Repairs on the Electric Avenue bridge have wrapped up a couple days early and the bridge is now open to both lanes of traffic, the City of Bellingham announced this week.
Whatcom Transportation Authority Route 525 has resumed normal bus service to Alabama Street and Electric Avenue.
Traffic on the bridge on the western end of Lake Whatcom had been reduced to a single lane since June after city officials identified structural failures in an inspection. The bridge was fully closed on Sept. 9 for repairs and was slated to reopen on Sept. 20.
During construction on Sept. 11, an estimated 25,000 to 50,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the lake after a contractor struck an underground sewer line. According to the city, the sewer spill did not impact the city’s drinking water. The municipal water treatment plant is located a mile upstream, far from the site of the spill. Bloedel Donovan beach fully reopened on Sept. 17 after water quality testing was completed.
Built in 1959, Electric Avenue bridge is one of nearly 30 bridges in Whatcom and Skagit counties considered to be in “poor” condition. Decay was first observed and supports were installed in 1999, with additional decay found in 2017.
Funding for the full rebuild of the bridge is already in the planning stages, with the project included in the city’s six-year Transportation Improvement Program. That will be a multi-year process to develop a “sustainable and resilient structure that meets the needs of our community for generations to come,” according to the city’s website.
Julia Tellman writes about civic issues and anything else that happens to cross her desk; contact her at juliatellman@cascadiadaily.com.
