue South. Some drivers like to use it as an alternate route when traffic is heavy on Highway 167 and it serves a light industrial area. The bridge can no longer handle heavy vehicle loads and has a posted load limit.

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