Working around the clock, crews from WSDOT contractor DBM completed emergency repair work on the south end of the Kummer bridge near Black Diamond before the July Fourth holiday.

WSDOT maintenance crews opened one lane of the bridge to all vehicle traffic on July 3 at 8:30 a.m. Traffic will alternate in each direction guided by traffic signals at each end of the bridge. Drivers should expect delays of no more than three minutes. Over-height, over-weight and over-width vehicles may not use the bridge at this time.

The bridge could fully reopen by the end of the weekend.

Contractor crews worked day and night driving in more than 30 specialized, slope-stabilizing nails to provide counter pressure to the loose soil. They installed a wire mesh net over the nails, then sprayed the entire area with shotcrete, a special spray-on concrete.

The shotcrete is strong enough to support traffic on one lane. It needs another day or two to support traffic on both lanes. Testers are checking the strength every 12 hours and will open the bridge to all traffic when the concrete reaches proper strength.

Significant movement in the landslide at the south end of the Kummer bridge prompted WSDOT to close the bridge last week. Crews drilled core samples to assess the stability of the entire roadbed. WSDOT experts determined the weakness was limited to the soil under the northbound lane and could be temporarily fixed using specialized slope-stabilizing nails.