PUYALLUP, Wash. – A brand new Puyallup River Bridge has opened to commuters after nearly a year of construction.
The new bridge looks very different from the old one, which was built in 1925. The bridge no longer has a metal frame and cross braces above -- which eliminated the height restriction -- plus it features wider lanes and sidewalks.
"We're darn lucky to get 90 years of service out of that bridge, but it was at its end of its serviceable life. So now's the time to replace it. And Monday morning when this gets open I'll be resting a lot more comfortably knowing we don't have traffic on that former bridge," said Kevin Dayton with the Washington State Department of Transportation.
The original bridge was showing its age and a couple of years ago WSDOT determined it needed to be replaced. For nearly a year, drivers have been dealing with construction, detours and closures while the new bridge was being built right next to the old Puyallup River Bridge.
"We have 2015 technology sitting right next to 1972 technology replacing 1925 technology so it's that metaphorical connection that's been described. It's that technology that's going to take us into the future of the economy of our community," said Tom Swanson, a Puyallup City Councilmember.
WSDOT says there's still more work to be done, including removing the old river bridge. The plan is to keep it on state land to see if other government agencies can use it as a pedestrian footbridge.
