Kirstin Davis, Communications Manager, 509.625.7773
Friday, May 19, 2023 at 9:10 a.m.
In the span of 30 hours, an engineering feat happened while much of Spokane slept and went about their day. Engineers and workers replaced a 54-inch pipe with a 60-inch pipe carrying wastewater 333 feet over the Spokane River as part of the Post Street Bridge reconstruction project. The former 70-year-old sewer pipe was installed on the outside of the east side of the bridge, and the replacement pipe is now tucked underneath and less visible.
Retaining the historic look of the bridge was a priority of the approximately $20 million project. When complete this year, the bridge will have one northbound lane for vehicle traffic as well as pedestrian and bicycle routes. It will also support the Centennial Trail and reconnect the North Bank with Riverfront Park and downtown.
“Making sure that we have a healthy, safe, secure pipeline to bring that sewage to the treatment plant is really important,” says Public Works Director Marlene Feist.
See how it happened in this City5 Cable video.
The Post Street Bridge was built in 1917 and widened in 1937. It is a reinforced concrete open-spandrel deck arch bridge. A wooden bridge and a steel bridge were located on the site prior to the construction of the concrete bridge. After more than 100 years of use, the bridge was in need of replacement.
In May 2019, the Post Street Bridge was closed to all vehicular traffic, following a structural analysis that determined the bridge could not safely continue to carry those loads and exclusively used by bicyclists and pedestrians before its re-construction began in the spring of 2020.
