(The Center Square) – Proposals to restore access to one of Mount Rainier National Park’s four entrances could cost the state at least $80 million and nearly a decade for workers to complete.
The Washington State Department of Transportation closed the Fairfax Bridge on April 22. The 103-year-old bridge leads to the park’s northwest entrance, crossing the Carbon River Canyon to an area where around 30 residents live. They now have to drive another hour to get to town.
Wilkeson is one of the closest stops to eat and fuel up, so hundreds of thousands of tourists pass through the historic mining town every year. Friends of the Carbon Canyon, a group that helps maintain and raise awareness about the area, says rerouting the bridge will devastate the local economy.
“It’s over an hour if we call 911,” said Jill Cartwright, a group member from across the bridge. “Carbonado and Wilkeson are volunteer fire departments, and they’re going to be the first ones that would be coming through, but we wouldn’t expect any help for over an hour, if that.”
WSDOT unveiled seven “alternatives” to the closure on Wednesday. The cheapest would be demolishing the historic bridge and extending a permanent closure, which would take about three years to complete. Once the state receives funding, it could cost upwards of $50 million.
Maintaining the bridge is the state’s responsibility, but the structure sits behind others on a long backlog of work after decades of the Legislature underfunding maintenance. If WSDOT closed the bridge permanently, residents worry Wilkeson will become another dead-end ghost town.
The remains of other mining communities sit underneath the bridge, serving as a reminder of what could happen if tourists don’t have a reason to stop in Wilkeson. The second option would be to rebuild the bridge at the same spot, taking six years and at least $80 million to $130 million to finish.
Each option relies on estimated costs today. If the Legislature takes a decade to secure funding, and a timeline hasn’t been established yet, the costs will include ten years of inflation.
“This study is funded through $1.5 million in state funding,” according to the WSDOT planning study. “No funding has been identified for right-of-way, design or construction.”
The next two options would be demolishing the existing bridge and realigning the road just north or south to rebuild a new crossing. Based on current estimates, both alternatives would cost upwards of $100 million and take about six years to build once funding is secured.
The last three alternatives involve rerouting the bridge. The first would reroute the road above Wilkeson in Carbonado, requiring around 5 miles of new road and a bridge. That route would cost $465 million to $785 million and take about five years to complete.
The next option, and least favorable for the surrounding communities, would be to reroute the road from the Orting area, bypassing Wilkeson and Carbonado altogether. That would cost $440 million to $735 million, requiring 11 miles of new highway but no bridge, and take seven years to complete.
The last option would be to reroute the road from Wilkeson, requiring 12 miles of new road and a bridge. That plan would cost $375 million to $610 million and take about six years to complete.
WSDOT will host an open house so residents can weigh in on June 2 in Carbonado and June 11 in Wilkeson. It’s also accepting online feedback through June 17. However, it will be years, potentially more than a decade, until residents and tourists have a new way across the canyon.
Wilkeson officials told The Center Square that they prefers realigning the road north or south of the existing bridge due to the associated costs. They said those options demonstrate a responsible use of taxpayer dollars and offer the least environmental impact while restoring access to the region.
“Restoring a permanent connection is critical not only for the daily lives of residents and their access to emergency services, schools and supplies, but also for the economic health of the entire region,” local officials wrote in a statement. “Wilkeson and its neighboring communities rely on national park tourism and recreation access, including OHV routes, to support small businesses and maintain our rural vitality.”
