Tacoma Daily Index, July 26, 2013

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402 Tacoma Avenue S., Suite 200 TACOMA, WA 98402 PHONE (253) 627-4853 FAX (253) 627-2253

FRIDAY, JULY 26, 2013

Vol. CXXIV, No. 144

OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE CITY OF TACOMA Devoted to the Courts, Real Estate, Finance, Industrial Activities, and Publication of Legal Notices

Published Since 1890

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Preservationists hopeful, concerned following WSDOT's McMillin Bridge decision Article By Todd Matthews, Editor Photo Courtesy Historic American Engineering Record / National Park Service Last week, the Tacoma Daily Index was first to report the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has backed off on a plan to demolish the historic McMillin Bridge in Pierce County as part of a larger plan to build a new bridge nearby (see "WSDOT halts plan to tear down historic McMillin Bridge," Tacoma Daily Index, July 18, 2013). The concrete bridge, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and is owned by WSDOT, was built in 1934 and is part of State Route 162 that connects Orting to Sumner. WSDOT officials have said the bridge is functionally obsolete and a new bridge needs to be built. WSDOT planned to build a new bridge just east of the McMillin Bridge then tear down the historic bridge. The McMillin Bridge's inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places is only an honorary designation with little regulatory bearing other than what is known as "Section 106" of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. In the case of the McMillin Bridge, Section 106 requires that a federal agency consult with a range of stakeholders to determine if demolishing the bridge will have any adverse effects. Because the McMillin Bridge crosses a body of water, the Puyallup River, the lead federal agency in this case is the United States Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE). In the end, it's the Corps that was to decide whether to issue the permit allowing the new bridge to be built and the old bridge to come down. The ACOE was expected to make a decision later this year. "We request the Corps place this application on hold," wrote WSDOT Environmental and Hydraulic Manager Jeff Sawyer in a July 17, 2013 letter to the ACOE. "WSDOT intends to revise the project to eliminate demolition of the McMillin Bridge from the proposal. The McMillin Bridge will remain in place after traffic is relocated to the new structure. We will be working to prepare and resubmit a new application package as soon as possible." Historic preservationists throughout Washington State and beyond argued the bridge is historically significant because it was designed by Homer M. Hadley, whose work contributed to bridges spanning rivers, lakes and creeks throughout Washington State. Hadley pushed for the state to build a floating concrete bridge across Lake Washington. Today, the westbound span of the Interstate 90 floating bridge is officially named the Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge. Last month, Pierce County Council voted to the add the bridge to its historic landmarks register. However, the county has declined offers from WSDOT to take ownership of the bridge and incorporate it into the nearby Foothills Trail, citing addi-

tional structural maintenance costs and liabilities. The Index followed up with Sawyer at WSDOT for more information on the decision, and contacted a couple preservationists close to the issue to get their reaction to WSDOT's decision.

WSDOT Environmental and Hydraulic Manager Jeff Sawyer "Due to the time expended to date in complying with the National Historic Preservation Act being administered by the Corps of Engineers and time frame the Corps has advised WSDOT to expect in moving forward, WSDOT is exploring changing the project to leave the McMillin Bridge in place. WSDOT has a need to move forward in a more timely fashion with replacement of this obsolete highway bridge. In exploring moving forward with a proposal to build a new bridge, reroute the state highway to it and leave the obsolete McMillin Bridge in place we will be reaching out to county, state, federal and tribal natural resource interests to consider if there is a reasonable path forward to leaving the McMillin Bridge in place. "At this point in time the concept for the McMillin Bridge would be to reroute State Route 162 vehicle traffic to a new crossing downstream, once completed. We do not envision the bridge being used for pedestrian or bicycle use as Pierce County has indicated little interest to date in routing the Foothills Trail over it. Once taken out of service vehicle

access would be discontinued." Chris Moore, Field Director for the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation (the organization that nominated the McMillin Bridge to Pierce County's historic register) "The Washington Trust applauds WSDOT's decision to leave the McMillin Bridge in place while a new bridge crossing over the Puyallup River along SR162 is constructed. Our position has always been that demolition of the McMillin Bridge was unnecessarily connected to construction of the new bridge. With WSDOT's recent decision, we are hopeful construction of the new bridge can move forward providing Pierce County residents with a needed transit solution for the river crossing. "In the short-term, the bridge will be saved. But per WSDOT's statement, there will be no vehicular or pedestrian access. If the bridge is simply fenced off and left unmaintained, it will be a loss for everyone. "What the decision does do is affirm the historic significance of the bridge and its value to the community. It also allows more time to work with all stakeholders, including Pierce County, to develop a long-term stewardship plan for the bridge. There is now the opportunity to have broader civic engagement about the future of the bridge without the specter of immediate demolition. Given the existing support for the bridge, the Washington Trust is optimistic a long-term plan will be found." Bob Peters, Pierce County resident and a leading organizer working to save McMillin Bridge "I think if WSDOT would start looking at the overall public good and open a fresh discussion with the county, some surprising things could come of it. It's regrettable that the DOT has made one proposal which so far has been 'take it or leave it.' "More accurately, the county has indicated little interest in routing the trail over the bridge as long as the state requires the county to accept fee title to the bridge. If WSDOT were to willing to negotiate a memorandum of agreement, then that could lead to an entirely different response. "It sounds . . . as if WSDOT may be planning to fence off the bridge and simply walk away, which is ironic since it will remain responsible for the bridge. And if it is not used for recreational purposes, WSDOT cannot escape liability, at least under recreational immunity statutes. Under a memorandum of agreement, at least some of the responsibility for light maintenance could be shifted to the county, and if the Foothills Trail is routed over the bridge, recreational immunity should protect both the state and county from (successful) claims for injury."


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