Zeiger bill would expedite replacement process for aging bridges

Zeiger bill would expedite replacement process for aging bridges

Rep. Hans Zeiger has introduced legislation that would authorize expedited permitting and contracting for replacement work on Washington state’s structurally- deficient bridges.

“It takes way too long and costs way too much to replace a bridge in Washington state,” said Zeiger, R-Puyallup. “When it comes to replacing our aging and structurally-deficient bridges, we urgently need to change the way we do business.”

House Bill 2071 would expedite permitting and contracting for replacement work on Washington’s aging and deficient bridges, and would likely bring down the costs and cut down the timeline for planning and construction.

Zeiger said he is concerned about the condition of the Meridian Street Puyallup River Bridge in his own 25th Legislative District. “The Meridian Street Puyallup River Bridge was built in 1925 and has a structural sufficiency rating of two out of one hundred. While this bridge is prioritized for replacement, the Washington State Department of Transportation does not expect to complete its work on a new bridge until late 2015. We cannot afford to wait that long. It has already been two-and-a-half years since northbound truck traffic was restricted to the bridge’s right lane.”

Zeiger said that he is already making changes to the initial proposed legislation based on input from the Washington State Department of Transportation. “I am committed to working with the department and other stakeholders to craft a workable policy for next session,” said Zeiger.

The House Transportation Committee is not scheduled to meet again before the end of the special session, which will end on Tuesday, June 11.

For more information about Rep. Zeiger, visit: www.houserepublicans.wa.gov/zeiger.

###

Rep. Zeiger’s media: