McDonald Creek Bridge opens after more than nine months of construction

By Matthew Nash • May 2, 2018 1:30 am

After closing for nearly 10 months, the McDonald Creek Bridge reopened under sunny skies Tuesday afternoon.

The bridge was tentatively set to open on Monday, April 30, but Pat McElroy, Clallam County bridge project engineer, said due to poor weather the bridge would likely reopen to the public on Tuesday after road lines were painted and dried.

Three days prior, close to 100 community members braved the wet weather to usher in the new bridge in a special ceremony on Saturday. Clallam County Commissioners Mark Ozias and Randy Johnson thanked the community for their patience, and county staff and crews with Orion Marine Contractors Inc. for their work.

The 1957 bridge was closed on July 5 last year to replace it with a more seismically stable and wider bridge from 24 feet to 40 feet.

Cost for the new bridge remained on budget at about $3.07 million, McElroy said, despite rain and snow delaying the project several weeks in the winter.

Kathy Wright, who lives near the bridge, said she and her family were eager for the bridge to reopen. They celebrated on Saturday after the ceremony by going to Agnew Grocery to purchase some peanut butter bones for her dogs.

“It’ll be nice not to have to go around anymore,” she said.

At the bridge ceremony, Agnew pioneers were also recognized on the bridge and members of the Agnew Helpful Neighbors Club hosted pie and coffee nearby in its building.

Participating pioneers were Terry Hugo, Bill Rogers, LeRoy Kuest, Ted and Shirley Crosby, Carmen Jarvis, Marcia Brown, Evelyn and Jim Anderson, and Carrol Gates.