LONGVIEW — The Lewis and Clark Bridge closed for emergency repairs Wednesday after a crew from the Washington Department of Transportation found a fracture in one of the floor beams.
WSDOT announced the emergency Columbia River bridge closure Wednesday afternoon. Department spokesperson Celeste Dimichina said the repairs would likely take between 24 and 48 hours, with a more exact timeline to be announced as crews make the repair.
Traffic across the bridge is still open for emergency vehicles. All other traffic crossing the Columbia River will need to do so in Astoria or Vancouver.
The damaged floor beam was discovered while the bridge was being evaluated by WSDOT crews in preparation for the finger joint replacement project coming later this summer. Inspection work earlier Wednesday limited the bridge to one lane of traffic.
The emergency closure is unrelated to the previously announced multiday closure that will be part of the finger joint replacement work. Dates for the finger joint project and the future closure have not been finalized, according to WSDOT.
