Detour routes during the Aug. 5 to Sept. 29 closure of the Meeker Bridge. COURTESY GRAPHIC, City of Kent

Detour routes during the Aug. 5 to Sept. 29 closure of the Meeker Bridge. COURTESY GRAPHIC, City of Kent

Major detour to hit Kent drivers with 8-week Meeker bridge closure

Contractor will repaint bridge and resurface deck from Aug. 5 to Sept. 29

Kent drivers will face a major detour with the closing of the Green River Bridge on Meeker Street from Monday, Aug. 5 through Sunday, Sept. 29 for repainting, repaving and minor structural repairs.

The bridge is a major entry and exit point to the city’s core via Meeker Street with access to and from State Route 516, aka Kent Des Moines Road, and Reith Road. Drivers will need to find alternate routes depending on their destinations. Detours and traffic control will be provided.

The city’s Riverbend Golf Complex and the large Ethos Apartments sit just east of the bridge. It is a popular commuting route. Just west of the bridge, the average daily traffic count is 18,900 vehicles with 4% truck traffic, according to city documents.

“The goal of this project is to maintain this important bridge for increased use and longevity for decades to come,” according to a city statement about the bridge constructed in 1958.

The Kent City Council awarded the project May 21 to Longview-based Mericka Group LLC, which submitted the low bid of $2.71 million for repainting and deck repairs, minor structural repairs to the bridge, erosion and sediment control, work access, containment and traffic control. The need for paint is obvious with rust spots clearly showing corrosion. The bridge was last painted in the 1990s, according to city documents.

“We will need to close the road completely while the main portions of the painting and deck rehabilitation are completed this summer,” said City Public Works Director Chad Bieren in an earlier Kent Reporter article about the project.

Federal grants received by the city will cover most of the costs, according to city documents. One grant will cover repainting the steel superstructure and the other one for rehabilitating the bridge deck.

The trails under the bridge over the Green River also will be closed to pedestrians and biking from Aug. 5 to Sept. 29 during the full closure.

The council in January 2023 approved a $352,519 consultant agreement with Bellevue-based TranTech Engineering to develop design plans, specifications and cost estimates for the bridge repainting and deck resurfacing work, according to city documents.

The company performed structural and loading analysis; design of paint containment and work platforms for the bridge; lead paint analysis and remediation design; design of structural steel spot repairs; and deck pavement design. TranTech also will provide bid support services to the project contractor. The council awarded an additional $287,123 to the company earlier this year for that work.


Talk to us

Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.

To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.

More in News

File Photo
Kent Police officer shoots, injures man in Des Moines

Feb. 14 incident under review by Valley Independent Investigative Team

People line SE 272nd Street in Covington on Presidents Day, Feb. 17 to protest many of the actions by the Trump administration. COURTESY PHOTO, Ron Auerbach
People line Covington street to protest Trump, Musk actions

One of many protests across the nation against ‘the anti-democratic and illegal actions’

Charlene Honda at the Day of Remembrance on Feb. 8, 2025, at the Washington State Fairgrounds. Photo by Bruce Honda
Federal Way woman recalls her time in U.S. concentration camp

‘It’s good for people to hear what happened so that it never happens again.’

t
Man fatally shot by Kent Police had high blood alcohol level

Crime lab test results show 0.27 blood concentration level in August 2024 shooting at apartments

Courtesy Photo, City of Kent
Construction set in Kent for 74th Ave. S. and Willis Street

Crews to install traffic islands, curbing at busy intersection

t
Kent Police Blotter: Jan. 26 to Feb. 6

Incidents include vehicle prowls, carjacking arrest, police pursuits, shots fired

Kentlake High School. COURTESY PHOTO, Kent School District
Former Kentlake High School teacher pleads guilty to sex charge

Jesse Webb, 46, pleads guilty to communication with a minor for immoral purposes

t
Kent School Board appoints Teresa Gregory to vacant seat

Gregory selected from among 7 finalists to replace Awale Farah

Karen Keiser. COURTESY PHOTO
Former state Sen. Karen Keiser appointed to state Exchange health board

Health Benefit Exchange formed as part of Affordable Care Act

Crews on the SR 509 Completion Project in south King County install the framework for a new bus stop on SR 516, also known as Kent-Des Moines Road. The SR 509 Completion Project includes new or improved connections to existing transit centers and stops. COURTESY PHOTO, WSDOT
Eastbound SR 516 ramp to I-5 in Kent to close for 4 months

Drivers heading to northbound I-5 will use a temporary left turn lane

Courtesy Photo, King County
Tacoma boy, 17, charged with murder in November 2024 Kent case

Reportedly fired six shots into vehicle that killed 21-year-old SeaTac man on West Hill

t
CW series ‘Police 24/7’ features Kent indecent exposure case

Department also part of future TV episodes after crews responded on calls with police in 2024