The second hole in nearly as many days on northbound Interstate 5’s North Fork Lewis River Bridge near Woodland is scheduled to cause significant morning and afternoon delays Thursday while it’s repaired.
The emergency repair will require Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance crews to close the right lane of the bridge from 7:30 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. A temporary patch will be installed until a scheduled bridge deck rehabilitation project can be completed this summer.
Each of the holes was on the bridge’s northbound span, which was built in 1968; however, the hole patched earlier this week was in the center lane.
Both holes were primarily caused by extensive use and the structure’s age.
An estimated $17.4 million will be spent on improvements for the North Fork Lewis River Bridge this summer and next summer, including a polyester concrete overlay, expansion joint modifications and new joint seals.
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