A portion of the bridge collapsed into the river on 23 May after a truck struck critical steel supports.
Washington State Department of Transportation said that the bridge is on track to reopen in mid June. The first of two temporary sections has been launched across the gap between the north and south sides of the Skagit River Bridge. The second temporary span can then be built once the first span has been set on its new concrete supports.
“Getting to this point hasn’t been easy,” said Jay Drye, WSDOT assistant regional administrator. “Each step of removing and replacing the damaged bridge span has to be carefully choreographed to maximize efficiency, speed and safety.”
To move the first temporary span into place, crews first had to remove the fallen span from the fast-flowing Skagit River, create new concrete piers and make repairs to the remaining sections of the Skagit River Bridge.
