Crews are hammering home the last braces and bolts in the final bridge in a 14-year effort to retrofit 115 King County bridges at risk for damage or destruction during an earthquake.

The $22 million project is a major investment in public safety and mobility in the event of a major earthquake in King County.

The Green River Gorge Bridge east of Black Diamond is the last of 115 seismic projects, marking the completion of a program that will keep key lifeline routes open all across the county when the next earthquake strikes.

“Hardening county bridges to better withstand an earthquake is an investment that will one day save lives and keep vital roadways open,” said King County Executive Ron Sims. “Basic infrastructure investments like this may be expensive, but they are well worth the cost.”

In 1994, King County kicked of an ambitious plan to improve the seismic safety of county bridges. Sims said given what is known about the seismic vulnerability of the region, it was a critically important – and timely – investment.

“It served us well when the Nisqually Earthquake hit in 2001 – not a single county bridge was lost during that big quake,” he said.

Sims said the $22 million seismic retrofit program ensures that key lifeline routes in unincorporated King County likely will remain open and functional in the event of an earthquake.

The King County Roads Division maintains almost 200 bridges located throughout the unincorporated areas. These bridges range in age from brand new to more than 90 years old.