Spokane County has awarded West Co., of Airway Heights, the contract for a $1.05 million Christensen Road Bridge project, says Chad Coles, assistant county engineer. 

Coles says the project will replace the bridge, which spans Deep Creek west of Airway Heights. 

Construction is slated to begin in May and to be completed in November, Coles says. The project originally was scheduled for last year, but the county hadn’t finished acquiring all the right-of-way land.

The existing bridge is 24 feet wide and 62 feet long and made of timber, and currently is weight restricted due to rot, Coles says.

“We have some structural issues; that’s what happens to old bridges,” he says. 

The new bridge will be single-span concrete, with precast-prestressed girders, Coles says. It will be supported by steel pilings at each end. The new bridge will be about 30 feet wide and 98 feet long, he says, 

The bridge will be closed during construction, with a detour in place, Coles says. Deep Creek Road will be used to detour U.S. Highway 2 traffic around the project, he says.

“We’re going to do some dust work,” Cole says. “Deep Creek is a gravel road, so we’ll do some stuff to keep it in good condition.”