SEQUIM — Crews on Thursday were installing a 210-foot-long modular steel bridge for the Olympic Discovery Trail at Sequim Bay State Park.
The 177,000-pound span replaces a wooden trestle that was removed in the 1980s, said Steven Wright, State Parks project manager.
The new bridge was designed to improve fish habitat by eliminating a 36-inch culvert that had restricted fish passage.
It will also connect the trail to a historic railroad grade that serves as a foundation for much of the Olympic Discovery Trail.
“It will keep the trail moving through the park in a linear fashion,” Wright said as crews were preparing to install the bridge.
“It will be a straight shot through.”
Nordland Construction was the primary contractor for the estimated $1 million project.
A 500-ton crane and a second crane were being used to roll the bridge from the north to the south on a set of rollers.
The 10-foot-wide bridge was prefabricated in Montana and assembled at the site.
Last September, Clallam County opened a temporary detour for the Olympic Discovery Trail around the culvert site, County Engineer Ross Tyler said.
Clallam County has completed sections of the Olympic Discovery Trail between Blyn and the Elwha River.
The county is now working with the National Park Service to reconstruct the Spruce Railroad Trail at Lake Crescent while purchasing right of way for future trail sections between the Elwha River and Lake Crescent.
The multipurpose Olympic Discovery Trail will eventually connect Port Townsend to La Push.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
