The City of Pullman is in the process of addressing the issues with the Pine Street Plaza Pedestrian Bridge, which was displaced during the flooding event in February.

Public Works Director Sean Wells shared a video update about the restoration efforts on the city’s Facebook page. The pedestrian bridge, which is 20 years old, was engineered to float off its footings during periods of high water and move to the side of the South Fork of the Palouse River. However, during the February flood, the bridge did not operate as intended and became stuck off its footings. Consequently, the bridge has been closed since the flood.

Wells indicated that the city has secured most of the necessary permits to reset the bridge, which include approvals from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Department of Ecology, and the city itself. City staff are currently preparing to put the project out to bid. The restoration work is expected to occur in three phases: re-stabilizing the abutments, resetting the bridge, and reinforcing the armoring beneath the bridge span. If the project proceeds as planned, the Pine Street Pedestrian Bridge is anticipated to be restored and reopened by the end of August. February’s flooding was the first occurrence that allowed for a full test of the bridge’s design.