Steve Bloom/The Olympian
Damage to the Fourth Avenue bridge will keep downtown Olympia traffic congested for an undetermined time.

Quake might be bridge to new bridge

Rep. Baird vows to help get new Fourth Avenue span built quickly

JOHN GRABER, THE OLYMPIAN

OLYMPIA -- Wednesday's quake might be a blessing in disguise for city officials working to replace the aging Fourth Avenue bridge.

The bridge is out of commission with a sagging middle instead of an arch. U.S. Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash., vowed to work at cutting through federal red tape hindering construction of a new bridge.

Olympia engineers announced Feb. 13 that the construction date could be delayed by a year because of new permit standards required by the National Marine Fisheries Service. The delay was expected to add as much as $2.5 million to the project's price tag because of inflation.

"I will be in discussions with them and FEMA to expedite the permitting process," said Baird, who lives in Vancouver and represents the 3rd Congressional District, which covers much of South Sound.

"Obviously we want to protect the environment, but we have a unique situation here," said Baird during a tour of downtown Friday.

The city might be eligible to apply for money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help pay for the new bridge, Baird said.

"FEMA's purpose is to help repair and replace damaged and destroyed infrastructure," Baird said. "We're certainly going to encourage FEMA" to pay for part of the new bridge.

David Gonzalez, a FEMA congressional and governmental affairs liaison from Washington, D.C., toured the area Friday with Baird.

Gonzalez said he didn't know whether FEMA would participate in the bridge funding.

"That's the honest answer. I don't know," he said.

Olympia Mayor Stan Biles said the city will turn over repair cost estimates to FEMA Tuesday. Biles toured the damaged area with Joe Allbaugh, the head of FEMA, on Thursday.

"I made the plea with him yesterday in both private and public meetings that this is our top public infrastructure need," Biles said.

FEMA is likely to pay for about 75 percent of the cost of repairing damaged public infrastructure in the area, Gonzalez said.

Olympia already has funding and plans to build a new Fourth Avenue bridge at a cost of $40 million. The current schedule calls for construction bids to be sent out at the end of 2002, with construction not likely until mid-2003.

In the meantime, the Fourth Avenue bridge remains closed indefinitely. Biles hopes to get word on whether the bridge is usable in about a week, he said.

"We are progressing prudently because, obviously, this is a decision with some big public safety issues," Biles said.

Engineers are recommending city work crews bore into the cement on the west end to determine its condition.

"We can tell on the exterior that there has been significant crumbling, but we want to see if that deterioration has reached the interior," Biles said.

The bridge is a major artery between downtown and west Olympia, and Biles said the city is expecting to feel the full effect of its loss when state offices reopen Monday.

Biles said he is negotiation with Intercity Transit to provide express service between Westfield Shoppingtown Capital Mall, on Olympia's west side, and the Capitol Campus.

John Graber covers Lacey, Tumwater and military issues for The Olympian. He can be reached at 754-5465.

Help for businesses

Business owners can get aid for losses resulting from quake damage.

Information is available on Web sites for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (www.fema.gov) the U.S. Small Business Administration (www.sba.gov/wa), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (www.fsa.usda.gov/wa) and the Washington State Insurance Commissioner (www.insurance.wa.gov).

To file a claim with the FEMA, call (800) 462-9029. For questions on an existing claim, call (800) 525-0321.

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