The long-awaited Elwha Bridge replacement contract was awarded in February to a Tacoma firm, Ceccanti, Inc., for the amount of $27,649,813.50.

WSDOT will replace the US 101 Elwha River Bridge after serving the community for nearly a century. The timeline for the project is Late Winter 2023 – Late Winter 2025.

The new bridge will be 40 feet wide and accommodate two 12-foot lanes with two-8 foot shoulders (the current bridge is 28 feet wide). A wider bridge will create a more comfortable crossing for travelers and provide adequate shoulder room for bicyclists and pedestrians. Additionally, the new alignment with US 101/Olympic Hot Springs Road will have a more gentle curvature, with a higher design speed (35 mph) at the east end of the bridge.

During construction, most of the work will take place “offline” or away from the existing crossing. Expect temporarily reduced speed limits, shifted lanes or heavy equipment near the site.

Towards the end of bridge construction, US 101 will need to close for one week to allow crews to complete the tie ends and final paving. During this brief closure, travelers will detour using State Route 112 and SR 113.

The project includes constructing a 3-span precast concrete girder bridge and removing the existing 3-span concrete arch bridge. The Work includes clearing and grubbing, grading, construction access, drainage, media filter drains, biofiltration swale, soldier pile and geosynthetic walls, surfacing, hot mix asphalt, high friction surface treatment, erosion control, roadside restoration, temporary stream diversion for bridge removal and engineered log jams, pavement markers, guideposts, removing and installing guardrail, illumination, signing, pavement marking, temporary traffic control, implementing a traffic detour, engineered log jam install, traffic control and other work. Involves 171 items and 390 Working days.

This is a Federally funded contract with a 17% disadvantaged business enterprise goal.