MILL CREEK, Wash. A lane of a bridge on 164th Street SE will be closed for emergency repairs beginning Friday, the city of Mill Creek announced, according to HeraldNet.com.
Engineers who recently evaluated the bridge, which crosses North Creek, found that one of its seven support columns on the south side of the street was in poor condition, the city said in a news release Wednesday.
The city said the repairs will provide critical reinforcement to ensure the continued safety, stability and reliability of what it described as a major transportation corridor. Eastbound traffic on 164th Street SE will be shifted while the construction work is in progress, and drivers should expect delays.
The lane closure is expected to remain in place through mid-December, per the Herald's reporting.
Keegan Pocinwong, the city's interim public works director, said in the release that the safety of the community is the city's top priority. He called the repairs essential to maintaining safe travel through one of Mill Creek's most important corridors and thanked the public for its understanding and cooperation during the project.
Mill Creek also plans to conduct a comprehensive study of long-term solutions for other improvements and ways to address higher traffic volumes, according to the city's website. The 28-foot-long bridge was originally constructed in 1967 and was later widened in 1989.