Walla Walla firm lands Hatley Bridge contract

Whitman County Public Works Department awarded the Hatley Bridge reconstruction project Monday, accepting a bid of $720,300 from Harry Johnson Plumbing and Excavation.

The Walla Walla company has done projects for the county before, including the construction of two new bridges in the past five years; the Neel Bridge and the Aune Bridge.

The Hatley Bridge project, on Pullman-Wawawai Road, is a partial rebuilding of the span to be paid for by Federal Surface Transportation funds which are generated from gas taxes. No county funds will be used.

The crew from Harry Johnson will do structural work and install new girders and a new guardrail.

Whitman County Public Works Director Mark Storey expects the project to begin in late May or early June and last two months.

A detour will be in place during construction.

By the end of summer, Storey expects the bridge to be complete and ready for traffic again.

The County Road Department studied the Hatley Bridge two years ago and deemed the existing girders to be nearing a marginal rating for supporting heavy loads.

The bridge then was marked at a reduced speed for trucks (35 mph) and limited to one truck at a time.

Once this summer’s work is complete, Storey said he expects the reduced-speed signs and truck restrictions to be removed.

Other bidders for this Hatley Bridge project included West Company, Inc., $764,495; M.J. Hughes Construction, $829,932; C.L. Heilman Company, Inc. $879,478; N.A. Degerstrom, Inc., $885,538, and Clearwater Construction and Management, LLC $899,569.