PACIFIC NORTHWEST EDITION
A Supplement to:
®
October 8 2023 Vol. VII • No. 21
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.” Your Pacific Northwest Connection – Sharon Swanson – 1-760-518-4336 – sswanson@cegltd.com
Halfway Home Kraemer North America Reaches Midway Point On Washington’s Purdy Creek Project Construction crews from Kraemer North America are pressing forward on a project that is replacing aging culverts with new large bridge structures over Purdy Creek in Pierce County, Wash. The Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) recently provided an update on the project, which is now 50 percent complete thanks to diligent work from the general contractor. The total cost of the project is estimated at $41.6 million, which includes repaving the spur, which will improve habitat and passage for fish in Purdy Creek under SR 302 and SR 16. Purdy Creek attempts to flow under SR 16 inside 40 yearold culverts. This project removes and replaces the old culverts with large bridge structures to make it easier for fish to navigate through. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) estimates this work will create approximately 5.6 mi. of new habitat. In October 2022, crews moved the westbound lanes into the median to construct the new westbound bridge. It opened on Aug. 15 of this year. Currently, crews are reconfiguring the median to shift the eastbound lanes there. Under SR 16, the new bridge structure is 206-ft. long. Purdy Creek also runs under SR 302 through an old culvert before it enters the tidal flats of the Burley Lagoon. WSDOT also is removing and replacing this old culvert with a 77-ft.long bridge. Crews started the project in August and it is expected to take three years to complete, according to WSDOT. The bridge top won’t be completed until the end of 2023. see PURDY page 6
Preparation for the girders began in April, with truckloads of dirt dug out and hauled away. The six girders per bridge are 206 ft. long, taking three Separate cranes to position them.