Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Questions from a historical bridge group based in Texas have led to a setback on proposed work to replace a 1916 bridge near Pullman.
The Edmundson Bridge project now awaits a historical survey by the Army Corps of Engineers, which holds the permit on the work.
“We’re out of time for this year,” said Mark Storey, Whitman County public works director, to county commissioners Monday. “I am frustrated, I can’t tell you to what degree. Everybody is on hold for literally two months now on a project that was of no significance a couple months ago.”
Whitman County has nine other bridges of the same type of concrete arch design.
While Storey and his crew wait, a previously placed order of $107,000 in concrete girders sits in a lot in Spokane to be used on the bridge.
“Our agency is currently actively working to address concerns,” said Patricia Cook Graesser of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District. “This is a required step under federal law.”
The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA) calls for federal agencies to take into account the effects of their work on historic properties.
“I’m not out there just to rip out a historical structure, but it is my job to make sure we have a reliable transportation system, and this is part of it,” Storey said.
Properties covered under the NHPA may include archaeological sites, artifacts, historic districts, buildings or other structures. Applicants for permits on these locations may be asked to complete a survey to determine if historic properties exist or not.
While the work is on hold in Whitman County, the region’s Army Corps office is finishing the survey and will coordinate with the State Historic Preservation Office and/or Tribal Historic Preservation Office if needed. In the end, Whitman County may be required to outline measures to be taken to avoid, mitigate or minimize any adverse effects on the bridge property.
For Edmundson Bridge on Sand Road, an increase in traffic led to the need to widen the 19-foot-wide bridge on the 25-foot-wide road. The roadway serves as an alternate route between Pullman and Moscow.
In July, Whitman County commissioners accepted a $1,816,621 bid for the estimated two-month bridge-widening project from M.A. DeAtley of Clarkston.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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