Kent drivers will face a major detour with the closing of the Green River Bridge on Meeker Street from Monday, Aug. 5 through Sunday, Sept. 29 for repainting, repaving and minor structural repairs.

The bridge is a major entry and exit point to the city’s core via Meeker Street with access to and from State Route 516, aka Kent Des Moines Road, and Reith Road. Drivers will need to find alternate routes depending on their destinations. Detours and traffic control will be provided.

The city’s Riverbend Golf Complex and the large Ethos Apartments sit just east of the bridge. It is a popular commuting route. Just west of the bridge, the average daily traffic count is 18,900 vehicles with 4% truck traffic, according to city documents.

“The goal of this project is to maintain this important bridge for increased use and longevity for decades to come,” according to a city statement about the bridge constructed in 1958.

The Kent City Council awarded the project May 21 to Longview-based Mericka Group LLC, which submitted the low bid of $2.71 million for repainting and deck repairs, minor structural repairs to the bridge, erosion and sediment control, work access, containment and traffic control. The need for paint is obvious with rust spots clearly showing corrosion. The bridge was last painted in the 1990s, according to city documents.

“We will need to close the road completely while the main portions of the painting and deck rehabilitation are completed this summer,” said City Public Works Director Chad Bieren in an earlier Kent Reporter article about the project.

Federal grants received by the city will cover most of the costs, according to city documents. One grant will cover repainting the steel superstructure and the other one for rehabilitating the bridge deck.

The trails under the bridge over the Green River also will be closed to pedestrians and biking from Aug. 5 to Sept. 29 during the full closure.

The council in January 2023 approved a $352,519 consultant agreement with Bellevue-based TranTech Engineering to develop design plans, specifications and cost estimates for the bridge repainting and deck resurfacing work, according to city documents.

The company performed structural and loading analysis; design of paint containment and work platforms for the bridge; lead paint analysis and remediation design; design of structural steel spot repairs; and deck pavement design. TranTech also will provide bid support services to the project contractor. The council awarded an additional $287,123 to the company earlier this year for that work.