Report: Design of White River Bridge Poses Similar Risks to Collapsed I-5 Span

A bridge near Enumclaw is one of seven in the state that pose similar risks to the I-5 span that collapsed over the Skagit River last week, according to a report from The Seattle Times.

As the newspaper reported Tuesday evening, the State Route 410 bridge over the White River near Buckley is also designed to be fracture critical—meaning the entire structure can fail in the event of serious impact—and its clearance is four inches lower than the Skagit River span.

Built in 1949, the SR 410 bridge carries an average of 20,023 vehicles each day, according to the Times. 

The Skagit River bridge, which was built in 1955, was deemed "functionally obsolete" by WSDOT in 2011. A step below structurally deficient, functionally obsolete does not refer to a bridge's structural integrity but rather indicates its configuration fails to meet current demands for lane width, shoulder width or "doesn’t have enough vertical clearance for large trucks to pass under, causing repeat hits and damage to the bridge."

An oversize truck hit the I-5 bridge moments prior to its collapse. The driver, William Scott, had a permit to cross the span but was instructed to move to the left lane, which had higher clearance than the right, according to The Seattle Times' report. He told investigators another truck passed him just before the bridge and prevented him from changing lanes.

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Do you feel safe traveling on the bridges around Enumclaw? Tell us in the comments section.