BLYN — Pedestrians and cyclists in Blyn, east of Sequim, will see a detour for the foreseeable future after a portion of the Dean Creek bridge detached from the Olympic Discovery Trail.
The bridge’s east side began to detach some time between April 15-16 and one corner completely sank into the creek sometime around April 17, several agencies report.
Annette Nesse, chief operations officer for the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, said the staff thinks high water might have caused the bridge to partially drop into the creek.
The bridge, across U.S. Highway 101 from the 7 Cedars Casino, currently has safety tape up and traffic cones on both sides placed by tribal staff.
Volunteers with the Peninsula Trails Coalition, who help manage the Olympic Discovery Trail, suggest a detour to travel on the highway’s shoulder about 100 feet and turn right back onto the trail.
Nesse said the bridge was installed in 2005 as part of the Jimmycomelately Restoration Project. It replaced a culvert. The property belongs to the state Department of Fish & Wildlife and Clallam County holds an easement over the trail’s route, she said.
However, she’s uncertain which entity currently owns the bridge and is responsible for it.
“We’re going to work in partnership with the county, Trails Coalition to sort it out and see about funding,” Nesse said.
Ross Tyler, Clallam County director of Public Works, said from his readings, the county has no fiscal obligations for operations and maintenance of the bridge.
For now, Nesse said tribal staff don’t foresee any impact on the creek.
No timetable on repairing the bridge has been set, she said.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach him at mnash@sequimgazette.com.
