MOUNT VERNON — Crews are installing a new section of the I-5 bridge over the Skagit River that collapsed four months ago and hope to have the crossing open to traffic Sunday morning.
The state Transportation Department says the temporary crossing that’s currently in place will be closed at 7 p.m. on Saturday night. Crews plan to work overnight to slide the permanent section into place and be done within 12 hours.
Travis Phelps, a DOT spokesman, said the bridge swap is a daunting task, requiring the removal of a temporary span that weighs 500 tons and the installation of a permanent span that is some 900 tons. Officials cautioned that the operation is complex and that the closure could be extended if things don’t go according to plan.
“We’re confident, but we obviously want to do this right,” Phelps said.
The overnight replacement is designed to minimize traffic impacts at the crossing that carries roughly 70,000 vehicles a day.