Washington state officials say they have a temporary solution to patch up a highway bridge that collapsed last week. Part of the bridge collapsed after being hit by a semi truck.
The temporary fix involves building a replacement piece out of steel girders and then trucking it to the bridge. Washington Governor Jay Inslee says officials have a plan that could open the bridge by mid June. “We believe has a very good chance of restoring traffic across the river on the I-5 corridor within weeks.”
The bridge’s collapse has put a hole in the state’s only north south interstate highway. I-5 is a vital connection for trade and tourism. About 71 thousand vehicles use the highway every day.
Inslee says a permanent replacement could be installed by September.
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