Lincoln Avenue Bridge, which cros-ses Puyallup River on the Tideflats, will be closed for six to seven months this year for deck repairs and painting. The project could affect access for tribal fishermen.
The bridge was built in 1929 and rebuilt in 1944. Dan Soderlind from the Engineering Division of the city of Tacoma’s Public Works Department said years of heavy trucks crossing the bridge have caused damage to girders on the underside of the structure. Because some of them are coming loose, two of the spans on the deck will be replaced.
Fixing the bridge is on the city’s six-year transportation list. City and federal funds will pay for the deck work, while federal money will be used for repainting the bridge. The city expects to go out to bid for the project soon. The bridge will be closed for approximately 150 working days, he noted.
“It will have a big impact on everybody,” Dan Soderlind said, including industry and tribal fishermen. An access road on the east side of the river will be open during most of the repair work, although Dan Soderlind noted it might be closed temporarily for a few days.
“I think it could have a negative impact,” Puyallup Tribal Councilmember David Bean said of the closure. “It will make it difficult to access fishing grounds. Our fishermen will have to drive a lot farther to fish. A lot of them rely on fishing for their income.”
David Bean acknowledged that the repairs will make the bridge safer. “It is a blessing and a burden,” he said. “Our goal is to inform our fishermen about this.”
A primary concern for him is whether fish buyers will still be able to reach fishermen along the banks of the river. “Some of them have worked with the same buyers for 15 or 20 years,” he noted. Buyers generally bring scales to weigh fish with them in their trucks.
“They typically do their transactions at the river,” David Bean said. “If it is too burdensome, they might not come back. Our goal is to explore every option to lessen the impact to our fishermen.”
Herman Dillon, Jr. is a program coordinator and field supervisor in the Tribe’s Fisheries Department. He is also president of the Tribe’s Fishing Committee.
“When the bridge closes, there will be some access problems,” he said.
He noted in the future there are repairs planned for the section of Interstate 5 that crosses Puyallup River. The Tribe may build a new boat ramp on the east side of the river between Interstate 5 and Lincoln Avenue Bridge. “Our buyers know that area pretty well,” Herman Dillon, Jr. said.
The Fishing Committee will examine the issue with tribal government staff, city officials and fishermen. The committee will consider alternative ways to access the river. “We will discuss this with our fishermen. It will be kind of an inconvenience for a while. We will coordinate things and get the information out. It will all work out.”
