Chelan County Commissioners Open Bid Process for West Cashmere Bridge

Chelan County Commissioners are opening up the bid process for the replacement of the West Cashmere Bridge, known locally as the Goodwin Bridge.

This is the largest project the county's road department has ever undertaken.

Eric Pierson, director/county engineer of Chelan County Public Works says, “This project is one that will greatly benefit the Cashmere community, maintaining the only overhead crossing of the railroad in and around Cashmere.”

The bridge was built in 1929 and has been identified as functionally obsolete.

Bids will be received until Jan. 21, when they will be opened at the regular meeting of the Board of County Commissioners.

Here's the official release and information on bidding:

WENATCHEE – The Board of Chelan County Commissioners this week called for bids to be received on the West Cashmere Bridge Replacement Project, the largest project the county’s road department has ever undertaken.

The $25.5 million project will replace the West Cashmere Bridge, commonly called the Goodwin Road bridge by locals. Construction is expected to cost between $15 million and $20 million and take about 20 months.

“We had a pre-ad showing on Dec. 4 at the bridge that garnered a lot of interest from contractors around the state,” said Eric Pierson, director/county engineer of Chelan County Public Works. “This project is one that will greatly benefit the Cashmere community, maintaining the only overhead crossing of the railroad in and around Cashmere.”

Built in 1929, the West Cashmere Bridge has been identified as a fracture critical, functionally obsolete structure. It has both height and weight restrictions, prohibiting freight trucks, school buses and some emergency response vehicles from using it. If it is not replaced, engineers estimate it will need to be severely restricted or even closed by 2022.

The US 2/97 Cashmere Area Transportation Study, completed in 2015, recommended to county commissioners that the bridge be replaced, rather than permanently closed, close to its current alignment. In 2016, TranTech Engineering, LLC, of Bellevue was then hired to design the new replacement bridge.

Bids will be received until Jan. 21, when they will be opened at the regular meeting of the Board of County Commissioners. A contractor is expected to be on board in February, and construction started in March with the demolition of the existing bridge. The bridge also will be closed to all traffic beginning sometime in March.

For updates to the call for bids process, watch the Chelan County website at https://www.co.chelan.wa.us/public-works/pages/bidding-opportunities.

The bridge replacement project is being paid for by a mix of private, county, state and federal dollars.

“With the call for bids, we can’t help but be reminded of the support we’ve received to get us to this point,” Pierson said. “From the local support of Crunch Pak to the support of our legislators, including Sen. Brad Hawkins, Rep. Mike Steele and Rep. Keith Goehner, we’re grateful for the partnerships we have formed over the course of the planning of this project.”

Funding includes:

Project Total $25,500,000

AWARDED
Bridge Replacement Advisory Council: $12,000,000
Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board: $3,000,000
Rural Arterial Program: $2,500,000
Legislative Discretionary (WSDOT): $2,000,000
Statewide Transportation Block Grant Program: $2,450,037
Highway Improvement Program: $149,963
Private (Crunch Pak): $150,000
WSDOT (NC Region): $270,650
Chelan County: $2,979,350