Walla Walla to begin $2M bridge repair project Aug. 3
By Dan Thesman on Tuesday, July 28th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA — Construction crews will begin a $2.04 million preventative maintenance initiative on nine city-owned bridges starting Monday, Walla Walla Public Works announced.
The project aims to preserve aging infrastructure and extend the service life of public bridges spanning over 20 feet. Routine biannual inspections, compiled in the Federal Highway Administration’s National Bridge Inventory, identified structural wear across several city crossings from daily traffic and weather exposure.
Work will address specific structural needs at each site, including repairs to bridge decks, posts, rails, abutments, girders, soffits, beams, and sidewalks.
Contractors will operate on two or three structures simultaneously throughout the summer and fall. The initial phase focuses on the Myra Road and Tausick Way bridges, where repairs are expected to take about one month.
Motorists should anticipate localized delays. During the first week of work on each bridge grouping, crews will close one directional lane, reducing traffic flow to a single lane managed by flaggers on site.
In addition to Myra Road and Tausick Way, repairs are planned for bridges on Second Avenue, Main Street, Colville Street, Otis Street, Merriam Street, Clinton Street, and Wilbur Avenue. Updated schedules for subsequent locations will be released as construction progresses.
A federal Local Bridge Program grant covers $2,005,600 of the project’s total cost, with the remaining balance funded through local real estate and excise tax revenues. Design work concluded in spring 2025 ahead of this season’s construction kickoff.
Photo of Otis Street bridge (Courtesy city of Walla Walla)
