Appleway Bridge work to start soon

Construction of a new Appleway Bridge over the Spokane River near Stateline, Idaho, is expected to start in late May.

The bridge is in Spokane County, where commissioners last week accepted a construction bid of nearly $6.2 million. The bid was more than $3.1 million less than county officials had estimated.

County Engineer Bob Brueggeman said a timetable hasn’t been established, but the work is expected to be completed in spring 2012.

The bridge connects Spokane County’s East Appleway Avenue with Kootenai County’s West Seltice Way. It provides the most direct access from Interstate 90 to the Cabela’s sporting goods store at Stateline.

A new freeway interchange, to be built at Beck Road as part of an incentive package for Cabela’s, isn’t likely to be ready until after the Appleway Bridge reopens, said Bill Melvin, the Post Falls city engineer.

Melvin said Exit 2 at Pleasant View Road, about two miles east of the Appleway Bridge, probably will provide the best access to Stateline businesses during the construction period. Drivers will be urged to use Pleasant View, Harvard Road and Trent Avenue to detour around the construction zone. Cars and light trucks also may use Wellesley Avenue to reach Stateline.

The Appleway Bridge, built in 1939, has been subject to weight restrictions and two-lane traffic since January 2007, when engineers discovered that two metal joints between deck sections were corroded.

Brueggeman said the corrosion prevented the bridge from flexing when it expanded and contracted.

Later in 2007, engineers found cracks in metal parts similar to a household door hinge. At that point, county officials limited bridge traffic to cars and pickups only.

The Appleway Bridge was built with the same design as the Harvard Road Bridge, about three miles west, that failed in 1992 and was subsequently replaced.

The Harvard Bridge’s deck fell 1 to 2 inches and came to rest on a pillar when its hinges broke. No one was injured and no vehicle was damaged, but a major repair was required until the bridge could be rebuilt.

The Spokane office of Harcon Inc. submitted the low bid of $6,192,004 for replacing the Appleway Bridge.

Other bidders were: Max J. Kuney Co., of Spokane, $6,259,166; Cascade Bridge, of Vancouver, Wash., $6,732,480; Garco Construction, of Spokane, $6,864,195; Graham Construction, of Spokane, $6,947,999; and Morgen & Oswood Construction, of Great Falls, $7,017,478.