OLYMPIA -- A bridge is on the way.
Federal Highway Administration officials told city leaders Tuesday that they will allow the immediate construction of a temporary two-lane bridge between the existing Fourth and Fifth avenue bridges.
"It's great news," City Councilwoman Holly Gadbaw said following the announcement, "and it's a relief for downtown businesses."
The 6.8 magnitude quake Feb. 28 crippled the Fourth Avenue bridge and Deschutes Parkway, leaving only the Fifth Avenue bridge as a two-lane link between downtown and the west side.
"The bridge will, hopefully, be under construction by the end of (April)," City Manager Dick Cushing said. "We will be using the best management practices as possible ... but at the same time, we want to move as expeditiously as possible."
Temporary bridge construction will take about eight weeks, and the highway administration will cover the estimated $250,000 construction cost.
City officials have been lobbying up the political food chain, asking for federal permit approval for immediate trestle construction. Without the federal help, bridge construction would likely have to wait until November.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Joe Allbaugh, U.S. Rep. Brian Baird and Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray have urged the FHA and other agencies to agree that the damaged bridge presents imminent threats to life and property.
The emergency status takes advantage of a loophole in the federal Endangered Species Act.
In 1986, Congress mandated that the permit procedure under the act be modified in response to emergency situations involving acts of God and disasters.
"The loss of the Fourth Avenue bridge is an emergency situation, and Congress specifically created exemptions in federal legislation so that we can act to protect our communities when disasters occur," said Baird, D-Wash.
Even amid pressure, permit agencies had been reluctant to declare an emergency situation for fear that immediate construction would harm endangered Deschutes River salmon and other wildlife.
Salmon do not begin their five-month migration window until November, when demolition preparation for the Fourth Avenue bridge begins.
After Tuesday's meeting, the council passed in executive session a motion that allows the city to build on state and private property and negotiate details later.
Michael Burnham covers Olympia for The Olympian. He can be reached at 704-6869.
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